Toronto Public Library asks City for extra funding to eliminate overdue fines

The Toronto Public Library is asking the City for extra funding to eliminate overdue fines, and the group Progress Toronto has started a petition in support of their call.

While late fees at the library are a concept that’s familiar to anyone, it’s been uncovered that having people pay for fines is acting as a barrier, keeping them from using the public resources available.

Public libraries are considered by many to be cornerstones in our communities, and that’s why there’s a movement to make them more accessible to everyone.

Progress Toronto says they have received over 1,000 signatures in favour of their petition.

“People aren’t returning books, and actually a lot of people are so scared of incurring those fees or having a negative interaction at the library,” said Organizing Director Saman Tabasinejad

In 2020, close to 150,000 teenagers and adults in Toronto had overdue library fines, and nearly 50 per cent of those with fees were living in low-income neighbourhoods.

“Perhaps a $40 or $50 fine doesn’t mean that much to somebody who has a lot of money, but for someone who is working paycheque to paycheque to make the bills, it means a lot,” explained Tabasinejad.

The Toronto Public Library has stopped collecting fees during the COVID-19 pandemic, and they were eliminated for children in March of 2021.

In their release about why fines for children are being dropped, they said these late fees have a “disproportionate impact on racialized and low-income communities in Toronto.” The library says five per cent of children from these communities have blocked library cards because of overdue fines, compared to just one per cent of children from other areas.

They were able to drop the fines for kids after the Toronto Public Library Foundation raised enough funds from donors.

Councillor Paul Ainslie is in favour of getting rid of these fines.

“[Fees] are very prohibitive to people using library resources, in particular children from neighbourhood improvement areas,” he says.

Having a blocked card could mean children who rely on the Toronto Public Library would not have access to computers or books to get their homework done.

“We want people to continue coming, especially coming out of a pandemic. Looking for jobs and furthering their education, they need access to library books and computers to do their homework,” said Ainslie. “So, for me as a city councillor, I think it’s something that needs to be done.”

“It’s not really helping us get the materials back,” added Ainslie. For example, Chicago dropped its library fines in September 2019 and saw a 240 per cent increase in returned books in the month afterward.

The city-recommended budget before council is supporting the elimination of late fines. Still, another $500,000 will need to be found in the 2022 budget process to compensate for the shortfall caused by not collecting fees.

“Libraries across the country are doing this, so it’s time that Toronto caught up and joined,” added Tabasinejad.

As of last March, the Toronto Public Library said there are 189 fine-free library systems across Canada.

The budget goes to the Mayor’s Executive Committee for perusal on Friday before final City Council approval next week.

With files from Meredith Bond