“During its amnesty period in January-February, HPL cleared accounts with balances as high as $1,000 and even received three books checked out from 1992.”
Category: children-and-families
Scott County Library Permanently Eliminates Overdue Fines
“This is going to be getting more materials into the hands of more Scott County residents, which brings us closer to the library’s mission — connecting all residents with resources, support and opportunity,” Scott County Library Director Jake Grussing said. “I think one of the best ways to do that is to create a penalty-free, welcoming environment for anybody who wants to use the library.”

Public Libraries Across the U.S. Are Taking Note of this Richmond-area Branch’s Parent-and-Child-friendly Design
‘To have a space where children and parents are centered is truly rare in America. Parents are so used to everything being hard in this country.’
Roxbury Library Goes Fine-Free

In announcing the new policy, the library said its board of trustees “is dedicated to creating a library that is more open, equitable and understanding of our community,” and explained that “eliminating fines for overdue materials means more people in our community have greater access to the Library’s vital materials, resources and services.”
Chicago Public Library Extends Hours
“Every day is a day for learning. Chicagoans need and deserve access to information and technology every day of the week. Adding Sunday hours in libraries across the city is an important step in our commitment to equity and access,” said CPL Commissioner Chris Brown. “Mayor Lightfoot’s leadership and support for expanded Sunday hours has been instrumental in bringing this opportunity to all Chicagoans.”
Coos County Libraries to Offer Free Social Work Services

A social worker will be available in three Coos County libraries and it will be a free service.
Virginia Beach Public Library Drops Overdue Fines for Kids Moving Forward
“Equal and equitable access to information is a core value of libraries,” said Director of Libraries Eva Poole. “Removing overdue fines from youth accounts is a first step in removing economic barriers to accessing library materials, especially for children who may need us the most. Inability to pay fines may prevent families from returning materials or visiting the library at all. The goal is to get the materials back into our collection, and to encourage families to continue using the library.”

Booklist Committee Volunteers Needed
From picture books onwards, “home” as a predictable, stable and safe place is a central subject despite a significant percentage of people who experience homelessness. These experiences are not often written about and if they are, not positively reflected in literature. To create more equitable literacy learning environments, as well as providing a counterpoint to the negative images so often created, we need opportunities to explore economic diversity and to challenge harmful discourses about people experiencing homelessness.
With this in mind, the Hunger, Homelessness and Poverty Task Force of SRRT (HHPTF) is creating a booklist of recommended books for all ages, as well as a guide to help with selecting books that are respectful and supportive of people who are experiencing homelessness.
Interested? Email us!
Library receives $50,000 to Help with Unexpected Coronavirus Expenses
Project Uplift at Danville Public Library
The Danville Public Library started Project Uplift four years ago to help people experiencing homelessness.
Project Uplift is designed to connect people with information and resources within the Danville community.
“We have around 20 organizations this year,” said Jessica Augustson, community engagement librarian.
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“We do offer library cards for displaced persons,” she said.