Eliminating late fees would cost the Port Moody Library about $38,000 in revenue.
At a presentation of its 2025 budget to council’s finance committee on Friday, Oct. 25, board chair Daphne Herberts said the Port Moody Library is the last in the Lower Mainland to continue fining patrons for books and other materials that are returned late.
That’s lead to complaints from some of its visitors, she explained, while others avoid the library altogether.
Herberts added eliminating fines would help the library “create a more welcoming environment for all,” as the penalties tend to disproportionately affect low income earners who may not have the means to get to the facility frequently.
Marc Saunders, the director of Port Moody Library, said other possible solutions like eliminating late fees just for local residents or making the payment of fines voluntary would be technologically challenging to implement as well as confusing for patrons.
“We really need to be very clear with our community by removing any ambiguity,” he said.
The discussion about late fees followed a presentation by Herberts that painted an optimistic picture of the library’s popularity.
But it comes with a price.
Herberts said circulation of the library’s materials is returning to pre-pandemic levels with more than 600,000 items out on loan last year. She said the library has also seen a 31.34 per cent boost to its in-person visitors — more than 900 each day.
As well, Herberts said, the library’s membership of 16,000 is up 10 per cent from 2023 and there’s been a 12 per cent growth in new card-holders.
“All signs are pointing to a bright future for this library as a cornerstone for the community,” Herberts said.
To get there will require a 6.94 per cent boost to its budget for the coming year, she added.
Herberts said while the bulk of its funding goes to pay the wages and benefits of staff, $359,000 is required to obtain items for its collection as well as supplies and $98,000 is projected to be spent on equipment.
Herberts said the increasing demands for technology like ebooks and audio books strains the library’s resources.
The facility’s size is also a challenge, she added, as staff field frequent complaints about noise levels, “especially during children’s programming.”
Saunders said the years since the pandemic have also seen an increase in unruly and belligerent patrons. That's lead to increasing attention being paid to security as well as mental health and wellness programs for staff.
“It’s like a delayed reaction to what we’ve seen in other libraries,” Saunders said.
Port Moody council is currently considering a provisional budget for 2025 that would see property taxes increase 8.58 per cent.
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