It's March Meowness!
Who would think that one day you could use a cat picture as currency? Well, in an effort to encourage library use, the Worcester Public Library in Massachusetts is accepting photos of cats as payment for outstanding fines on lost or damaged library materials throughout this month.
Library officials say a significant number of young patrons have accumulated fees since the start of the pandemic, and they hope the cat photo program will incentivize their return.
“Even if you don’t have a cat in your life, you can still draw one,” Worcester Public Library executive director Jason Homer said. “Even if it’s one of the big cats, like a tiger or a lion, and we’ll be excited to see those.”
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The program has been a success so far, with over 400 accounts cleared in the first five days of March.
Cat for currency
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Before you show up at a WPL branch with a cat image, there are a few things you need to know. First, a book needs to have been lost for at least two months for its fee to be waived.
In case you’ve failed to return five or more books, a circulation manager will have to review your account in order to decide if you’re eligible for the initiative.
Felines for Fee Forgiveness only applies to WPL-owned books, not other WPL-owned items.
Through the system’s Library of Things, patrons can check out everything from e-readers and laptops to karaoke machines and yard games. A cat photo won’t waive your fine for losing or damaging any of those.
The library officials are encouraging people to leave their cat picture/drawing for display on a community bulletin board.
In addition to fee forgiveness, the library's March calendar is littered with other cat-themed programming. There's a cat eye makeup tutorial (for humans, not cats), a lecture from a certified cat behaviorist, an event to de-stress with cats from the Worcester Animal Rescue League and more.
The program is part of a larger trend of libraries to reduce and remove fees.
In Massachusetts, 313 of the state's 367 public libraries in Massachusetts are fine-free, according to the Massachusetts Libraries Board of Library Commissioners.
