Langley libraries part of fine forgiveness food drive

Late with the library books? Delayed with the DVDs?

The Fraser Valley Regional Library Network offers a win-win solution for calendar-challenged borrowers and the community.

From Nov. 12 to Dec. 10, people can have their fines forgiven if they take in non-perishable food donations to any FVRL branch.

One food item equals $2 in fines, and up to $30 of fines owed per library account can be waived during the Food for Fines campaign. All items collected will be donated to the local food bank.

“FVRL strives to continually build meaningful partnership with various local community agencies,” said Rob O’Brennan, FVRL’s CEO. “This particular collaboration is a great way for our customers to reduce or eliminate their overdue fines, and provide much needed donations to our local food banks.”

Only commercially packaged, undamaged and unexpired food items will be accepted.

Fraser Valley Regional Library is the largest public library system in British Columbia, with 25 community libraries serving over 700,000 people in its service area. Learn more about it at www.fvrl.ca.

Branches: Abbotsford Community, Agassiz, Aldergrove, Boston Bar, Brookswood, Chilliwack, Clearbrook, Fort Langley, George Mackie, Hope, Ladner Pioneer, City of Langley, Maple Ridge, Mission, Mount Lehman, Muriel Arnason, Murrayville, Pitt Meadows, Sardis, Tsawwassen, Terry Fox, Walnut Grove, White Rock, Yale and Yarrow.

To avoid fines, people can return library materials to any public library in the province, even if it’s outside their local library network.

Children’s and young adult materials borrowed on children’s cards are fines-free. Children’s books borrowed on adult cards are subject to fines. Adult materials borrowed on a children’s card are subject to the current fines schedule.

Any items not returned after 45 days will be billed to your account and a non-refundable $5 administrative fee will apply to each item.

Fines on Adult Cards

* Children’s/Young Adult Materials: 10 cents/item/day

* Adult Books/Magazines/CD Books: 35 cents/item/day

* Adult DVDs/Blu-ray/Music CDs: 35 cents/item/day

* Best Seller Express: $1/item/day

* Inter-library Loans: $1/item/day

* Story Telling Kits: $5/kit/day

User will be blocked from borrowing materials or placing holds when the cumulative fines reach the following limits:

* Adults Card: $25

* Children’s Card: $10

* Business/Day Care/Institution Card: $25