Vernon Area Library patrons are stocking the shelves of the township food pantry and restocking the shelves of the library this month-all in one fell swoop.
For the sixth year in a row, the library is sponsoring a ”Food for Fines” month, during which patrons can return long-overdue books and pay their fines with donations of canned goods for the Vernon Township Food Pantry.
”Our purpose really is to bring materials back to the library that have been missing awhile,” Evelyn Belzer, the library`s public relations director, explained. ”We find each year that a lot of our overdue books are returned during this month. It`s an efficient way to get books back and the patrons can have a positive feeling and not be embarrassed about it.
The Cook Memorial Library in Libertyville rejected a similar program this year because members of the library board there felt they would be betraying taxpayers by foregoing the estimated $4,000 to $5,000 in revenue the December fines would have produced.
”They had no problem with putting up food bins, but they didn`t feel they should essentially divert public funds collected for one purpose to another,” said Cook`s head librarian, Fred Byergo.
Although the Vernon library took in about $1,100 a month in fines during the last fiscal year, library officials think that getting their materials back is more important.
”The purpose of the fines isn`t to raise revenue, it`s a gentle reminder to people to return what they`ve borrowed,” Belzer said.
Last December, the Vernon library took in uncounted stacks of overdue books and collected 70 full bags of groceries for the food pantry.