Toronto Public Library ends late fines, card replacement fees
Posted June 1, 2022 11:22 am.
Last Updated June 1, 2022 11:30 am.
The Toronto Public Library has now ended its policy on charging late fines and fees for replacing library cards.
The policy change, billed by officials in a statement as a way to make the library system more “welcoming” and acts as a way to remove access barriers, came into effect on June 1.
Other policy highlights and changes included:
- No charges for holds not picked up for people 17 and younger
- $1 charge for holds not picked up for people 18 and older
- No more than 50 physical items can be taken out at the same time
- Items not returned more than 30 days past due will be deemed lost, patrons charged replacement cost
- Lost item paid for and returned will see refunds issued within 90 days
- Ability to borrow items suspended if there are 10 or more overdue items, $100 or more in charges
Library members who have items overdue by months or years were encouraged to return those items to the library for use, reiterating that late fines will not be charged.
For those who had late fees on their account, the statement said the fees were removed from the system on April 18. However, members will still need to pay for the replacement costs if the materials borrows were lost, damaged or not returned.
