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New York public libraries are getting very forgiving. I’m Brian Banmiller on Business.

All public libraries in New York City will no longer charge late fees. In addition, all existing fines for overdue books and other materials will also be waived. Mayor Bill de Blasio says this is another step toward making the libraries more accessible to more people and allow everyone to use resources offered. But this doesn’t mean you can turn the library into your own personal used book store. New Yorkers will still need to pay replacement fees if they lose books or other materials. A book is considered to be lost if it is overdue for a month. But if it happens to turn up and returned, there will still be no fee. New York now joins libraries in cities such as San Francisco, Chicago and Philadelphia that no longer charge overdue fees. No word on how the library will make up for the lost revenue. In 2019 New York’s libraries collected more than three million dollars in late fees. None were collected in 2020 due to the pandemic. Perhaps a donation basket? Brian Banmiller, CBS News.

About Brian

CBS News Radio national business journalist Brian Banmiller has spent more than 40 years in the news industry, covering business, politics and the economy on television, radio and in print. Currently, his “Banmiller on Business” reports are delivered to an audience of millions nationwide.