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BOSTON – April 14,
2021 – Mayor Kim Janey
today announced that, once approved by its Board of Trustees, the Boston
Public Library (BPL) will permanently eliminate late fines for patrons of
all ages. This removal of late fines is supported by $125,000 of ‘revenue
relief’ in Mayor Janey’s 2021 budget and will go into effect on July 1,
2021. The policy change will remove barriers and increase access to BPL resources
for patrons across the City of Boston.
“With the BPL
Board of Trustees’ approval, we look forward to eliminating library late
fines and the equity imbalance they can create,” said Mayor Janey. “The
Boston Public Library provides important resources, programs, and services
to our communities. By removing this barrier to access, we are ensuring
that these resources are actually accessible to everyone.”
In the wake of
COVID-19, with mayoral approval, the BPL implemented a moratorium
on assessing late
fines in March 2020. To cover the span of time until fines can permanently
be eliminated, the BPL announced today that this moratorium will be
extended through June 30, as the Mayor and the library’s permanent
elimination of fines goes into effect on July 1. BPL had already
eliminated late fines for patrons under 18, a policy implemented in October
2019.
Under this policy
change, BPL will also remove all pending overdue fines from patrons’
accounts. Moving forward, patrons will not face monetary penalties for
returning books late, although they will still be required to return any
overdue books in order to check out additional materials. While card
holders will no longer incur fines for late returns, they will still be
responsible for replacement costs if a book is lost or not returned.
“The BPL is proud
to join the growing number of public libraries who are abolishing late
fines and ensuring maximum accessibility, especially at this time of
greatest need among those who rely on our resources most,” said BPL
president David Leonard. “With this announcement, patrons can continue to
access our collections, as well as our physical and digital resources,
without the financial barrier of late fines. We have always believed that
as a public library, our services should be ‘Free to All,’ and as the current
global health crisis continues and we move into recovery, policy changes
such as this are more important than ever. Thank you to Mayor Janey for
authorizing the removal of late fines. Patrons who have the means to
further support our work will also be invited to make a donation in lieu of
fines.”
In FY19 the
Library collected a total of $176,512 in overdue fines from BPL
cardholders, representing a fraction of the total overdue fine balance on
record. Currently, about 42,000 BPL cardholders are facing fines, and
therefore barriers to continued use of the Library. A scan of our system
indicates that a large portion of those Boston residents live in
neighborhoods which map to the most economically challenged parts of the
city. With approval from the Trustees, these fines will be removed from
their accounts on July 1, 2021.
The Library has
more than 391,300 card holders, and even more Massachusetts residents
benefit from the BPL’s offerings. During the pandemic, the library has
provided free programming, resources, and services, with a focus on civic
discourse, COVID recovery, economic recovery, racial equity, workforce
development, and youth engagement through the Repairing
America
initiative. The BPL also
rolled out the
BPL To Go program in June, 2020, allowing patrons across the city to place
holds, check out, and return books, CDs, and DVDs, despite the pandemic.
Additionally, the library has been dedicated to advancing digital equity
for its patrons, and the Boston community. This is being achieved
through its Connectivity
Kits, which allow
patrons to check out a Chromebook and a hotspot; its Public
Computer Access program, which provides safe computer access at the Central Library
in Copley Square; and its Outdoor
Wi-Fi program,
which extends Wi-Fi to the areas surrounding 14 BPL branches.
To learn more
about the BPL’s current initiatives, visit bpl.org/news, and bpl.org/RepairingAmerica.
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