The biggest reason was to remove a barrier of access for our residents who may not use the Library because they wouldn’t be able to pay the overdue fines on late materials. We wanted to ensure all residents can access our resources, regardless of socioeconomic status.
We also wanted to provide better customer service and interactions with guests at the Circulation Desk. We understand that things happen that make it difficult to return materials on time—work schedules, sick kids, weather, and construction. We wanted to remove one more barrier when returning materials.
The Board discussed it for several years beforehand and unanimously voted in favor of going fine free effective May 1, 2023.
All materials returned at NPL (whether owned by NPL or not) will not be charged overdue fines. Novi residents who use NPL as their main library will not be charged overdue fines on NPL materials and will have overdue fines from other libraries manually waived at the Circulation Desk.
No. Studies show no difference in return rates between fine free libraries and those with overdue fines.
No. While NPL is permanently fine free, due dates will remain and be important. Return your materials on time so other guests can enjoy them too.
Your card will be blocked when one or more items reach 21 days overdue and/or if there are 24 or more overdue items on your account.
Guests will still be charged fees for lost or damaged materials but not overdue fines on items returned past the due date. These fees are non-refundable. One or more lost or damaged items or more than 24 overdue items on an account will block a guest’s library card, and privileges will be suspended. Overdue fines are the daily charges applied to items not returned by their specified due date. These are the fines that will no longer be charged to guests.
Yes. Lost fees will automatically be removed from your account when the item is returned.
No. Guests may still be charged for things like 3D printed materials, event registration fees, or meeting room rentals.
Overdue fines for late materials belonging to NPL have been eliminated and removed from accounts. However, guests who have lost or damaged materials will still need to pay these fees to reinstate borrowing privileges.
If you have overdue fines for materials borrowed from another library, those fines will remain on your account. The easiest way to find out if you have a remaining balance is to login to your account or visit the Library.
Not all local libraries are fine free. If you use other libraries, overdue fines may still apply.