# Overdue Library Fees - What Do You Pay **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 14, 2004, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdue-library-fees-what-do-you-pay/239939 "2004-04-14T09:53:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdue-library-fees-what-do-you-pay/239939/21 "2004-04-14T22:53:51Z")
Public library in a medium large city. Fines are 10 cents a day, check out is three weeks. I usually have 6 or 7 books, and usually go every week. Sometimes I don’t go for a while though, and then suddenly realize those books on the stand are starting to look _really_ familiar! You don’t have to pay the fines until they get to $5.00, which I don’t take advantage of. ---
**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2004, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdue-library-fees-what-do-you-pay/239939/22 "2004-04-15T00:11:35Z")
My county’s library system, in a suburb of a large city. Books are $0.10 a day, movies are $0.20 a day. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2004, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdue-library-fees-what-do-you-pay/239939/23 "2004-04-15T00:46:50Z")
France, urban area : 20 euro cent/book/day, IIRC. But it tops at something like 30 euros. Beyond that, they don’t add anything. Yes, I know it’s topped because I kept a lot of books which were long overdue. And I should know better. I worked at some point in a library and used to rant about people who wouldn’t bring back their books. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2004, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdue-library-fees-what-do-you-pay/239939/24 "2004-04-15T00:54:43Z")
Prissy _senior_ mod here-you should have posted this request for factual information in GQ. I’m moving it there, and if you don’t like it, I presume you know where to put the thread telling me to stuff it. ---
**Author:** ![akennett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee59a6/32.png) [@akennett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akennett)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2004, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdue-library-fees-what-do-you-pay/239939/25 "2004-04-15T02:56:35Z")
Overdue fees at Penn State are $1 per book per day. The standard lenth of the loan is 1 month, renewable up to two times online for 1 additional month each. After that, you can take the book back to the library and immediately check it out again. If the book is recalled you have 10 days to return it after which the overdue fee is $3 per book per day. There is no limit to the overdue fee for regular loans, but a $30 limit on the recalled materials. After 30 days, they consider the material lost and charge the price, the fees, and a $25 service charge. ---
**Author:** ![Gregor\_Samsa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@Gregor\_Samsa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gregor_Samsa)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2004, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdue-library-fees-what-do-you-pay/239939/26 "2004-04-15T05:38:37Z")
At the University of Winnipeg library, overdue fees are $.50 a day, to a maximum of $15 per item. ---
**Author:** ![Sisyphus\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sisyphus\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sisyphus_Stone)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2004, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdue-library-fees-what-do-you-pay/239939/27 "2004-04-15T07:46:49Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Prissy _senior_ mod here-you should have posted this request for factual information in GQ. I’m moving it there, and if you don’t like it, I **presume you know where to put the thread telling me to stuff it**. Now I would not be asking the question about where to put it, would I? Too many opportunities for anatomic references to stuffings for my liking. 😃 But if I had the temerity to ask, I would ask it thus: “Just where do polls go that require factual data for answers, but different factual responses from each respondent?” Thanks everyone. I’ve some baseline data that I can start to aggregate. I will report back. ---
**Author:** ![II\_Gyan\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@II\_Gyan\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/II_Gyan_II)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2004, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdue-library-fees-what-do-you-pay/239939/28 "2004-04-15T08:00:40Z")
Purdue Univ. libraries: 1 week relief, then $10 or some such. Tippecanoe County, Indiana: No fees on books overdue 55 days. Overdue 56th day? Book cost + $10. ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2004, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdue-library-fees-what-do-you-pay/239939/29 "2004-04-15T10:21:33Z")
**Amazingrace** : Ouch! :eek: The [Edmonton Public Library](http://epl.ca/) (Canada, eh?) [charges](http://epl.ca/EPLMembership.cfm) 25¢/item/day, $1 for video, 10¢ for children’s material. Membership is $12 a year, free if you plead broke, $30/3 years (I always take that option. ;)) When I was at the [University of Alberta](http://www.library.ualberta.ca/), I recall the fines being about $1/day, which sucked especially since most of the libraries on campus only let you borrow for one week at a time, and you had to show up in person to renew. I have between 4 and 20 items out at a time usually, and a random sampling of my instantaneous fine state finds me owing $$$ about 50% of the time. I may only pay $10 a year for the card, but I figure I pay twice that every year in fines. I don’t donate thought, so I figure that counts. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![fezpp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@fezpp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fezpp)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2004, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdue-library-fees-what-do-you-pay/239939/30 "2004-04-15T12:30:27Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Prissy _senior_ mod here-you should have posted this request for factual information in GQ. I’m moving it there, and if you don’t like it, I presume you know where to put the thread telling me to stuff it. Surely this is classes as a poll?! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![rookie523](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@rookie523](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rookie523)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2004, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdue-library-fees-what-do-you-pay/239939/31 "2004-04-15T13:27:49Z")
Public libraries in Toronto. Late fees are $0.25/day for adults and $0.10/day for children and lending periods are 3 weeks usually. I’m not sure of the maximum. But I think it is set at $10 and $5 for adults and children respectively. ---
**Author:** ![Sassafras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a87d85/32.png) [@Sassafras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sassafras)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2004, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdue-library-fees-what-do-you-pay/239939/32 "2004-04-15T15:12:58Z")
Ormond Beach Florida public library 15 cents a day- new books are due in two weeks, older books in three. I usually have 5 out at a time and I go every two weeks. On occasion I will be a day or two late, but never more than that. ---
**Author:** ![Padmaraga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@Padmaraga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padmaraga)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2004, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdue-library-fees-what-do-you-pay/239939/33 "2004-04-15T15:19:59Z")
Washington County, Oregon (suburbs of Portland) checking in (no pun intended): 15¢ a day overdue fine for books; no idea for other materials. Once a year, they have a “forgiveness” policy - bring any overdue item back that day, and they will waive your fines. I never remember when it is, though. I usually check out between 3 and 8 items at any given time. I guesstimate that I have an average of 6 overdue items a year, and that I pay between $2-4 a year in overdue fines. ---
**Author:** ![Padmaraga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@Padmaraga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padmaraga)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2004, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdue-library-fees-what-do-you-pay/239939/34 "2004-04-15T15:25:33Z")
Oops - I forgot to say: books are checked out for 3 weeks, and you may renew them for another 3 weeks. ---
**Author:** ![Kurt\_M.Weber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7993a0/32.png) [@Kurt\_M.Weber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kurt_M.Weber)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2004, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdue-library-fees-what-do-you-pay/239939/35 "2004-04-15T17:07:57Z")
Princeton Public Library, Princeton, IN (small town of about 8500 located 30 miles north of Evansville) Two cents a day per book. Period. That’s it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overdue-library-fees-what-do-you-pay/239939.md?page=1)