Economy
Debt Collectors Are Going After San Jose Families With Overdue Library Books
But good news: punishing the poorest kids for overdue books has fallen out of favor.
The San Jose Public Library is staring down $6.8 million in patrons' unpaid fines. Administrators have reacted to that staggering amount—which is significantly higher than those of the nearby San Francisco or Oakland systems—by cracking down, The New York Times reported this week. Patrons face a fee of $0.50 a day for each overdue book, and a $20 processing charge per lost item. Anyone who racks up debts higher than $10 loses check-out and computer privileges. Charges over $50 are automatically turned over to a debt collections agency.
Writes Times reporter Carol Pogash: