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Jackson County libraries say goodbye to late fees Tuesday Dec 26, 2017 at 12:01 AM Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune @VickieAldous Jackson County Library Services will stop charging late fees for overdue materials beginning Jan. 1. The library system currently charges 20 cents a day per item for late materials, with a $10 maximum overdue fee for each item. People who have unpaid late fees will also have their fines forgiven as of Jan. 1. Those who paid overdue fines before that date will not receive refunds. "One of the promises we made to the community was to remove barriers to access," said Susan Bloom, assistant library director for administrative services. "We wanted to look at immediate ways to make sure all of the community can access the library and materials." Although overdue fees are being eliminated, patrons will still be charged for the cost of replacing an item if they keep it for more than three weeks beyond its due date. Charges will also still apply if an item is damaged and has to be replaced. Patrons will continue to have their accounts blocked if they don't pay for lost or damaged items. Revenue from fines and fees makes up less than 1 percent of the library district's overall budget, library officials said. But the charges can stop some people from using the library. Under the current policy that will be eliminated, once people accumulate $10 or more in overdue fines, they are blocked from checking out materials. "Someone will come into the library and will say, 'I can't use my library card because when I was younger I incurred all these fines.' People say, 'I can't afford to pay the charges to use the library,' " Bloom said. She said the charges especially impact families with children. Back in October, the Jackson County Library District Board of Directors unanimously approved the new policy to eliminate overdue fines.  "The library’s central mission is to provide access to information and opportunity for all members of the Jackson County community,” board President Susan Kiefer said in a statement. "The library board is committed to developing policies that make it easy and equitable for everyone to make use of their library’s resources.” Library Director Jamar Rahming had made a recommendation to the board members that they eliminate overdue fines, saying the fines created a barrier to access. "We’re excited that our library staff will be spending less time negotiating fines and more time connecting Jackson County residents with information and experiences to enhance their lives and improve our community," Rahming said in a statement. The Jackson County library system has an all-volunteer board of directors and its own funding stream after voters approved a tax levy and independent library district in May 2014. The district is joining several other library systems in California, Utah, Colorado and Ohio that have eliminated overdue fines, local officials said. Bloom said a top concern about the elimination of overdue fines is that people will stop returning library materials they borrow by the due date. "Studies have shown people do bring their books back," she said. Jackson County Library Services will continue to issue email and text reminders to patrons when due dates are approaching and when items are overdue, officials said. Librarians will also be carefully monitoring the availability of items as they implement the new policy, officials said. With 15 branches in the system, it's already common for certain books and materials to be located at other branches. Patrons can fill out hold requests and have materials transferred to a branch of their choice for pick-up. For more information about the elimination of overdue fines, visit jcls.org/policies/nolatefees. — Reach staff reporter Vickie Aldous at 541-776-4486 or [email protected]. Follow her at www.twitter.com/VickieAldous.