Policy change at Dallas Library means no more late fines
Thanks to the efforts of Jo Giudice and a recent vote by Dallas City Council, Dallas Libraries will no longer be levying fines for returning items late.
The new policy goes into effect immediately and the library and its vendor are collaborating to zero-out existing late-fee balances, which may take a few weeks. Until the fine balances have been eliminated, card holders can return materials and ask that the fines on their account be cleared.
Also done away with were fees associated with checking account numbers and lost library card replacement.
For those worried that library shelves may get thinned out due to patrons weekly taking books home and not returning them, that won’t be an issue. An individual’s account will have a block placed on it once a book(s) or other item is overdue by a week
Nothing else can be checked out until overdue items are returned or their replacement cost and a processing fees are paid. Patrons who have lost library items and cannot pay the cost of replace are given the chance twice a year to “work off” what they owe. This can be done by volunteering or taking part in community activities.
In addition to books, today’s libraries also contain movies, audio books and computer games for rent, in addition to many informative brochures distributed by the various levels of government.
There is no charge for a library card for Dallas residents.
The new policy goes into effect immediately and the library and its vendor are collaborating to zero-out existing late-fee balances, which may take a few weeks. Until the fine balances have been eliminated, card holders can return materials and ask that the fines on their account be cleared.
Also done away with were fees associated with checking account numbers and lost library card replacement.
For those worried that library shelves may get thinned out due to patrons weekly taking books home and not returning them, that won’t be an issue. An individual’s account will have a block placed on it once a book(s) or other item is overdue by a week
Nothing else can be checked out until overdue items are returned or their replacement cost and a processing fees are paid. Patrons who have lost library items and cannot pay the cost of replace are given the chance twice a year to “work off” what they owe. This can be done by volunteering or taking part in community activities.
In addition to books, today’s libraries also contain movies, audio books and computer games for rent, in addition to many informative brochures distributed by the various levels of government.
There is no charge for a library card for Dallas residents.