PROVIDENCE – From April 8-15, the Providence Community Library will host Amnesty Week in which members with overdue materials will be able to donate nonperishable items in place of paying fines.
Currently, the library says there are more than 7,000 overdue items on loan to the community, replacement of which would cost $110,000.
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“Substantial numbers of children in Providence have few, or even no books at home, and many of our patrons with limited income rely on PCL for everyday access to computers and the internet,” said Jeff Cannell, PCL’s library director, in a statement. “Our materials, services and programs are vital to them and we do not want fines to become a barrier. We want everyone to feel welcome at our libraries.”
Donated nonperishable items will be given to the R.I. Community Food Bank, which said 12.7 percent of Rhode Islanders, or 54,000 households, are food insecure.
During the 2016 Amnesty Week patrons donated one item of nonperishable food for every $20 of owed fines – 879 pounds of food, which provided more than 700 meals.
PCL timed their celebration to coincide with National Library Week and Rhode Island Library Awareness Day on April 8. A kickoff party at Knight Memorial Library, in which youth will receive free books provided by Books are Wings, will be held at 2 p.m. on April 8.
For more about Amnesty Week, visit www.provcomlib.org.
