BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – IN what is becoming an annual tradition, the Charles A. Halbert Public Library has designated December 2009 as its Amnesty Month.
Throughout the month, library users can return overdue books in any condition free of charge and without fear of subsequent penalties.
Coordinator Carmen Blanchard explained that the purpose behind the annual Amnesty Months was to promote the return of much-needed library materials and to increase the use of the library by members of the general public.
“We’ll accept your returned books – no questions asked,” said Assistant Librarian Carmen Blanchard. “Persons can return their long-overdue books and other items and no fines will be assessed to their library card account. We want our books back, and even more we want our borrowers back.”
According to Blanchard, the library loses dozens of books each year to damage or misplacement by patrons. The loss subsequently affects its ability to buy new materials, as a “significant portion” of funds must go towards replacement or repair of these books before any new ones are bought.
“Of course, some of the books we lose are legitimately lost and will never be recovered. However, a large number is still in the possession of the original borrower and could be returned to the library’s shelves for borrowing by another library user,” she said.
“We’d rather spend our book budget on new titles than use funds to replace items that are lost or never returned. Sometimes the return of a long overdue item is like finding a treasure or a long-lost literary friend.”
Depending on its success, Amnesty Month may be extended to the first few months of 2010.
