FERNDALE, Mich. (WXYZ) — The Ferndale Public Library announced Monday that it would no longer charge for late fees on circulating items, according to a news release.
The fines will be eliminated on adult fiction and non-fiction books, audio books, music CDs, standard-loan DVDs, and all children and teen materials.
“Our desire is to offer current cardholders a fresh start and entice residents who haven’t explored the library recently to come see all that we have to offer,” said Jenny Marr, director of the Ferndale Library. “We don’t judge anyone for having overdue books, because we’ve all been there. Even though I’m at the library almost every day, I still sometimes miss a due date. We understand how busy people are, and that life happens; we want using the library to be a positive and enjoyable experience.”
The library said the move comes as libraries across the country, including Chicago and Denver, as well as libraries in metro Detroit, have recently announced the elimination of late fees.
In addition to the discontinuation of late fees, fines on existing library card accounts have been removed. However, fees still remain for lost or damaged materials.
The effort goes into effect at Ferndale Public Librar on Sept. 20.
