KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Patrons of the Johnson County Library can now take a little extra time with an item and not be penalized.
The 14-branch library system announced Thursday they have eliminated overdue fines.
"We think that's a big reason for you to pop by for a visit," according to a statement on the library system's website. "Patrons checking out books, games, movies or other materials will not have to worry about overdue fines for items returned after their due date. The Library will also forgive unpaid fines currently on patrons’ accounts and waive unpaid fees that are more than seven years old."
The Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas public library systems are fine-free.
North Kansas City and Lawrence also don't collect fines for overdue items.
“We know that sometimes fines can be seen by patrons as an impediment, a reason why they’re not coming into the Library,” Michelle Olsen said in a statement on the library system's website. “Our 30-cents per day fine [was] the highest in the metro, so we really want to make sure our patrons are getting experiences of other Library systems, like those in and around our community, that have gone fine-free.”
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