https://www.latimes.com/california/s...-overdue-books
dec 13 2019 For Angelenos, the days of stressing out over an overdue library book are mostly coming to an end.
Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Friday that the city will stop collecting fines for past-due books and other materials this spring, part of a larger effort to make the 73-branch library system more welcoming to the city’s neediest residents.
Garcetti said too many families are so worried about the possibility of financial penalties that they avoid taking advantage of the books, recordings and other materials that are lent for free.
“The burden of the fines placed on Angelenos is significant — for students, for families who don’t have a lot of spending money, for seniors on a fixed income,” Garcetti said during a news conference at L.A.'s downtown Central Library. “Library fines can be a barrier to tapping into all the incredible resources that we have here in our libraries.”
L.A. is following the lead of library systems in scores of other cities, including San Diego, Chicago, Denver, Salt Lake City, San Francisco and Oakland, according to a report prepared for the Board of Library Commissioners, whose members are appointed by Garcetti.
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