Say Goodbye to Late Fines...and Say Hello to Everything the Library Has to Offer!

As of October 5, 2021, everyone is getting a fresh start at the Library:

  • All existing fines and replacement fees in all patron accounts have been cleared and erased. 
     
  • Late fines will no longer accrue on borrowed materials returned after their due date.
     
  • Please note: some replacement fees will still apply. Learn more about our new policy.
     
  • As always, e-books are easy to access and will never be overdue. Find out about the Library’s free e-reader app, SimplyE, today!
     
  • Visit during Welcome Week, October 18–23, to get a free gift and learn more about the wide array of free services and resources the Library offers for all ages!

Research shows that fines are not effective in ensuring book returns—New Yorkers are quite reliable and responsible, clearly respecting our collections and the need for them to be available for others to borrow. But, unfortunately, fines are quite effective at preventing our most vulnerable communities from using our branches, services, and books. That is the antithesis of our mission to make knowledge and opportunity accessible to all, and needed to change. As New York grapples with the inequities laid bare by the pandemic, it is all the more urgent that we ensure the public library is open and freely available to all.

 

Tony Marx, President, The New York Public Library


Read more about this important change.