Ottawa Public Library working to scrap late fees for overdue materials

The Ottawa Public Library may be ditching the late fees model for books and other materials it lends out. 

According to a report, which will be heard by the Ottawa Public Library Board on Tuesday, says that while the premise exists that fees encourage people to return their books to the library on time, there is actually limited evidence to support this. 

“While not originally introduced as a source of revenue, the notion of fees for overdue materials as a revenue source has become more prevalent and is fundamentally at odds with the overall mission of public libraries,” the reported states. 

OPL currently uses the Overdue Fines Model, charging fees for a variety of reasons, including late, damaged and lost items. 

And while in 2015, the Board directed staff to do a review of fees and fines, the fee structure now focuses less on penalizing customer, and more on providing services. 

As a result, the only fees related to items not returned are for items returned late, and for items that are not returned beyond 35 days. 

“The outcome of the review struck a balance between fee re-alignments and the customer experience and the changes to the fees structure did not adversely affect the customer experience or result in a reduction in cardholders,” the report states. 

But instead of sticking to this model, the Board wants the approval to move to a “materials recovery model” — a model that gets rid of late fees and uses other ways to encourage people to return their items in on time. 

And that strategy is what they’re calling “moral suasion,” using email reminders, grace periods and charging people for lost items. 

That grace period can be anywhere from seven to 21 days. 

For the accounts that accumulate over $50 in lost item fees for more than three months will be referred to a collection agency. 

The financial impact of the move to the different model, if implemented, will be considered as part of the budget process. 

Specifically, it will cost about $1.032 million to move to the new model, with an offset of $90,000 for administrative costs to remove one full-time employee to handle the current late fee process.