Web posted
Wednesday, December 18, 2002
Overdue books amnesty under way at Ark City Library
By Special to The Traveler
Each year the Arkansas City Public Library loses books. Some, of course, are lost and will never be recovered because of damage or theft. The vast majority, however, are still in the possession of the original borrowers.
What makes these losses especially difficult to bear is their effect on other borrowers. Imagine the frustration of a patron who needs a particular item to complete a project or finish reading every work by a particular author but finds that week after week the necessary book is, according to library records, checked out. And, at a time when book costs are spiraling upward, replacing a lost or missing book can often cost far more than the original purchase price.
To remove at least one of the barriers to returning an overdue library book, ACPL borrowers are encouraged to return their overdue books and library materials without penalty or fine during an amnesty to be held from now through Jan. 15.
Materials returned need to be in good condition without damage, but no questions will be asked nor fines charged. "We do not want to have to use a collection agency or other method to get our books back, as some libraries in South Central Kansas have started to do," said Michelle Swain, librarian.
The theme of the amnesty is "Share the Thrill. Return the Books!" Overdue materials can be returned without charge to the library at 120 East Fifth Ave. during the amnesty period. "We are celebrating the installation of our new, larger, drive-up book drop, located in the alley between the library and Home National Bank," said Swain.
The purpose of the amnesty is to promote the return of needed library materials and promote the increased use of the library. The amnesty does not include overdue fines still on record from previously returned materials. "We are trying to recover nearly 2,000 items that are still checked out! So please, search your bookshelves, your coffee tables, your linen closets and under the beds for items that belong to the Arkansas City Public Library and swing by to drop them in our box," said Swain.
For more information on the overdue materials amnesty, call 442-1280.
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