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The change went into effect Jan. 11, the library announced. It's joining other public libraries across North America in lowering financial barriers to library access.
"A fine-free library system evens the playing field and incentivizes Houstonians to become lifelong users of our Houston Public Library," said Mayor Sylvester Turner. "When you analyze the numbers, you see that young people account for more than 27% of users with fines, preventing them from accessing free resources and tools for learning. Simply put, this is the right thing to do."
SEE RELATED STORY: How the Houston Public Library is working to preserve African American stories in U.S. history
According to the library, studies show that those that eliminated fees found a higher rate of return on borrowed items. They also saw visitors returning more often.
Before the change, approximately 25% of Houston Public Library account holders owed fines, and 70% of those fines were accrued before 2015.
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"HPL does not expect the elimination of late fees to impact revenue in a significant way, given that revenue from fines has comprised less than 1% of the library's budget over the past five years. Fines have proven to be a strain on staff time and resources due to policy enforcement and account management," a press release from the library said in part.
If you owe money and want to clear your account, you have from Jan. 17 to Feb. 18 to return any overdue items and review your account for fees on lost or damaged items.
When Chicago Public Library removed fines in 2019, that system had a 240% increase in book returns. Denver Public Library had a 35% increase in customers returning to the library when fines were removed in 2018 and a 10% increase in lost materials being returned.
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