DC library system permanently eliminates late fees

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Library books on a shelf are shown in a file image. (Photo by Tom Weller/picture alliance via Getty Images)

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - Library late fees in D.C. are over.

The D.C. Public Library Board of Trustees voted unanimously in its meeting this month to eliminate late fees.

According to an announcement from the board, the fees were creating barriers to low-income residents.

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They added that fees and fines are “not an effective tool to encourage on-time return of library material.”

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The new move expands on a 2015 measure eliminating fees for people under the age of 20.