(La Porte, IN) - Bookworm procrastinators, rejoice: The La Porte County Public Library is eliminating overdue fines.

The new program goes into effect on Monday, January 9. Customers will only be charged for items they damage, lose, or never return.

Library administrators say overdue fines and fees account for less than 1% of the library’s revenue.  They say taxpayer dollars will actually be saved by not having to track down and process fees.

Studies have shown that overdue fines do not encourage library customers to return borrowed items on time. Rather, unnecessary fees discourage people from using the library at all.

The library was closed on Saturday to update the catalogue system. It will reopen Monday. If you are a library fine fugitive, librarians will welcome you back with open arms.