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Anoka County Library System Eliminates Fines
The Anoka County Library began the new year by going fine free - no longer charging daily fines for items returned past the due date.
Anoka County Commissioner Julie Jeppson said that Anoka County’s new policy follows other library systems across the country, who found that people avoid going to the library out of fear of incurring debt.
"Research has shown that fees are a deterrent for people coming into the library,” Jeppson said. “They're not a deterrent for returning your book on time, they just discourage people from even visiting the library and that's something that we can't have happen."
As of January 1st, 2025, of the 100,000 county library card holders in Anoka County, 26,000 of them who had late fines on their accounts last year, were forgiven.
Even so, with the fine-free move, personal responsibility remains. If a book, DVD, or other item, checked out by a library patron, returns damaged, or kept 30 days past the due date, then the replacement cost for that item will be charged.
"Media costs taxpayers dollars,” Jeppson said. “If there's damage caused like significant damage to a book so that we can't put it in circulation any longer or if something isn't returned, there will be a fee to replace that item so that is still something that patrons can expect."
