Library fines are going down in 2018

Sometimes it feels like everything is getting more expensive but here’s something that’s actually going _ down _ in the new year. The Ottawa Public Library sent a letter to all of its customers recently about changes to their late fees and loan periods:

_ Starting Wednesday, January 24, 2018, the Ottawa Public Library (OPL) will be changing some of its fees and loan periods to make it easier for customers to use its collections and services. _ _ The purpose of these changes is to improve service, circulation, and wait times. _ _ The main changes are as follows: _

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 Overdue fees on regular Children’s items are being reduced from $0.25/day to $0.10/day.
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 Overdue fees on regular Adult items are being reduced from $0.50/day to $0.40/day.
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 There will be unlimited renewals on regular items unless the item has been requested by another customer. Express and eBook renewals and loan periods stay the same.
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 Loan periods are being simplified and made consistent across all formats – loan periods for all regular items will be for 3 weeks (21 days).
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 Processing fees for lost or damaged regular items will be removed.
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 To help reduce wait times for popular items, a $1 fee will be charged if a hold or Interlibrary loan is not cancelled or picked up on time.
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 Express items that are lost or damaged will be subject to a rush processing fee of $20 plus the cost of the item to OPL.
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 To reflect the cost paid by Ottawa residents through their taxes, non-resident fees will increase from $50 to $80 for individuals, and from $120 to $160 for families/households.
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_ Find out more at BiblioOttawaLibrary.ca/fees . _