The Dakota County Library system will no longer charge customers who return items past their due date.
As of Jan. 2, there are no overdue fees on items for any age group and those who were previously blocked from checking out items can use the library once again, the county said in a news release.
The county is currently home to nine libraries, said Scott Wente, Dakota County communications specialist, and will add a 10th next month with the opening of the new Kaposia Library in South St. Paul.
In 2022, the county removed youth fines and as a result, “more items were checked out, more youth received library cards and items were returned at a similar rate,” according to the county.
Items should still be returned to the library by their due date and most items overdue by 42 days or more will be considered lost and billed to the account. Accounts with charges of $50 or more cannot check out items.
“Everyone, no matter their circumstances, should have access to library resources,” the release said.
The St. Paul Public Library canceled all late fines and unblocked 42,000 library cards in 2019, joining what was then a small number of library systems around the country doing so. The change resulted in the first circulation boost for the St. Paul Public Library system in years while the number of overdue days held fairly steady.
Read more on the Dakota County Library policies at co.dakota.mn.us/libraries/Using/FineFree.