Ramsey County wipes away $415K in library late fees

Ramsey County officials have forgiven $415,000 in overdue library fines and restored access to thousands of users whose accounts had been suspended because of them.

The move by the Library Board wipes away charges on 68,000 accounts and restores borrowing privileges to about 13,000 library accounts that were suspended due to charges of more than $10.

It's the library system's final step in dismantling a late-fee system that many now describe as unwelcoming and as disproportionately affecting the neediest families.

"We just want folks to know we are here with open arms. We are welcoming people back in," Ramsey County Library Deputy Director Pang Yang said.

In January 2020, Ramsey County eliminated late fees for children and teen borrowers and erased those outstanding balances. That unlocked 800 frozen youth accounts and forgave about $200,000 in overdue fees.

The county eliminated late fees for adult borrowers during the COVID-19 pandemic and did away with those fees permanently in January. Fees of $1 a day for late DVDs and video games and 30 cents a day for books and other materials could add up quickly.

Ramsey County joins a growing national movement to end library late fees. Libraries in New York City, Chicago and San Francisco have eliminated fines. The Hennepin County Library system nixed its overdue fees in 2021 and offered a "fresh start" to all users by wiping away accrued debt. The St. Paul Public Library eliminated fees in 2019, forgave $2.5 million in accrued fees and then saw an uptick in usage.

Yang, who worked for St. Paul Public Library when it eliminated overdue fees, said those mounting overdue balances did create anxiety for people and dissuaded them from returning to the library. There was a marked change among patrons when fees were lifted, she said.

"People just feel like they could come back to the library without feeling shame or discouraged or a shadow looming over them," Yang said.

Late fees may be a thing of the past, but Ramsey County patrons will still be charged for lost or damaged items, and privileges will be suspended if charges exceed $10. Reminder notices will continue to be sent over several weeks, and lost charges are levied once a book is more than 34 days past due.

The Ramsey County Library system includes seven suburban branches and 193,000 cardholders.

Ramsey County Spokeswoman Kristina Saksvig said the county has been preparing for the loss of revenue from late fees.

"The budget was written for 2022 and 2023 with this in mind," Saksvig said. "This was definitely a county priority and a priority of the library."