Scottsdale City Council voted on Tuesday, April 7 to stop charging late fines on overdue Scottsdale Public Library materials effective July 1, 2020.

Scottsdale joins over 300 cities that will no longer charge late fines to Library patrons, although members will still be financially responsible for any lost or damaged items. The Friends of the Scottsdale Public Library would like to thank the Scottsdale Library Board for its efforts on researching and proposing this initiative in coordination with the Library.

In January 2019, the American Library Association (ALA) passed a resolution that urged libraries to scrutinize their fines programs and strengthen their funding support so they are not dependent on fines as a source of revenue.

ALA found that blocking library cards due to unpaid fines was a form of social inequity. Currently in Scottsdale, over 7,600 library cards are blocked, with a majority of the blocked cards from addresses south of Camelback Road.

The Friends supports the fine-free resolution and submitted an official comment to City Council in favor.

If you would like to help supplement some of the lost revenue from Scottsdale Public Library fines, please consider a Friends membership. Money raised from your tax-deductible donation supports Library events and programs.