Eastern Regional Libraries scraps daily late fees at Knox, Maroondah and Yarra Ranges libraries

You used to be charged 10c for every day your book was overdue, but Eastern Regional Libraries have scrapped the fines system and overhauled how it deals with tardy returns.

Late fines have been permanently scrapped from Eastern Regional Libraries including Ringwood’s Realm. Pictured are staff Tiffany Lucas and Liam Blandon.

Outer east bookworms can effectively borrow a book, buy it and keep it in a shake-up of library borrowing rules.

Eastern Regional Libraries — which operates 16 branches in Knox, Maroondah and the Yarra Ranges — has scrapped its daily late fees.

Members were previously charged 30c — to a maximum of $10 — for each day they held onto an item past its due date, and the scheme brought in $200,000 to ERL’s coffers every year.

But under the new rules, users will be given a month to auto-renew their items, or pay its store price and a processing fee to replace it.

They’ll also be banned from borrowing other items until the overdue ones are returned.

ERL customer experience manager Sarah Hopkins said she didn’t expect the loss in income from late fees to affect its business.

Croydon librarians Rose Gray and Ajne Graham have been preparing book bags for library users during the coronavirus outbreak. Picture: Josie Hayden

Ms Hopkins said the move was designed to make the libraries more attractive and they were “coming in line” with others around Melbourne in scrapping late fees.

“We know fees are a barrier for people to start or continue using the library, and even when fines are small, people won’t come back,” she said.

“There’s been a worldwide trend move away from fines and it doesn’t negatively impact on returns, and sometimes there’s an increase in the return rate.”

Ms Hopkins said ERL lost two per cent of its collection each year and it would still charge fees for late or damaged items.

But she felt the move was timely as families struggle with the impact of the coronavirus outbreak and turn to libraries for cheap and easy-to-access resources.

“We think we would be better off to charge for a value-added service that people are happy to pay for and move away from punishment, it’s a better all-round outcome,” she said.

ERL libraries are closed for in-person visits due to coronavirus restrictions but residents can order items for home delivery here.

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