No More Late Fines!
Smyth County Public Library is eliminating late fines on most materials effective July 1, 2025. We are taking this step to encourage patrons who may have stopped using the library due to concern about incurring late fines to come back to the library. We will also forgive past unpaid library fines, no matter how old they may be. Hotspots and tablets will continue to incur late fines due to high demand for these items.
Along with this change, SCPL will also start renewing materials automatically 48 hours before the due date. We are taking this step to make library loans more convenient for patrons. There will be two automatic renewals for each item. Items with holds (meaning another patron is waiting on the item) cannot be renewed.
The late fine and automatic renewal policies apply only to materials owned by Smyth County Public Library. Materials borrowed from our HAL partners — Washington County Public Library, Tazewell County Public Library, Emory & Henry University, and King University — are subject to their loan policies. You can easily check ownership of an item by looking for a label on the back or inside the cover.
SCPL patrons will continue to be responsible for lost items. Items are considered lost when they have not been returned 30 days after their final due date. Patrons will be billed when an item has not been returned 30 days after the due date.
