Port Moody Public Library calls for axing late fees

The Port Moody Library is the last public library in the Lower Mainland that still charges late fees, and its board is calling for the program to be axed.

But with a projected revenue loss of $38,700, the ask could be hard for Port Moody council to approve as they struggle with cutting down another significant property tax increase in 2025.

“By removing this financial barrier, we aim to create a more welcoming and inclusive environment,” said Daphne Herberts, chair of the library board. “Late fines disproportionately affect low income patrons who often rely on our library.”

The library board presented its annual budget to the Port Moody’s finance committee on Oct. 25, asking for a $158,000 increase to its $2.4 million budget.

Two-thirds of that 6.94 percent bump is due to increased salaries and benefits for its staff, while another $13,500 is from inflationary impacts on collection expenses.

Herberts said the late fees have led to complaints from patrons, some even avoiding the library as a result.

She said removing the charges is not just about aligning with other libraries in the region, but would also help address social justice and equity concerns.

Removing that revenue source, however, is a challenging request amid other competing financial pressures on the city, according to Coun. Kyla Knowles.

“I would like to become a fine free community,” she said. “Unfortunately the library, along with all others, will be struggling for those funds.”

Knowles asked whether fines could be removed just for Port Moody residents, but director of library services Marc Saunders said that would not be possible without adding features to their computer system, which usually takes years.

Saunders added it would be unlikely that a significant amount of material would not be returned, and that library patrons would still be charged for replacing a book if it was lost or not returned.

Coun. Samantha Agtarap inquired whether optional fines could be put in place, but Saunders said they did not want any ambiguity in the policies.

“We really need to be very clear with our community,” he said.

Other library challenges

The library has had a strong recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Herberts. She said circulation has surpassed the pre-pandemic level of 600,000; a total of 274,000 people visited the library last year (a 31.3 percent increase); 16,000 residents have library cards, a 10 percent increase; and nearly 21,000 people attended library programs.

However, Herberts also detailed several operational challenges facing staff, including patrons behaving badly, staff turnover, and unpredictable provincial funding.

“Over the past year staff morale, recruitment and retention have become more pressing concerns, with our library now facing issues that neighboring libraries experienced earlier in the post-pandemic recovery,” she said.

Saunders said that some libraries lost as much as 33 percent of their staff following the pandemic, with a high rate retiring or vacating the field.

He said the Port Moody library is now experiencing similar turnover, which he called a “lingering effect” from the pandemic.

“It’s like a delayed reaction,” Saunders said. “People are behaving differently . . . much more challenging.”

Saunders noted the behaviour is especially noticeable among teenagers, some of whom he described as “belligerent,” adding the city has increased the security presence at the library, and mental health supports and programs have been introduced for staff.

Port Moody’s general manager of corporate services, Angie Parnell, said similar interactions have been seen across the city’s frontline recreation staff. “We’re just seeing it at almost every interface,” she said.