Help make a difference through Food for Fines!!

The FEED NOVA SCOTIA website tells us that 19,722 people received food from a food bank in Nova Scotia in March 2015 – 31% were children.  One-quarter of those households receive the majority of their income from a disability or old-age pension.

During the month of February 2016, you can combine a visit to the library with a good deed for those who use food banks in your area.    

The Annapolis Valley Regional Library is once again offering a Food for Fines initiative from February 1-29.  Just give us a non-perishable item for the local food bank and we’ll forgive up to $3.00 in fines.  And the really good news is that there is no limit on the number of fines which can be forgiven!   Do you owe $8.50?  Three food items will take care of that.  Please note that Food For Fines applies to fines only, not other fees like lost books or printing costs. 

 (Please check expiry dates on items since we don’t want to pass unsafe goods on to the food bank.)     

 Wondering what types of items food banks especially need?

 - canned fruit and veggies, soups and stews
- peanut butter
- pasta
- canned sandwich meats
- healthy school snacks (like fruit cups)
- laundry and dish detergents, soap

 So, if you have library fines to pay off, or even if you don’t, stop by the library with a food bank item or two during February.  Through Food for Fines you can help make a difference for hungry families in your area.

Increase in fees for overdue and lost items

 It's been 15 years since AVRL has made any increase in fines and lost fees, but we are doing it on July 1. Why?

Well  …  has the cost of books gone up since 1997?  Have staff wages increased?  Yes to both of those questions, so it definitely costs us more to stock and re-stock our shelves these days. 

We place no limits on the number of items a patron can borrow, the number of holds he/she can place, and we don't charge for library membership.  What a deal !   If each borrower returns his material on time, in good condition, and doesn't lose his library card, he can coast along using the library for years, never directly giving us a penny!

Did you know that public libraries in Nova Scotia are required by the government to raise 3% of their total annual budget?   So if our patrons don't bring materials back on time, or if they lose a book or dvd, we do feel it's fair to ask for a little cash.  Libraries are funded, in small part, by taxpayer dollars so remember that other taxpayers are waiting to use those overdue items.

We make it easy to bring your books back on time. Our library has introduced email reminder notices. If you've given us your email address, an automatic message will be sent 2 days prior to when your material is coming due! I've found this very helpful - and likely you will, too. It gives you the chance to either finish reading the book really fast, or ask for a renewal. Talk with staff about adding your email address, or go to your account online and click on "Change Address" at the bottom of the page.  

Click here to see the new fine and lost fee structure which starts on July 1.

And I've mentioned that hilarious Seinfeld episode about an overdue library book in an earlier blog posting – it's the episode about the Library Cop.  If you still haven't seen it, watch it here.

--Wendy Trimper