Editor’s note: This is an unedited press release issued by the Cranston Public Library on Tuesday afternoon.

The Cranston Public Library is excited to announce that we are eliminating fines on all print books, audiobooks, and periodicals. The elimination of fines on these materials was unanimously approved by the Library Board of Trustees during the budget process in January.

DVDs, CDs and other special collections will continue to accrue late fees, including the Express Collection located at the Central Library.

Eliminating overdue fines, which are currently at ten cents per day, is an important step in removing barriers to use the library. The Cranston Public Library believes in equitable access to our collection and wants to encourage patrons to use our books without fear of accruing late fees.

This is a continuation of the library’s efforts to remove barriers that began two years ago when we removed all fines for children’s and teen materials. Elimination of fines has been a growing national trend with major library systems in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, and San Diego eliminating them in the past two years.

“We thank the Library Board of Trustees, Mayor Fung, and the Cranston City Council for their support of our efforts to make the library more accessible. This is something we have been working towards for the past few years. It is even more important now during the COVID-19 pandemic when so many in our community have lost their jobs and have been adversely affected economically,” said Library Director Edward Garcia.

The elimination of overdue fines applies to Cranston Public Library books only. Materials obtained from other libraries will continue to accrue late fees according to the fee schedule of the owning library.

Eliminating fines does not mean that patrons do not need to return their books to the library. Items will still have a due date and materials will still need to be returned. Library patrons will not be able to borrow materials if there are overdue items on their account. If an item is not returned or is returned damaged, patrons will still be charged replacement costs for those items.

For more information please visit cranstonlibrary.org.