The Santa Barbara Public Library is forgiving any outstanding fines and fees as it transitions to a new catalog, according to a press release.
This move was approved by the Santa Barbara City Council on Wednesday in an attempt to welcome patrons back to the library.
Fines and fees will be forgiven before the rollout of the new catalog system on April 15.
Late fees have not been charged at the library since July of 2019, but individuals with more than $9.99 in overdue fines were still not able to check out materials.
In the press release, Library Director Jessica Cadiente said that this clean slate is part of the library's mission of "reducing barriers to access."
People who do not return books within 30 days of their due date are still charged a replacement fee, but that fee is waived if the book is returned within 60 days of the original due date.
