VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Beginning July 1, the Virginia Beach Public Library system will no longer charge overdue fines on youth accounts for kids ages 0 to 17.
According to a release by the VBPL, the move to end overdue fines for youth accounts is meant to "remove economic barriers" for children who need the library's services.
“Equal and equitable access to information is a core value of libraries,” said Director of Libraries Eva Poole. “Removing overdue fines from youth accounts is a first step in removing economic barriers to accessing library materials, especially for children who may need us the most. Inability to pay fines may prevent families from returning materials or visiting the library at all. The goal is to get the materials back into our collection, and to encourage families to continue using the library.”
Fees for lost and damaged items will still apply, and fines accrued before July 1, 2021 will still need to be paid.
According to the library, teen library accounts for children ages 13 to 17 and student accounts for Virginia Beach City Public School students also have no overdue fines.
The library said in a release that its goal is to remove fines for all accounts.
Additional changes toward removing economic barriers for VBPL customers include removing a $1 fee for materials placed on hold but not picked up. The library also said that customers whose accounts are blocked from checking out physical items due to accrued fines may now access computers and digital resources.
