For one week, the Sidney North Saanich library welcomes everyone, especially those with late fees, to visit their branch October 23 to 29 and get back into borrowing again.
“Vancouver Island Regional Library serves a wide variety of customers, including children, youth, seniors and vulnerable populations in our community,” said Jamie Anderson, Director of Library Services and Planning. “While overdue fines are a necessary way to ensure materials are available for everybody to use, overdue fines and fees can also have an adverse effect on economically sensitive members in our community.”
Customers who can’t find their overdue materials or have long outstanding fines are also welcome during Welcome Back Week. VIRL will waive up to $20 owing from their account and, for those with fees in excess of $20, can provide a payment plan to help make paying back fines more manageable.
“For those who can’t afford it, having an overdue fine can make the difference between choosing to come back to their library or not, and therefore accessing the wealth of resources and opportunities their library provides. VIRL is a vital resource for the community as an access point to public computers, job seeking help, printing, tech support, the internet, and of course, access to a huge collection of materials which promote literacy, learning and enrichment.”
Visit virl.bc.ca to learn more about Welcome Back Week.