Ottawa Public Library Board votes to remove late fees

The Ottawa Public Library (OPL) will no longer be charging late fees for books and other materials it lends out. 

The library's board approved a Materials Recovery Model on Tuesday, which will use email reminders, grace periods, and charging people for lost items, but the library will no longer charge for items returned late.

APPROVED! OPL Board has adopted a Materials Recovery Model – eliminating late fees for all customers to remove barriers for poor and marginalized communities. OPL staff directed to address the revenue adjustment as part of the 2021 Draft Operating and Capital Budget.

— OttPubLib/BibPubOtt (@opl_bpo) October 13, 2020

A grace period for returns can be anywhere from seven to 21 days but accounts that accumulate over $50 in lost item fees for more than three months, will be referred to a collection agency. 

The library hopes the change will remove barriers for poor and marginalized communities.

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

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.