Fine Forgiveness Week

Local Libraries to Forgive Student Fines and Assist Community

The Central Mississippi Regional Library System (CMRLS) wants to make your students’ school year a successful one. To assist with this goal, CMRLS libraries are declaring a Fine Forgiveness Week, September 8-15. During this week anyone 21 years or younger may clear their library fines and start the school year with a ‘clean slate’. Those already out of school may also clear fines. Fines will only continue to follow them and cause future problems. Borrowing materials for upcoming school projects or just leisure reading will no longer be a worry.   

Students, or any person age 21 and younger, who have overdue library materials in good condition may return them to the library during Fine Forgiveness Week and fines will be forgiven. It is that easy! In addition, by returning the materials, students just coming into those same school projects will have the needed resources. Due to the economic situation everyone is facing, replacing those needed materials are sometimes beyond library budgets. Books cost more each year to purchase.

If for some reason those overdue library materials are lost or the items have been damaged, anyone 21 years and younger may still be granted Fine Forgiveness! The Library will accept one sealed, multi-serving packaged food item for each $10 in fines that the borrower owes. This will erase the library fine and at the same time contribute to the Mississippi Food Network working in your community. Your library and the library’s website have a list of accepted items for fine forgiveness. The list includes items such as peanut butter, fruit cups, pudding cups, and snack crackers.

Central Mississippi Regional Library System serves the public libraries of Rankin, Scott, Simpson, and Smith counties. The libraries are located in Pearl, Flowood, Brandon, Puckett, Pelahatchie, Florence, Reservoir, Richland, and Sandhill; Forest, Morton, Sebastopol, and Lake; Magee, Mendenhall, and Harrisville; Mize, Polkville, Raleigh, and Taylorsville. Hours, contact information, and a list of accepted food items are found at www.cmrls.lib.ms.us. The library nearest to you may be listed in the local phone book in the “city section”, the yellow pages, or by name. Library staff can answer any questions regarding Fine Forgiveness Week. Fees produced by Debt Collect will not be forgiven.