Public libraries are collecting an extra $10,000 per month in late fines under a new fee structure that could potentially cost parents a small fortune.
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Additional fees were introduced on March 1 which reaped nearly $50,000 for Libraries ACT by July 31.
President of the ACT Council of P&C Associations Viv Pearce said fines could dissuade parents from allowing their children to borrow items and could disadvantage vulnerable groups.
"We want people to use our public libraries which are great institutions,'' she said.
"We need to value our libraries and the important pre-literacy work they do with young children before they reach school. The books for little kids and the story time sessions help children to learn to sit and listen and interpret a story and those are important skills for school. Some children start school years behind and public libraries are a great way to help children gain those skills.''
Libraries ACT has a policy of replacing items when they are 30 days overdue and billing the borrower the cost of the items plus a $6 administration fee per item.
The new fine structure also charges $0.25 per item per day, capped at $7 per item. However, the amounts quickly add up for mums and dads.
For parents of two children who borrow four items each and return them a month late the fees and administration charges would add up to $104, plus the replacement cost of the eight items which were overdue. If an item was returned after the 30 days the fee would come down to $13.
During a trial period last year, some members were stung with a $175 fine for items which were 12 weeks overdue. Libraries ACT said on its website it stopped the practice in October 2013 and all $175 fees would be waived or refunded.
A Territory and Municipal Services spokeswoman said library members could borrow up to 50 items per month.
"Overdue library items are an ongoing issue for libraries around the world,'' she said.
"In an effort to address this issue a trial was implemented in the ACT with changes to the loans policy and associated fees.''
She said the changes resulted from an evaluation of the trial policy.
"The evaluation looked at motivations and barriers to timely return of library items as well as the appeal, preferences and likely compliance of members with policies,'' she said.
"It included four focus groups organised by a market research company.''
