From Friday, Sept. 15, through Saturday, Sept. 30, all four branches of the North Olympic Library System will hold a community resource drive with a twist: accrued library fines will be waived, in exchange for a donation of nonperishable food, diapers, or pet food.

“The Library is all about connecting people in our community with necessary resources,” said Technical Services Manager Erin Shield. “A Fine Amnesty Program is a way for the Library to provide additional support for local services, while removing financial barriers that may reduce people’s access to library resources. It’s a win-win!”

The Library will turn over all donated items to community resource centers, so donations stay local. In return, staff at the Library hope to see some long-lost library users come through the doors – people who perhaps have been staying away from the Library because they owed fines on overdue materials.

Fines will be waived for books, DVDs, magazines and other materials that were returned to the Library past their due dates, as well as overdue items returned during the Fine Amnesty period. Charges will not be waived for Inter-Library Loan items, lost or damaged items, processing fees or collection agency fees.

NOLS is working with local resource groups to ensure donations stay in the community. Help yourself while helping others! For more information, contact Technical Services Manager Erin Shield at 360-417-8500 x7724 or discover@nols.org.

The Port Angeles Main Library is located at 2210 South Peabody. The Sequim Branch Library is located at 630 North Sequim Avenue. The Forks Branch Library is located at 171 South Forks Avenue. The Clallam Bay Branch Library is located at 16990 Highway 112. For more information about Fine Amnesty go to www.nols.org, and click on “Events”.