GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. - Great Barrington’s Mason and Ramsdell libraries will join the many in central and western Massachusetts that don’t charge late fees.

Libraries across the state are getting rid of overdue fees to help borrowers and align with the American Library Association’s view of monetary fines being a form of social inequality.

Circulation supervisor Christine Warner said the decision to change the policy was made with the community in mind. It will go into effect on May 1. The Great Barrington Select Board unanimously approved the proposal.

Great Barrington libraries are part of the Central and Western Massachusetts Automated Resource Sharing group (CW MARS). Warner said there are about 160 affiliated libraries and only a small handful still charge fines. She said the change in policy is meant to address inequity for library visitors and eliminate the feeling of doing something wrong because of an overdue item they may have.

“It is a big deal, because it's such a barrier for some people," Warner said. "You might not think $10 is a lot of money to pay for a fine, but that can be the difference between putting gas in your tank and it doesn't absolve people of responsibility.

"People think that, 'oh, well, it's just a responsibility thing,' but, you know, life happens, and people misplace things or forget and we just don't want to punish people and make, you know, make them pay and not be able to have the knowledge that they need.”

Warner said overdue items past 28 days will be deemed “lost,” which still results in a charged fee, but if the item is returned, it gets wiped off your account and there are no fines.