Starting September 1, Loutit District Library will join a growing trend in the library world and eliminate late fees on overdue items. The primary reason for eliminating late fees is that these charges present barriers to library service for those with limited income, disabilities, and transportation issues. Eliminating this barrier provides equitable access to library materials for all of our residents.
The library will continue to charge for materials that are checked out and never returned due to being damaged or lost. Donation jars will be placed on the Checkout Desk for anyone who still wants to pay late fees, and will be considered a donation to the library!
In addition, the Lakeland Library Cooperative, composed of 42 West Michigan libraries including LDL, recently instituted an automatic renewal of checked out items. Items that have no holds placed by other patrons, are not limited to one-week checkouts, or have other borrowing restrictions, will automatically renew up to two times.