This means all members of Wagga Wagga City Library will no longer have to pay overdue fines, and any existing overdue fines have also been waived.

Now, instead of fines, customers will have their membership suspended temporarily, once items are 14 days or more overdue.

This means they will not be able to renew or borrow more items, or access e-resources and library computers, until all overdue items have been returned.

There are still charges associated with losing or damaging any library property, and there is still a charge of one dollar to make a reservation, but we believe this will make Wagga's library service even more accessible for the entire community.

If you have a pile of long-overdue items at home, or you know of anyone who does, now is the perfect time to bring them back, and start enjoying the benefits of full library membership once again.

Likewise, if you thought your membership had been blocked owing to outstanding overdue fines, those fines no longer exist, and you are welcome to use your library's services once more.

The experience of libraries around the world has been that removing overdue fines makes people more likely to join and use their local library, and there has been no increase in the total number of items not returned.

We at the library hope this new system will take away some of the fear people have about overdue items, and we encourage all library members to get into the habit of renewing any items they wish to keep longer via our website, in person, or over the phone.

For more information talk to library staff or visit our website, waggalibrary.com.au.