Last week, in honor of the Library’s five-year anniversary of no longer charging overdue fines, we shared stories from our patrons about what fine-free borrowing has meant to them.
We wanted to shares other changes the Library has made to expand access and create a more worry-free, inclusive experience. If you have questions about any of these practices, please reach out at www.spl.org/Ask.
Automatic renewals of materials: You may have noticed that physical materials are now renewed automatically: If no one else places a hold on a book or DVD you’ve checked out, it will be renewed for you up to three times, without you having to do anything.
Help paying lost-item fees: Patrons do still have incentives to return materials. If you don’t return an item within two weeks of its due date, you won’t owe an overdue fine, but your borrowing privileges will be suspended until you return the item or pay a lost-item fee.
However, if you have difficulty paying a lost-item fee, you can get support! If you are a teen or young adult, you qualify for a one-time waiver generously funded by The Seattle Public Library Foundation. For others, we offer payment plans and other options. Please come talk to us. Call 206-386-4636, email or chat through our Ask Us service, or visit your neighborhood Library location. (If you want to help the Foundation fund lost-time fees, go to www.supportspl.org.)
Better notifications: You can receive notifications about holds and overdue items in four languages. Our holds notices also let you know how many people are waiting for an item. One patron wrote that “It really helps to see how many people are waiting. Those are the books I read first so I don’t make people wait.”
Easily change your preferred first name on library accounts. Calling patrons by the name they want to be called makes our Library more welcoming and inclusive. When you sign up for a Library card, you can use your preferred first name. We also added information about how to change your name on your Library account to our website and through fliers in Library branches.
No charge for Interlibrary Loans: Want a book the Library doesn’t carry? You can often borrow it through the amazing Interlibrary Loan system. We haven’t charged a fee for this service since the pandemic.
Pickup lockers for 24/7 holds: We have added pickup lockers at seven locations, which means that you can pick up holds 24 hours a day at these locations.
Expanding access is always a work in progress. We are grateful that fine-free borrowing continues to expand across the country. We continue to look for ways to encourage people across Seattle to use the Library more easily and often. Look for more announcements in the future toward that goal.
In the meantime, thank you for using the Library, sharing your stories, and supporting our work to enrich lives and empower community.
– Elisa M., Communications
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