For anyone with overdue books, CDs, movies, magazines and other library materials, this week would be the ideal time to turn them in.
In honor of National Library Week, the Kenai and Soldotna libraries have decided to give their patrons a break on overdue items.
Amnesty week at the Joyce K. Carver Public Library in Soldotna and the Kenai Community Library began Monday and will end Saturday. Any patron who turns an overdue item in „ no matter how late „ will walk away without incurring additional charges on their library card. Other plans for National Library Week include a prize giveaway and refreshments at the Soldotna library and a foreign language workshop in Kenai.
"The biggest thing that we do every year is have amnesty week on overdue items," said Terri Burdick, assistant librarian at the Soldotna library. Celebrations for National Library Week in Soldotna have changed from year to year, but Burdick said amnesty week has always been a tradition.
"It's a nice time of year to remind people how important their library is," she said.
Burdick said Soldotna fines max out at $5, which is approximately a book that's 2 1/2 months overdue. If a patron brings in $50 of overdue materials this week, the library will waive that fee. However, patrons who have returned items in the past but not paid those fees still owe the library for those overdue fees. So far, since amnesty week began, Burdick already has waived fees on approximately 20 checked-in items.
This week Soldotna patrons also will have the chance to win a book bag or shirt at the library. This week's story time is centered around National Library Week and refreshments will be available Friday. Burdick said the library also is showcasing its new computers, bought with an anonymous donation, and their new play away devices, which play audio books without the use of a CD or mp3 player. Much of this week also will be spent on promoting the library's summer reading program and encouraging folks to join Friends of the Library.
"(It's) just a special week to (say to the public), 'Hey, you have a library!'" Burdick said.
While the Kenai library has held amnesty weeks before, they do so sporadically. Mary Jo Joiner, library director, said they will even erase fines on items dropped in the book drop.
"We're hoping to get back things people have had for a long time," she said, adding that overdue charges will be forgiven only on items turned in this week. "(They can) stick it in the book drop as long as we have the physical item."
In addition to dropping off books, Kenai encourages patrons to drop off nonperishable food items. The library will collect food for the Kenai Peninsula Food Bank, as well.
Patrons also are eager to use the library's collection of Rosetta Stone software. Library staff will show patrons how to use the software to learn languages like Spanish, Russian, Tagalog and Arabic at the foreign language celebration open house from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday. Assistant library director Julie Niederhauser said the open house will feature Russian and Spanish language activities and crafts. There will be cookies, lemonade and balloons designating where the foreign language materials are in the library.
"People are anxious to practice," Joiner said, adding there are CD sets in French and Italian, too. "Initially (it will be) a first-come, first-served basis, but we may limit people to one-hour sessions."
The library will showcase its Listen Alaska program, which allows anyone with a library card to download audio books to an mp3 player for two weeks. Joiner said the library loans out mp3 players and FM transmitters for a $20 deposit.
"(National Library Week) highlights activity in the library and helps people get excited about (our) expansion," she said, adding that even though the Listen Alaska Program is a pilot program, it's been phenomenally successful.
She said use of the library has increased but not in phenomenal amounts. Librarians are constantly issuing new cards and over the years Joiner has found that the number of materials checked out has increased.
"A lot of people take out videos and DVDs. People still take out books."
"We serve Kenai and are heavily used by other areas," Niederhauser said. "(The library) is a benefit to the city because it draws people to the city."
Burdick said the Soldotna library also plans to expand soon, but didn't say when. Since the library opened in the 1970s, and since Burdick began working there 24 years ago, she said use of the library has increased, particularly as school librarians have been cut. A lot of tourists take advantage of free Internet and wireless access during the summer months and home-schoolers take advantage of library, as well.
"There's a lot of people who buy their own books," Burdick said. "They could save a whole lot of money by coming in (the library)."
Jessica Cejnar can be reached at jessica.cejnar@peninsulaclarion.com.
News