In one episode of the classic TV comedy series “Seinfeld,” Jerry is contacted by the New York Public Library about a book he checked out 20 years before, as a high school student, and never returned.

Jerry explains the problem to his friend Kramer, who responds: “Do you know how much that comes to? That’s a nickel a day for 20 years. It’s going to be $50,000.”

“It doesn’t work that way,” says Jerry.

Kramer continues: “If it’s a dime a day, it could be $100,000.”

Actually, in the Sarasota County Public Library System, the individual fines have been worse than Kramer imagined: 25 cents a day for an overdue book, and $1 a day for late videos and DVDs. But the totals never climbed into the thousands: Once the borrower’s late fees reached $25, his or her account was suspended.

Still, the late-fee policy has been counterproductive. Last year, the Sarasota County library staff reported that it spent almost 10 percent of its time on tasks tied to fees and fines, at a cost of $1.3 million, to collect $152,870.

Worse, the late-fee policy discouraged large segments of the public from using the libraries. As the Herald-Tribune’s Barbara Peters Smith reported last week, research by the library system’s staff found that, because of late-return fines, “22% of cardholders were blocked from using the library, with students especially hard-hit.”

In fact, the policy has discouraged people from signing up for library cards in the first place, Sarabeth Kalajian, the director of county libraries and historical resources, told the Sarasota County Commission in a recent presentation.

“For families and individuals, the risk of incurring fines is just too great,” Kalajian said.

So, Kalajian, who’s retiring at the end of this month, asked the County Commission to revoke the late-fee policy. And last week the commissioners voted unanimously to do so.

That's a smart move.

It follows a trend in library systems around the country. A county staff report found that more than 75 libraries have adopted fine-free policies, including the Tampa-Hillsborough and Miami-Dade library systems. Alachua County Libraries stopped collecting fines in the late 1970s.

The staff report cited a survey of 36 libraries that had eliminated late-return fines and found, as a result:

• More missing materials were recovered than had been returned under late-fee policies.

• Library card registrations increased.

• Circulation of materials increased.

• Staff time was redirected to more customer-focused service.

• Patron satisfaction increased.

• More students used the library for homework resources and help.

• “Library mission was fulfilled through decreasing barriers to access.”

But the Sarasota County libraries won't be entirely forgiving. They will continue to collect replacement fees for damaged, lost or unreturned items. Failure to return items or to pay the replacement fee will result in suspended borrowing privileges for the account holder.

In the “Seinfeld” episode, too, Jerry eventually had to write a check for the long-ago lost book to the relentless library investigation officer named, naturally, Lieutenant Bookman.

Some things never change but, under the Sarasota County system’s new policy, library investigators may have to find other work.

By the Herald-Tribune Editorial Board