Library fines for 87,412 overdue books in Northern Ireland wiped

Fines for overdue library books in Northern Ireland will be removed with immediate effect, Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey has announced.

As of Monday, there were 87,412 items registered as being overdue in Libraries NI's system.

All of the associated charges for these will be wiped from the system, the Department for Communities confirmed.

Ms Hargey said the move "paves the way" for people who are "anxious about overdue fines to return to libraries".

Libraries NI made £73,510 through charging for overdue items from 2018 to 2019.

However, after deducting administration costs, the income made by Libraries NI was £7,260 for that period.

It made 10p in income per day from charging for overdue items, and this income stream varies from year to year.

Libraries NI said all library books borrowed throughout the pandemic, when restrictions applied, were "automatically renewed so did not incur any charges during this time".

Minister Hargey said libraries provide "a safe place" for people who "live alone, feel isolated or marginalised and they are a focal point for many community based activities for all ages".

"Fines, particularly where they accumulate over time, are more likely to impact vulnerable people, including those on lower incomes," she said.

"As we continue to live with Covid, it is important that our local libraries are open for everyone to use and that there are no access barriers."

Libraries NI service development manager, Sean Beattie, said the removal of overdue fines would be an opportunity for communities to reconnect with libraries.

"We were concerned that fines would be perceived as a barrier and people may not have spare cash to pay it," he said.

He said there was a "drop-off" in people borrowing physical books from February 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"Week on week, there's been more people coming back into libraries as restrictions ease and book borrowing has increased hand in hand," he said.

Mr Beattie said he hoped that removing fines will "stop people worrying" about coming back to libraries.

He said there are a number of steps to prevent people abusing the system now that late fees have been waived.

He added that anyone who repeatedly does not return library items will have their borrowing privileges suspended.

Under the previous system, he said the most a customer could be fined for an overdue item was £54.99 but "it was very rare that someone would reach that point".

"Most would have owed one or two pound - we have a loyal number or borrowers always looking for their next read, so it wasn't really a problem."