NEWS RELEASE
COLLINGWOOD PUBLIC LIBRARY
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As of Jan. 1, 2021, the Collingwood Public Library has officially forgone charging patrons’ overdue fines on their borrowed materials.
“The library is focused on removing barriers of use for our patrons and removing fines was the next step in doing this,” says Chief Executive Officer, Ken Haigh. “This move aligns with our mission and values of being fully a fully accessible community hub.”
At the beginning of the pandemic, the library eliminated overdue fines to their patrons as they were unable to return their materials. As the pandemic has continued, so has the idea to eliminate fines. As fines account for very little of the library’s annual revenue, removing fines is not hurting the library’s operating budget.
Removing overdue fines does not mean that patrons are off the hook for lost materials. Patrons are encouraged to return their items before or on their due dates and will be sent a series of reminder notices as normal.
If a patron has had an item for 10 weeks, the item will be presumed lost and the patron will be charged for the replacement of the item. Similarly, if an item has been damaged, the replacement fee will remain.
As of Jan. 1, 2021, all fines on patron’s accounts have been removed. For more details about going fine free, visit www.collingwoodpubliclibrary.ca
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