Late fees have become a threat of the past at Wodonga Library.
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Six months after wiping fees for returning books late, the library has noticed more people coming back to borrow books, no longer worried about the consequences of doing the wrong thing.
Cultural services manager Simone Hogg said the 25 cents per day fee stopped being charged on January 1.
"It was acknowledged that overdue fines could cause stress and embarrassment to some customers, which could stop them coming back to the service," she said.
"Our intention is to always provide a safe and welcoming service for community members. We want to encourage our community, particularly the many young families that are in Wodonga, to read and connect with library services to assist with promoting and building literacy in all ages."
It was also a smart financial position, as the cost of chasing the late fees was higher than the fines paid for the late books.
People who lost or damaged books would still be fined, with the amount depending on the item.
Wodonga Council's 2018-19 budget listed the default fine of a lost item at $22, but stated the cost of them item still applied.
The change on late fines is part of a worldwide trend boosting membership and borrowing rates.
"We have noticed that people have returned to the library and become engaged users once again as they don't feel the angst over late books," Ms Hogg said.
"Items have also been returned to the library after being considered lost in the system with some books having been returned after being "missing" for more than one year."