These Seattle parents just learned library fines are no longer. Here's what they said

Before the birth of her two children, Mary Fontana never had late library fines. Since their birth, that’s changed.

She estimates they check out 20 to 30 books a week.

“When you have kids it’s easy to check out a lot of books and rack up fines because your kid loses them or whatever,” Fontana said at the Central Library kids room.

As of Jan. 2, an estimated 51,000 Seattle borrowers -- who were blocked from checking out books because of fines they racked up of $15 or more -- are again able to check out materials. In total, about 229,000 patrons will have their accounts cleared.

Blocked accounts belonged to more than 4,000 children and teens. But library officials note that many accounts that belong to adults are used to check out books for children too.

On Thursday, the day fines were wiped out, library patrons were just learning their accounts had been cleared. That included Fontana and seven others asked at the downtown location.

Seattle was able to forgive the fines because last August voters approved Prop. 1, a $219.1 million tax levy used to renew and enhance library services. This levy funding replaces all fine revenue that Seattle anticipates they would have been able to collect this year, said Andra Addison, director and public disclosure officer for the Seattle Public Library.

By email she wrote that library late fines did help to fund basic operations, adding up to $1.2 million in 2018. However, this number was in decline and unpredictable, she said, and more and more people everyday choose to check out electronic materials, which don’t accrue late fines.

Bryan Kelly was another parent at the downtown library, and was helping his children with their school work on computers. Kelly doesn’t think fines change people’s behavior.

“I don’t think having fines makes people rush back to the library,” he said. “I think people who get books from the library can be responsible people and return them. But sometimes you miss a date here or there.”

Seattle libraries also noted that late fines aren’t effective, and other library systems, including Boston, Chicago and San Diego, have already ditched the policy. The idea is that late fees prevent low-income patrons and children from using the library. And eliminating the fines would create a more equitable atmosphere.

For Fontana, late fines weren’t a big deal. She can afford the few dollars to the library, here and there.

“We have tons of late fines all the time,” Fontana said. “But I usually pay them every few months. I don’t know if we have any right now.”

If she’d checked her balance, she would have seen that her account was at $0.00.