U.S. Libraries Offer "Food for Fines" Options

And New Jersey gets into the act.

Neptune (New Jersey) Public Library

Link to December 1 Newark Star-Ledger article, "N.J. libraries allow food, cash donations to cover overdue fees".

Excerpt: Libraries are finding a way to help people feel good about resolving fines on overdue books.

Just donate food or cash to a local food pantry and the fine, or part of it, will be wiped clean.
Acknowledging the tough economy, "Food for Fines" drives have proliferated in recent years in libraries across the state and nation, said Patricia Tumulty, executive director of the New Jersey State Library Association.

"Many libraries are doing it more frequently than they have in the past," Tumulty said. "The recent economic times have made it something that libraries see as a way of serving the community."

At the Monroe Township Library, a set time each year is not recommended.

However, a few less-altruistic patrons seem to exploit such drives. For years, the Monroe Township Library traded food for fines as the Thanksgiving drive approached, until a pattern emerged.

"People were holding on to summer books. Stuff that had been overdue for months would come in, and it was always the same people," said library director Irene Goldberg. She said drives now are held randomly and staff calls patrons with long-overdue books.