Good news, Vancouver bookworms: overdue fines at Vancouver Public Library (VPL) branches are now a thing of the past.
Effective as of June 1, you won’t be charged overdue fines on any VPL materials at any of the Vancouver library locations.
On top of that, if you thought you may have had outstanding late charges, those will be removed from your account.
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“Eliminating overdue fines is another way VPL is helping to address affordability in Vancouver,” reads a statement from VPL.
The eliminated fines include those incurred on Fast Reads, Quick Views, interlibrary loans, and even musical instruments.
Fines are being cleared via an automated process and you won’t be required to take any action. VPL states that it might take a few weeks for all accounts to be updated.
Instead of fines, borrowers will be sent reminder notifications via phone or email to return overdue materials.
“If an item is not returned within 23 days of its due date, the cardholder will have a lost item charge attached to their account.”
After the item is returned, VPL will remove that charge.
VPL adds that any other charges remain unchanged.
Click here to see the full details on limits, holds, and charges.
Why is VPL doing this?
A statement from VPL explains the reasoning behind the changes.
“Fines can impact anyone at any time, for many reasons. VPL is for everyone and we don’t want fines to be a barrier.”
VPL also states that fines can disproportionately affect people who need the library the most. This step makes it so that “critical library services” are available to everybody regardless of their social and financial status.
For anyone who actually wants to pay their fines, VPL says that they can “pay it forward” by making a donation to the VPL foundation.