Calvert County, MD — The Calvert County Library has decided to go permanently fine-free. The policy has been in place since March, but the Library Board of Trustees has decided to make the move permanent.
Materials checked out at Calvert Library locations will not incur late fees and will be automatically renewed for four circulation cycles as long as no one is waiting for them.
Fourteen days after the final due date, materials that are not returned will be considered lost and customers will be billed the replacement cost of each item. Customers may return materials to have lost fees canceled. If a patron owes $25 or more, their borrowing privileges will be suspended until they pay for or return the missing items.
Materials obtained from other libraries in the state will continue to accrue late fees.
Library Executive Director, Carrie Willson, says she’s not worried about the money the library is losing in fines, ““Last year overdue fines amounted to less than $35,000 a year for Calvert Library, which is less than 1% of the library’s annual budget. We expect to offset some of that amount through income from offering passport application and renewal services.”
Calvert Library has actually experienced a 2.9 percent decrease in short-term overdues since the no-fine policy was implemented. Overdue items account for less than 1% of the items available for circulation.