If you have an overdue book from the Greenwood-Leflore Public Library, it’s time to return it to its proper home.
Recently hired library director Jenniffer Stephenson is in search of the 3,000 books that are currently checked out and overdue.
“In the past, the library hasn’t collected fines,” she said. “People have gotten used to not being charged and, in some cases, not returning the books on time or at all.”
Trying to ease the blow of having to pay back the library, Stephenson has created a new return policy for the month of April.
“Food for Fines” will give patrons with overdue books a chance to pay their debt while giving to one of two worthy organizations in Leflore County.
The library will be collecting food for the Community Food Pantry and the Humane Society of Leflore County. Each can or pound of food will be worth $1 in overdue fines.
“This is more community-minded and is a win-win situation for all of us,” Stephenson said. “We get our books back while helping the community.”
Stephenson, who began as director on March 1, saw a lot of success when she did this program while working in the Carroll County Library System.
“I think people feel better about giving to a good cause than paying for keeping a book too long,” Stephenson said.
Stephenson said that each book is typically worth about $30 each because they are hardback, so she estimates the library is currently missing about $90,000 in circulation material. That doesn’t include the fines that have accrued over the years.
The library has some books that have been overdue for two or three years. At 10 cents per item per day the book is late, that small change has really added up.
Stephenson, however, is more concerned about how it has thinned the library’s collection.
“We have empty shelves,” she said. “This is not punishment, we just want the books available to the community.”
She stresses that fines aren’t just about making money for the library but keeping people accountable.
“This is something every other library in the country does,” she said.
Fines, however, are not a great source of income for any library. Stephenson said the money the library makes from anything, such as copies or late fees, goes to general expenses or replacing lost books.
If a patron does check out a book, they can call the library, drop by or go online to extend their checkout period. Material can be checked out for three weeks.
The library will also do a one-time fine forgiveness, where if the item is returned, no late fee will be charged.
For information regarding the program or an overdue fine, call the Washington Street library at 453-3634 or the Jodie Wilson branch at 453-1761 or visit http:\\glpl-verso.auto-graphics.com.
The website will allow patrons to check the status of any material they have checked out, check the current catalog for any new books or access a number of resources, including the Magnolia database and Learn-A-Test. For the access codes to either of those websites, contact the library.
• Contact Andrea Hall at ahall@gwcommonwealth.com.
