At the July 24 Pflugerville City Council meeting, new library policies were approved by the City Council which eliminate overdue book fines, change length of checkout time to two weeks and allow for up to 20 checked out items at any time.

“The new policies are entirely customer driven as we want everyone to think 'Yes, let's go to the library today, they've got books, programs, computers and it's such a pleasant place to hang out!'” Library Director Lisa Charbonnet said.

The Library Board and staff have evaluated and worked on updating the policies at the library for the last several months. The first change is that overdue fines are now gone. "Nobody wants to argue over 50 cent fines, so we are becoming one of the few, very innovative libraries in Texas to eliminate overdue fines," Charbonnet said.

Still, the library’s responsible for the community’s collection and accounts will be blocked if items are not returned. Damaged items that can be repaired will be charged $5, and lost or destroyed items will be charged the retail price + $10.

The new, two week check out time helps to increase circulation by reducing wait time for books that are currently checked out. Members may now check out up to 20 items and renew them twice if they are not already reserved. "The goal is to provide people with the materials they want as soon as possible, and shifting lending terms from three to two weeks allows for more frequent turnarounds," Charbonnet said.

In addition, postage is now covered on Interlibrary Loans up to $5. As the Library is supported by the taxpayers of Pflugerville, people living outside the Pflugerville Independent School District boundaries may purchase a library membership card for $25 a year.

“I’m just delighted that the new policies have been approved by the Library Board and City Council!” Charbonnet said. “Come visit the Pflugerville Community Library and see what’s new!”