No more late fees at Vancouver libraries

Photo by CTV Vancouver's Pete Cline in Chopper 9 on Monday, June 4, 2018.

The Vancouver Public Library has some good news for the city's procrastinators and scatterbrains.

Starting Wednesday, late fines have been eliminated on all items and anyone who currently has a balance owing will soon see it cleared.

"VPL is for everyone and we don't want fines to be a barrier," says an update on the website.

Library fines disproportionately affect those who need the library the most. By eliminating overdue fines, VPL will ensure that critical library services are available to everyone regardless of their socio-economic status."

Items will, however, have to be returned eventually. After 23 days have passed from the initial due date, the library user will be charged for a "lost item." For most materials, including books, video games, and movies, this charge is the item's cost plus $12. For mass-market paperbacks, it's a total fee of $11.

The charge will be cleared if and when the item is returned.

All of the library's other fines and fees remain the same That includes a suspension of borrowing privileges for people who owe more than $10 or who have more than 10 overdue items and a $2 fee for held items that aren't picked up in time.