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The Welles-Turner Memorial Library, with support from the Town Council and the Welles-Turner Memorial Library Board, is happy to announce that the library is no longer charging overdue fees for most library materials. We are proud to be following the practice of many libraries around the country and around the state, removing this potential barrier to library services.
Will everything be fine-free?
“Fine free” means that there will be no late charges on most materials checked out at WTML (due to a limited supply and a time-sensitive nature, late charges will still be charged on Museum Passes, Lucky Day Items, and Circulating Library Equipment/Things). The Library will still charge for lost and damaged items.
Will there still be due dates?
Every item checked out will still have a due date. We ask patrons to remember that someone else may be waiting for an item, so (as always) bring it back on time.
Won't this affect the library's budget?
Overdue fine revenue accounts for less than 0.4% of the library’s total budget, and due to increased digital usage, more built-in reminders, and more patron-friendly policies, that number was only going to go down.
Have other libraries eliminated late fines?
Yes! Over 130 libraries in Connecticut have already eliminated fines, and thousands of libraries across the country (and even the world!) have, too.
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