Changes in Renewals and Fines Began September 15

Versión en español

On September 15, we changed the way we renew items and charge fines. We introduced a new feature called auto-renewal. This automatic process may help you keep materials longer without accruing late fines. Overdue items, checked out or renewed after September 15, have begun to accrue late fines. 

Auto-renewal

Our system will attempt to renew your items three days before they are due. If the item can be renewed, this will happen automatically. This applies to physical items that are:

  • Checked out on or after September 15
  • Have no other patrons waiting for the item
  • Have not already been renewed the maximum number of times

You don't need to take any action to opt in. Auto-renewal is activated for all accounts by default. If you want to opt out, call or visit your library.

Late Fines

Since March 2020:

We haven't been assessing late fines.

On May 4:

We cleared all late fines from library accounts.

On September 15:

We resumed charging late fines on items checked out or renewed on or after September 15.

Accounts that Cannot Borrow Items

Since March 2020:

We've been allowing accounts with high balances to continue to borrow items.

Starting on September 15:

Accounts with balances greater than $25 are unable to borrow items.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Except for media equipment, you can renew physical items that are not on hold for someone else up to two times.  

    You can renew OverDrive digital titles that are not on hold for someone else one time. 

     

  • Auto-renewal allows us to renew eligible library materials for you. If renewal is available, you can keep items materials longer.

    Please ask a library staff member if you’d like to opt out of the service.

  • Our system will try to renew items one time per checkout period.

  • You can renew items that other people aren’t waiting for. If an item has holds, you won’t be able to renew it. Find out how many times you can renew an item.

    If your account has a balance of more than $75, you won’t be able to renew any items. You will need to pay that balance down to $75 or less before you can check out physical items again.

    Auto-renewal only applies to physical items.

    Auto-renewal does not apply to digital collections. That’s because digital items are:

    • Returned automatically on their due date.
    • Paid for with different pricing models than physical items.

    We pay vendors for each new digital checkout, including renewals. For this reason, it is important to confirm that digital renewals are intentional. Please continue to manually renew digital items you’d like to extend.

  • Yes, you’ll still be able to renew items by logging in to your account.

Related FAQs