Beginning on Tuesday, July 16, the Free Library will be implementing a variety of changes to its cardholder and fine policies. Children under 12 years old will no longer be charged late fees for overdue materials—though they will still be responsible for returning all items before checking out more. Children will also be able to check out a total of 20 items and renew their materials up to 10 times, an increase over the previous limit of three renewals. In addition to these improvements for young library-goers, the Free Library is standardizing its late fees on all adult and teen materials to 25 cents per item, per day. Adult and teen readers will also be able to enjoy the increased renewal rate of 10 times per item.
In addition, several other library card changes will also go into effect on Tuesday. All Pennsylvania residents will now be able to obtain a library card free of charge, and the fee for an out-of-state card will increase from $35 to $50. Also, veterans, members of the military, and senior citizens who do not otherwise qualify for a free card will no longer be eligible for one.
Have a question for Free Library staff? Please submit it to our Ask a Librarian page and receive a response within two business days.