City Library Cracks Down On Overdue Books Stricter Policy To Begin In March; Patrons Owe More Than $687,000

Literary deadbeats owe the Spokane Public Library more than $687,000 in unpaid fines, fees and lost materials.

Library officials don’t count on the dollars in their annual budgets. But if they had the money, they could do wonderful things, they say.

Such as buy 27,500 books.

Or put on 687 children’s programs.

Or pay off more than one-third the cost of a new branch library.

So, to encourage library patrons to ante up, officials are cracking down.

A stricter policy slated to take effect in March will make it harder for library users to ignore their outstanding fines and fees.

“We’re trying to get a handle on this and not let it get any higher,” said library Director Aubrey George.

Patrons must renew their library cards every year. Under the old rules, if the fines were below $10, the cards could be renewed. The new policy says all fines and fees - no matter how small - must be paid first.

“We’ve lowered the threshold,” said George, noting that patrons often pay just enough to keep their fines under $10.

Old rules called for the library to send a notice when a book was seven days late. If the book was returned before that, no notice was mailed but the user still owed 15 cents for every day the item had been past-due. Now, a notice will go out any time a user is assessed a late fee.

Library users also will get another notice when their bill hits $25, as well as a third notice when the bill hits $50.

Then, if the patrons don’t make arrangements to pay within nine days, the bill will go to collection. The old cutoff was $100.

George said the more rigid policy is meant to get library patrons to return their materials on time, not to make money.

City Councilwoman Cherie Rodgers, who sits on the Library Board, said she is dismayed by the amount of money owed the library.

“It’s astronomical in my book for library fines and fees to add up like that,” said Rodgers. “I’m hoping that it will never get this out of line again.”

County library patrons owe about $130,000 in fines and fees and $190,000 in lost materials, said library Director Mike Wirt.

Like the city library, the county library district considers a book or tape lost if it is three weeks late in being returned.

The county switched to a daily fine system in August, Wirt said. Prior to that, patrons had been sent a notice with a $2 late charge eight days after the due date; a second $2 notice went out at 22 days past-due.

Now, a 15-cent fine is levied each day past the due date, Wirt said.

The county won’t allow patrons to check out books if they owe $5 or more, and it sends bills to collection when they reach $50.

All charges must be paid to renew a county library card.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Graphic: Library fines add up