![Cuyahoga County Public Library's board of trustees approved a fine-free policy this week. The policy creates access to those who could not afford overdue charges. [Hallie Rich / Cuyahoga County Public Library]](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/3be8030/2147483647/strip/true/crop/982x690+0+0/resize/840x590!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fimages%2Fnews%2Fnpr%2F2022%2F01%2F1076022078_1548425075.jpg)
Cuyahoga County Public Libraryis celebrating its 100th anniversary by lifting fines for overdue books.
The policy approved this week by the board of trustees also wipes out any outstanding fees or fines for patrons.
Communication Director Hallie Rich says the fine-free policy eliminates the burden for readers.
“Library overdue fines present a real barrier to being able to access the collection, and we want nothing more than to make all of our material available to residents regardless of their ability to pay an overdue fine,” she said.
Rich says she hopes the policy will bring more readers to the library.
A replacement fee is charged after 21 days, but upon return of the item, the charge is waved.
The move follows a 2019 resolution by the American Library Association urging libraries across the country to stop fining patrons for late books.
The Cleveland Heights-University Heights library system ended its fines in 2018.
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