Reading is an essential life skill, but the threat of overdue fines can stop children from checking out books from their local libraries.

So in a bid to encourage young people to read more Tauranga City Libraries will no longer be charging overdue fines on children's and teens' books.

More than 400 children and teenagers with library cards were blocked from checking out books because of unpaid fines prior to the policy being adopted as part of this year's annual plan.

But the policy doesn't mean it'll be a free-for-all – if books aren't returned within 28 days of their due date, they'll be considered lost and customers charged the replacement value of that item.

Libraries Manager Jill Best says the new policy looks to remove barriers and support literacy initiatives for children and young people.

'We want to do everything we can to keep the library accessible to youth and for many, late fines are a real barrier that stops children and families from using and benefiting from the resources the public library offers.

'Reading is an essential life skill and the city library network provides tools to enable and support children as they learn to read.”

Before the policy change, staff looked at other libraries that had introduced similar policies and discovered that by eliminating fines more items were available at those libraries, not fewer.

Jill says library staff have already started seeing books, which were presumed lost, being returned.

'We're enthusiastic about allowing children who had been shut out from library services, being able to use the library again.

'We hope this will also encourage more children to get and use their own library cards, building on their sense of ownership and responsibility.”

Library staff will continue to monitor the effects of the policy to make sure it's working as intended, adds Jill.