Library Declares March as “Amnesty Month” for Library Overdue Fines

Oskaloosa Library

Oskaloosa, Iowa – “We’re really getting serious about wanting library over-due materials returned”, according to Oskaloosa Library director Wanda Gardner. “During the month of March, people who have overdue library materials can bring them into the library, and we will take off the fines related to each item.”

By providing an amnesty period, the library hopes many unreturned, overdue items will find their way back to the library’s collection. The library does not allow adults or children with unreturned items or fines over $2.50 to check-out library materials or use library computers.

“The library’s budget for new materials is small: this year just $17,500 to purchase adult and teen materials, and the children’s department is funded solely by donated funds. When library books, DVDs and CDs are not returned, we have to choose between replacing those items for our collection or buying new materials. It’s a problem we plan to solve,” says Gardner.

To address the problem of unreturned materials, the Library Board of Trustees recently adopted new policies related to who may receive library cards, how many items may be checked-out per person, and larger fines will be put in place starting April 1.

Library fines will be increasing in April according to Gardner, so March is an opportunity for library users who have over due items to return them and have those fines wiped from their library account.

The Oskaloosa Public Library offered customers a chance to pay their library overdue fines with food during February. That successful promotion brought in 796 non-perishable food and hygiene items that were donated to the Ecumenical Cupboard. It was the second year of the food drive and received positive response from both the public and the library staff.