The St. Catharines Public Library is getting rid of overdue fines.
CEO, Ken Su, tells CKTB that as of Tuesday, Feb. 28th, 2023, they will be eliminating fines for all borrowers.
He says the idea started in 2021 when staff brought forward the idea of eliminating fines for children, teens and seniors.
Su says by waving fines, they increased library usage in that age group over pre-pandemic levels.
He says revenue from fines is usually only 1% of their budget, and they are finding people are making a donation to the library when bringing in an overdue book.
Fees will still apply for lost or damaged items.