San Diego pardons 130,000 who owe library fines

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- San Diego is closing the book on library fines.

KNSD-TV says San Diego officials announced Tuesday that they'll pardon 130,000 residents who wracked up about $2 million in fines for overdue books.

City leaders and the San Diego Public Library Foundation say the fines cost more in staff time to collect than they earned. In addition, nearly 74,000 people were barred from using their local public libraries because their overdue fines exceeded the $10 limit.

Officials say they want to improve access to libraries, especially for those in low-income communities.

Nine months ago, the San Diego Public Library eliminated late fees for overdue books. Instead, people who don't return items after several automatic renewals will be charged the cost of replacing them.