El Centro Library announces end of fines for overdue books

Fees will still apply for lost or damaged items

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - The City of El Centro said the council voted unanimously to end fines for the city's library's overdue books and the changes take effect immediately.

The vote was done at a meeting on Tuesday evening with the residents in mind.

The city said it aims to recollect lost books and to remove barriers to equitable access.

“We know many people have stopped coming due to their inability to pay fines. We don’t want their
economic situation to be a barrier to equitable access to information,” said City of El Centro Mayor
Sylvia-Marroquin. “We want people to return and continue using the state-of-the-art Library
constructed for them.”

The El Centro Library offers a selection of books in Spanish and English, including NOLO books for people looking for do-it-yourself legal advice.

And more than 45,000 readers participated in the library's summer reading program in 2023.

The City of El Centro said the library also added more than 200 books in Spanish for children and more than 60 for adults in October.

“Our Library offers so much information and activities for children and adults. We don’t want a fine
to be a hurdle for those activities, especially for our community’s children,” said Marroquin. “We
want them to return to the library. Equitable access to information is far more valuable than the cost
of past fines.”

Those who have overdue books are required to return them to check out more books, said the City of El Centro.

Contact the El Centro Library at 760-337-4565 for more information.