October 22, 2008

I M M E D I A T E  R E L E A S E

contact person
Pat Ryan, Director, Cooperative Services
Jefferson County Library Cooperative
(205)226-3615
pryan@bham.lib.al.us

PUBLIC LIBRARIES OF JEFFERSON COUNTY COLLECTED 11 TONS OF FOOD FOR AREA FOOD BANKS

October 22, 2008, Jefferson County, Alabama – The 39 Public Libraries of Jefferson County collected approximately 11 tons of food during the month of September. The September Library Food for Fines program was held the month of September in conjunction with the annual National Library Card Sign-up Month. Fines were waived for each item of food donated up to $10.00 per patron. Canned goods and other non-perishable food items were collected and donated to local food banks such as United Way, Magic City Harvest, and Greater Birmingham Ministries. Many libraries donated to a local church or food bank in their neighborhood.

Spokesperson, Pat Ryan, executive director of Jefferson County Library Cooperative said, “We had not held an amnesty campaign since 1997. Therefore, we felt this was a good time to give back to the community and the Food for Fines program helped us do that.” The public libraries hope to make this an annual September event.

The Jefferson County Library Cooperative (JCLC) is a non-profit organization composed of the 39 public libraries throughout Jefferson County. These include the 19 municipal libraries, the 19 branches in the Birmingham Public Library System, as well as the Birmingham Botanical Gardens Library. The mission of JCLC is to link our member libraries to provide better, more efficient centralized services for all county residents. Visit our web site at www.jclc.org.