The Saskatoon Public Library will officially no longer be charging late fees as of January 1st, but it actually began early with the start of the pandemic.  CEO Carol Cooley says many libraries in North America are going this route to take away the deterrents from people who might be struggling financially, so they can come back to the library.

The Saskatoon Public Library has been testing the ‘fine free’ idea sporadically over the last few years. Cooley gives the example of an amnesty event in 2015 where all fines were cleared.  She says it removes barriers for people who want to return. Although 2020 will always be known as a pandemic year, it was in one way very affirming, Cooley says.

When the library first re-opened with contactless pickup, 7,500 people placed holds in just one day.  She adds that not having late fees won’t be a financial hardship, because it’s less than a half per cent of their revenue.  All Saskatchewan municipal libraries are funded through city property taxes and a smaller portion from a provincial grant.