Beginning Oct. 3, overdue fees will be a thing of the past at the Smith Public Library. At the September 24th meeting, the City Council voted unanimously to eliminate these fees, which account for less than half a percent of all fees taken in by the city. 

Eliminating overdue fees has been a national trend in public libraries since 2017. Most public libraries in the Metroplex have already successfully embraced this movement. Neighbor cities such as Sachse and Plano removed these fees in 2019 and 2018, respectively. According to Library Journal, the percentage of public libraries charging overdue fees dropped from 92% to 36% from 2017 to 2022. 

The path to eliminating these fees began with the Library Advisory Board. When they were presented with the information on how little impact they had on the overall fee collection and their negative impact on staff and patrons, they wholeheartedly supported their removal. Explaining overdue fees to patrons who use other library systems that do not charge fees often caused stressful interactions between staff and patrons. This created a contentious atmosphere that made people not want to use library services. Many people fearing fines do not return their items at all or return them but do not come back to the library. 

Our goal is for everyone to have a positive experience at the library so that they continue to come back. Fees interfere with that goal and tend to affect families and those of lower socioeconomic status the most. The library wants to provide more opportunities for use, not create barriers to service. Removing punitive fees is a step in that direction.

While overdue fines have been eliminated, the library still encourages people to return items on time so that they are available for others. Items not returned after thirty days will be considered lost, and library privileges will be suspended until they are returned or paid for. No penalty will be incurred if the items are returned in good condition. There will still be fees for lost or damaged items. 

For more information, please visit our website at WylieTexas.Gov/Library, call us at 972-516-6250, or visit us in the Municipal Complex at 300 Country Club Bldg 300. 

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By Ofilia Barrera, Smith Public Library