UPDATE (July 4, 12:35 p.m. PT) — Multnomah County Library announced Wednesday that it will no longer charge late fees on library materials.
Effective immediately, it will also clear all existing fines and restore access to accounts that have been blocked because of late fees.
“Our public libraries exist to provide free and equal access to shared resources for everyone,” Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury said in a statement. "And yet, the practice of assessing punitive fines for late returns has locked people out, many of whom are already facing hardships. The resources, support and sense of belonging found in our libraries are needed urgently during these trying times, and I’m grateful that this change will further open access to this community asset.”
The library said it is removing fine debt for more than 72,000 accounts, a total of more than $730,000. More than 2,000 people have had accounts blocked due to fines of more than $50.
The library took its first step toward retiring late fees in 2016, when it eliminated fines for all youth materials.
Signs alert patrons that the book drop is closed at the Woodstock branch of the Multnomah County Library in Portland, Ore., on Wednesday, April 29, 2020. Libraries across Oregon closed their doors and hit pause on due dates in response to the statewide stay-at-home order issues in late March 2020.
Bryan M. Vance / OPB
Multnomah County director of libraries Vailey Oehlke said at the time, they researched which library users were racking up enough fines to have their borrowing privileges blocked.
What they found was an alarming correlation between blocked accounts in zip codes with higher rates of poverty.
“That was a real concern for us,” said Oehlke, “because we believe strongly that folks in our community who are facing the greatest barriers have the greatest need for access.”
She and her team began looking into the reasons that many people were accruing fines in the first place. What they found were things like transportation issues, people juggling multiple jobs, and the demands of caring for family members.
“Fines were clearly a barrier to that access,” Oehlke said.
The library will still charge people replacement costs for items if they are not returned within 49 days after the due date.
In its last fiscal year, the library collected about $550,000 in overdue fines. That’s less than 1% of its annual budget.
Oehlke said the policy change has received overwhelming community support. Within a day of announcing the change, the Multnomah County Library received this message from a previously blocked patron:
“I left an abusive relationship in the middle of the night in 2014 and I left mine and my daughter's library books when I did. I ended up with over $200 in fines I haven’t been able to pay as a disabled parent. This means we can finally go back to the library now: thank you.”
Use the audio player above to hear a conversation between OPB “Weekend Edition” host John Notarianni and Multnomah County director of libraries Vailey Oehlke.