New year, no fees: Dakota County libraries remove overdue fines for adults

DAKOTA COUNTY, Minn. (FOX 9) - After removing overdue book fees for youth users in 2022, the Dakota County Library system has announced it will do the same for adults in 2024.

According to an announcement, beginning Jan. 2, its libraries will remove overdue fines for all materials checked out for any age group – a change approved as part of the county’s 2024 operating budget. People who were previously blocked from checking out items will also be reinstated.

The move is one that library leaders hope will foster more reading among its users, after their libraries saw more children’s items checked out, with items returned at a similar rate as before.

"The feedback from the public, particularly families, has been very positive. We saw an increase in youth library card applications, an 11% increase in checkouts of youth materials and a 30% increase in youth library usage," Mary Beth Schubert, Dakota County Communications Director told FOX 9.

Items will still be bound to a due date, and most items overdue by 42 days or more will be subject to a replacement cost billed to the user’s account – materials can't be checked out on an account with $50 or more of charges.

More information on available titles and the new policy can be found here.