Jacksonville Public Library permanently eliminates overdue fines

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Have overdue library fines that need to be paid?

Not anymore.

In a unanimous decision, the Board of Library Trustees agreed to eliminate overdue library fines at all Jacksonville Public Library locations.

“Borrowed materials still have due dates, and we want you to return your materials on time so your neighbors can also enjoy them,” said Region Manager for the West Region, Lynne Baldwin. “The elimination of overdue fines just gives you that little cushion when things don’t go as planned.”

In a statement, the library noted that overdue fines are barriers to low-income families and often penalize the most vulnerable families. An estimated 36% of the 118,000 households with blocked Jacksonville Public Library cards for overdue fines are households with children and at least 5,000 of the families in those households are living below the poverty line. Throughout the country, more than 100 libraries have eliminated fines for overdue materials, and have seen increases in library users, increases in circulation of materials, and decreases in lost materials.

Customers are encouraged to return any long-overdue materials to any Jacksonville Public Library location free of the worry of overdue fines.

For more details, visit https://jaxpubliclibrary.org/news/jax-public-library-goes-overdue-fine-free.

About Jacksonville Public Library

The mission of the Jacksonville Public Library is to enrich lives, build community and foster success by bringing people, information and ideas together. Last year, more than 3.1 million visits were made to Jacksonville Public Libraries, items were checked out more than 4.7 million times, and over 15,000 programs and services were offered to Duval County residents at the Main Library and 20 branch locations. For more information about the Jacksonville Public Library, call 255-BOOK (2665) or visit jaxpubliclibrary.org.

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