Virginia Beach Public Library Turns the Page on Overdue Fines

With the start of the new fiscal year on July 1, 2023, Virginia Beach Public Library stopped charging overdue fines of $.25 per item, per day. If you lose or damage a library item, you'll still be charged a fee to replace it. But if your books are overdue? Just bring them back.

VBPL stopped charging overdue fines on youth accounts (for ages 0 to 17) in July 2021. With the recent change, all VBPL accounts are fine-free.

"Providing free, equitable access to information and resources is at the core of what libraries do," said Virginia Beach Public Library Director Kimberly B. Knight. "Overdue fines, and the inability to pay them, keep customers from returning to the library and returning their materials. We want to remove as many barriers to accessing library resources as we can."

If you still have books and materials that were due when overdue fines were applied, VBPL is offering you the chance to return them by Sept. 30, 2023, to have related fines and fees canceled.

"Return to VBPL with a clean slate and resume your access to a wealth of resources to meet your needs," said Knight.

Also effective on July 1, 2023, VBPL extended free account access beyond residents of Virginia Beach to include all Virginia and Currituck County, NC residents. The change furthers VBPL's commitment to free and equitable access and brings the library into alignment with the policies of other library systems in the region.

For additional details about VBPL accounts, visit this page.

About Virginia Beach Public Library
Virginia Beach Public Library includes a central library, a joint-use library in partnership with Tidewater Community College, seven area libraries and a public law library. Services include workforce development and job-search support, small business resources, computer and technology classes, early literacy classes and outreach, and local history archives and programs. In addition to books, music, magazines and movies in tangible and digital formats, the library provides online research tools accessible from home or work, and a variety of specialty collections. Visit https://libraries.virginiabeach.gov/ for more information.