ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – The Orange County Library System announced that it is doing away with overdue fines as it celebrates turning 100 years old in 2023.
According to Orange County library spokesperson Erin Sullivan, the gift to the community took effect on Sunday, Oct. 16. In another surprise move, library officials announced they are also canceling all existing overdue charges on library cardholder accounts.
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According to a blog post by library system director Steve Powell, the move is part of a nationwide trend explaining that research shows overdue fines are barriers that prevent those who need libraries the most from using them.
“For fiscal year 2022-2023, fines and lost materials were budgeted at $320,000. We estimate that approximately $200,000 of that number was made up by overdue fines,” Sullivan added in an email.
The materials will still have due dates and the library will continue to notify people that they are expected to return them on time, according to the announcement.
A customer’s card will also be blocked if their item is not returned after 14 days and they will not be able to borrow any additional items until the overdue items are returned, according to Powell’s post.
“I believe that the decision to go fine-free will be a game-changer in our community. It will allow us to reinstate library cards for hundreds of children in Orange County, giving them a chance to access reading materials and resources that promote literacy. It will reinvigorate our libraries by rebuilding relationships with customers who stopped using library services because they were unable to pay an overdue fine or were simply embarrassed to address the fines on their accounts. It will also bring us in line with best practices already being embraced by libraries across the state and country,” Powell said.
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