Lost a library book? It doesn’t have to be a cat disaster.
At least not during March in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Libraries there will remove a certain fee from their book loan records in exchange for a photo of that person’s cat, or any other cat, for that matter.
The goal is to encourage people to read and visit libraries, even if they are borrowing money for lost or damaged books.
“People are literally choosing between buying a book that their dog ate for $30 or buying $30 worth of groceries,” Jason Homer, executive director of the Worcester Public Library, told Fox News. “It’s a struggle and sometimes you have to make choices. They’re two very different things,” he told Fox News. Digital.
“And humans have priorities. So we want to treat them with kindness and forgiveness and say, ‘Please be part of our community.'”
It’s called the “Cat Fee Waiver” program, and it’s all part of the library’s month-long “March Meowness” event.
The aim is to reduce barriers to returning to the library, regardless of the individual’s circumstances.
And Homer and his staff thought what better way to welcome people than with a soft and cuddly cat?
“Librarians are book lovers, cardigan lovers, and cat lovers,” Homer says.
“My staff has a lot of cats. Some of our staff members were in a meeting thinking about how to get people back into the library, and they said, ‘We want to remove as many barriers as possible and encourage people to show pictures of their cats. What if I told him?” I thought. Do you draw cats or tell us about cats? ”
In 2020, the library eliminated fines for overdue books. why? Because after the coronavirus lockdown, so many people misplaced their books and couldn’t return them in person.
In Worcester, that period lasted a year and a half, Homer said.
“Quite a few studies conducted in public libraries across the country have shown that books that are fined are not returned,” Homer said.
“We’re going to end up losing people. Realistically, these fines didn’t do any good for the library, and it wasn’t production that actually made money. It’s more like… It was like a debt left unpaid.”
Homer said missing library books is a nationwide problem.
“A lot of communities have a list of kids who had this $30 fee on their cards, even though they had no control over it and had no malicious intent,” Homer said.
“There’s no way to actually collect that. So, we move on. And ultimately the goal here was to find a way to get people to come to the library again. [people who] You may be afraid of being punished. We would rather work with funders to raise money so we don’t have to punish children for things that are outside of our control. ”
Homer said the library collected an average of about $11,000 in fines, but now has the infrastructure in place to cover those fines as long as the books are eventually returned.
“If a book is lost or damaged beyond its ability to be loaned, for example if it is dropped into the ocean and becomes covered in sand or jellyfish and cannot be retrieved and lent to someone else, there will be a fee. said Homer.
Still, accidents happen even to well-intentioned people, and Homer and his team said they don’t want that to stand in the way of progress and enlightenment.
“Reading is the greatest equalizer we have,” said Homer.
“This is a space where people can learn, grow and experience things. We are committed to making literacy – both written literacy and digital literacy – the two greatest equalizers we have. I think there is. [for] our community. Reading helps people improve themselves and improve their lives. ”
Plus, it’s patriotic.
“What’s more American than a public library?” Homer said.
“We have a baseball field next door, and we often joke that we have two of the most American things right next to each other: a public library and baseball. And that’s just as important to us. ”
The library has events scheduled during March Nyanness, including crafts, cat toy making, storytelling, lectures, a screening of the movie Cats, and even cat petting sessions to relieve stress. Masu.
Homer said the cost of forgiveness actually extends far beyond the scope of the cat.
The library will accept photos of “honorary” cats, dogs, raccoons, killer whales, and capybaras.
“Any animal that cannot be ruled is good for us,” he said.
