MANCHESTER, NH – As of December 1, Manchester City Library will no longer charge overdue fines on all items in its collection. The library joins a growing movement among public libraries nationwide seeking to remove barriers to increase access.
Research has shown that overdue fines can serve to prevent lower income members of the community and children from accessing library materials and services, and have been largely ineffective in their stated goal of discouraging tardy returns of library materials. Removing fines will allow the library to better serve patrons and meet its mission of “striving to provide services and materials to meet the
needs of our diverse and changing community.”
While overdue fines will be eliminated, patrons are still responsible to return items by their due date. If an overdue item is not returned within a 40-day window, patrons will still be charged a replacement cost for the item.
If you have any questions regarding your account or any fines, please contact our circulation desk.