The last Library Funding post was a bit of a downer. Ok, it was a lot of a downer–I got teary eyed writing it and thinking about how sad it was that a national cultural institution started by Benjamin Franklin could be going the way of the dodo bird if we’re not careful. The whole situation is very “Catch-22″: with less funding, the libraries cut hours and fewer people visit; with less people visiting, the politicians decide the libraries need even less money.
So today we’re talking about libraries giving back to their communities. We’re not talking about the learning centers or resume writing workshops. We’re not talking about kids story hour, lecture series, or book clubs. We ARE talking about late fees.
I know that doesn’t sound like much fun, and I’ve definitely been at the giving end of fines many a time. So color me thrilled when I read in the School Library Journal that Cuyahoga County Public Library had initiated a “Food for Fines” program. Bring in a canned good, reduce your fine.
“This year, the impact of unemployment, foreclosures, and the need for food has impacted everyone, even those in affluent counties,” says Brookshire, adding that the 28-branch library system serves more than 539,000 patrons. “In this economy, it felt like a good thing to do.”
The program was only available for one week. While not the first library to run a “Food for Fines” program, they did manage to bring in 11,185 pounds of food that was donated to Harvest for Hunger–the library waived approximately $10,000 in fines–money they probably could have used to fund various initiatives within the library system.
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What a great idea this is. I will pass this on to our Outreach Dept and see if they think it is something we could explore.
I’m assuming fines go a long way towards providing necessary money for libraries, but it really is great to see a community service organization turning around and giving back even more.
Let me know if you end up doing anything similar.