Lord Mayor Campbell Newman has given 77,000 Brisbane residents the chance to waive their library fines by donating a can of food during an amnesty until the end of June.
Cr Newman said Council would be waiving more $1.4 million in return for the donations that will be given to Foodbank to distribute to welfare agencies and needy families.
“These people should take a can of tinned food to one of Council’s 32 libraries with their library card and any overdue books to get their fines waived,” he said.
“We want as many people as possible using our libraries and borrowing books.
“Some people who can’t afford to pay their fines might stop using the library which is not what we want.
“For many people, the local library is the main way of finding information to do their homework, obtain reading material or use a computer.”
Cr Newman said the tinned food would be given by Council to Foodbank to distribute to welfare agencies.
A similar scheme in June 2005 collected more than 30,000 tins of food and returned almost 3,000 items to libraries.
He said Council would run the amnesty on fines and overdue items until the end of June to allow library users to return outstanding books, magazines, DVDs or other materials and have their fines waived.
The amnesty does not include charges for lost or damaged items.
Council charges overdue items 35 cents per day per item and prevents patrons from further borrowings once the fees reach $10.
For further information visit your local library or call Council on 3403 8888.
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