LIBRARY NEWS

No more fines for overdue library books and other materials!

By Carole Howard and the Library Staff

Here’s an unexpected gift for you just in time for the holidays! Library director Jackie Welch has announced a new policy relating to fines for overdue materials that she expects will benefit both our community and the library.

Effective immediately there will be no fines for overdue books, CDs, tapes, DVDs and other materials, and all past fines will be wiped from your record. The goal of both these major changes is to make is easy for people to return books to the library so they are available for the enjoyment of other patrons.

Library books and other materials are due three weeks from the day they are borrowed. They can be renewed for an additional three weeks unless they are so popular that someone else has reserved them. Until now, fines for late returns have been 10 cents a day. With the maximum allowable 12 books checked out to an adult, for example, plus additional books for your children, the fines can quickly add up if you get behind or forget to return the books.

In the past, fines for overdue books and other materials have brought in approximately $2,500 a year to our library. “The objective of fines has never been to punish people or even to make money for the library,” Jackie said. “We just want to encourage our patrons to bring books back on time so they are available for other people to enjoy. For a small library like ours, this is an important issue since we do not have a lot of space or unlimited finances to purchases more books and materials.”

Jackie got the idea for this new policy while attending a workshop for Southwest librarians in the spring where libraries exchange plans and learn from each other’s best practices. The new Bayfield library tried a similar “no fines” policy for three months and found it very successful. Even with no threat of fines, no more books were returned late than had been the case before, and many people appreciated the fact that their fines were waived.

Bayfield offered another innovation: A “conscience jar” was available for people to voluntarily contribute the equivalent of fine money if they chose. Jackie plans such a jar for our library as well. “Many people are willing and able to pay their fines. But for those patrons for whom the fees are a hardship, we are happy to waive the charges. Our mission and our purpose is to make it easy for people to read.”

This new amnesty policy does not apply to lost book fees. If you lose a library book or any other material, you must pay the replacement cost – the price plus a $5 processing fee – and you lose your right to borrow any more books or other materials until you do so. Please note that the library considers books or materials “lost” other than when a patron says they are lost. Seven days after the due date, we send out a past due notice. If the materials are not returned within two weeks, a final notice is sent saying if the materials are not returned within 14 days they will be considered lost and the patron’s account will be charged the replacement cost.

Jackie will test this new “no fines” policy for three months, and then reevaluate the situation at the end of March. Judging by the experience of other libraries, though, she expects the policy to become permanent.

Help for substance abuse

We just received a copy of “The Source,” a 140-page directory of resources available to families concerned with material substance abuse and children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders from the Colorado Department of Public Health. This brochure is available behind the circulation desk for your use in the library.

Large print books

“The Double Agents” is a men at war novel by W.E.B. Griffin and William E. Butterworth IV. “Murder on K Street” is another of Margaret Truman’s mysteries set in Washington, D.C. “Taken by Storm” is a contemporary romance by Tami Hoag. “Book of the Dead” by Patricia Cornwell is the latest in the Kay Scarpetta series. “Atlantis” is a marine archeology adventure by David Gibbins. “A Week from Sunday” by Dorothy Garlock is about a woman fleeing a forced marriage to a social-climbing lawyer.

Fantasy and science-fiction

“A Lick of Frost” by Laurell K. Hamilton is the story of Meredith Gentry, a princess and heir apparent to the throne in the realm of faerie, facing danger and intrigue at court. “Fatal Revenant: The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant” by Stephen R. Donaldson is the sequel to “Runes of the Earth.” “Star Wars: Death Star” by Michael Reaves and Steve Perry is the story of the creation and players involved in this world-killing satellite of doom.

Christian fiction

A new series of inspiring books by Gilbert Morris includes “The Virtuous Woman: 1935,” “The Silent Harp: 1935,” “The Hesitant Hero: 1940,” “The Unlikely Allies: 1940,” “The Gypsy Moon: 1940,” “The High Calling: 1940,” “The Widow’s Choice: 1941” and “The White Knight: 1942.”

How-to books

“Chess for Juniors” by Robert M. Snyder is a complete guide to this timeless game for young beginners. “What to Expect the First Year” by nurses Heidi Murkoff, Arlene Eisenberg and Sandee Hathaway is a comprehensive month-by-month guide explaining what parents need to know about the first year with baby. It is also available in Spanish as “El Primer Ano del Bebe.”

Thanks to our donors

For donations to The Giving Tree, we express appreciation to Bob and Jan Clinkenbeard, Dale and Kay Harris, Bob and Carole Howard, Maria’s Bookstore ( Durango), James and Carol White, plus generous anonymous donors.

For books and materials this week we thank Julia Adams, Laurence Bartlett, Sue Coe, Carole Howard, Paul Matlock, Lori Moseley, Marsha Previt and Martha Suarez – with special gratitude to Harry Young for the donation of his late wife Joan’s books.

Quotable quote

“Do give books – religious or otherwise -- for Christmas. They’re never fattening, seldom sinful and permanently personal.” – contemporary author Lenore Hershey.

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