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Brisbane City Council Library Amnesty 2017 - Fees Waived in Exchange for a Can of Food

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Brisbane City Council Library Amnesty 2017 - Fees Waived in Exchange for a Can of Food
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Chris T on 04/12/2017 - 00:17 brisbane.qld.gov.au (273 clicks)

The BCC library amnesty is on again for the month of December.

Bring in a can of food and most categories of outstanding fees and fines on your Library account will be waived.

Council’s 33 libraries are getting into the spirit of Christmas by offering to waive outstanding library fees during December.

Customers who present their overdue books at a library during December will have their overdue fines, processing and holds fees waived in exchange for a donation of canned food. If you have already returned your books, but have incurred overdue fees, you can also have these fees waived in exchange for a can of food.

This year, Council’s library amnesty will donate all food to Foodbank Queensland, an organisation that distributes food to charities and community organisations who assist those in need.

Perishable food items cannot be accepted.

Lost library items are not covered by the amnesty.

To take part in the 2017 library amnesty, visit your local Brisbane City Council library between 1-31 December 2017 with your overdue books and a donation of canned food.

Residents without outstanding library fees are also welcome to provide donations of canned food/goods at their local library to help spread Christmas cheer to those in need.

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    • Chris T on 04/12/2017 - 00:34
      +17

      I donated a $2 can of food and had $9.60 of Library hold fees waived. How is that not a bargain?

        • gilbarc on 04/12/2017 - 01:20
          +2

          Why not? If you get something in exchange for your donation, of course it can be a bargain.

        • jv on 04/12/2017 - 02:40
          -7

          @gilbarc:

          If you get something in exchange for your donation

          You're not though, they're just waiving a fine. You don't actually get anything.

        • Kozhutki on 04/12/2017 - 07:56
          +5

          @jv:

          You get more money in your pocket!

        • gilbarc on 04/12/2017 - 10:43
          +1

          @jv:

          You're not though, they're just waiving a fine. You don't actually get anything.

          That is something.

      • Bluberry on 04/12/2017 - 00:40
        +1

        A true Ozbargainer would never pay $2 for a can.

      • squall3031 on 04/12/2017 - 01:17
        +8

        A true man donates $9.60 worth of food.

        • FabMan on 04/12/2017 - 10:23
          +2

          What do women do?

        • dtc on 04/12/2017 - 12:38
          +1

          @FabMan:

          the shopping for the food :)

        • squall3031 on 05/12/2017 - 21:02

          @dtc:
          Cook the damn food~!

    • INFIDEL on 04/12/2017 - 08:26
      +1

      Same debate each year - has always stayed as a deal.
      https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/280493
      https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/223022

    • Savas on 04/12/2017 - 08:44

      The library fees are cheaper than they usually be, can of food compared the maximum fine at Brisbane library. I think it is a deal.

  • Bluberry on 04/12/2017 - 00:25
    -2

    So all books worth more than a can of beans (about 80 cents at coles) is free??

    • nocure on 04/12/2017 - 00:29

      lol

    • Slippery Fish on 04/12/2017 - 00:39
      +1

      65 cents for baked beans or spagetti, and tomato's are cheaper at 60cents.

      https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/search/products?searchTer…

      Though if your Gona give em tomato's in a can be nice and buy a 45cent french onion soup mix to go with it…

      • Bluberry on 04/12/2017 - 00:39

        I stand corrected :)

    • gilbarc on 04/12/2017 - 01:21
      +3

      You have to also return the books.

      • Bluberry on 04/12/2017 - 01:23
        +1

        I plan to - next year with a 60 cent can of tomatoes :)

  • thebargainhunter on 04/12/2017 - 01:06
    +7

    QLD Transport and SPER need to do this 😂😂😂

    • Levathian on 04/12/2017 - 14:42
      +2

      And all those nasty private carpark companies 😂😂. Is that a flying pig I see?

  • INFIDEL on 04/12/2017 - 08:11
    +9

    The annual gift from the Council. Designed to get long overdue books back on the shelves, & people borrowing again (can't borrow if fees are over $10). Both noble aims in the old Christmas tradition of clearing debts before the New Year.

    The return of books to the shelves (rather than replacing plus associated costs) may save the Council more than the fees waived.

    At my local library, they told me most who donate cans don't have any money owing, just want to make donations to feed others.

    With only $4 owing (5 fees for transferring books from libraries too far away) since I last donated a can 2 years ago, I might be a stingy bastard & let the fees roll over again. (I sometimes share a meal with people sleeping rough, give clothes, a smile & chat. Also volunteer in poorer overseas villages. Do it because I enjoy it.)

  • montorola on 04/12/2017 - 08:17

    Is there a limit on how much can be waived?

    • mattythecapybara on 04/12/2017 - 17:31
      +1

      Why do I get the feeling there's a story behind that question?

      • montorola on 04/12/2017 - 17:38

        Let's just say I received the overdue notice months ago…

        • mattythecapybara on 04/12/2017 - 17:53

          I have a feeling this is designed to include people that received it years ago …

  • Savas on 04/12/2017 - 08:30

    Wtf disappointed to see some people have overdue library books.

    • INFIDEL on 04/12/2017 - 08:38
      +1

      Haven't had an overdue library book in years. But I have fees that could be waived.
      There are other admin charges like 80c fee to transfer item from library nearly 50km away. (Means they need to hold less books & build smaller buildings, saving the Council money.) I've got 5 x 80c transfer fees😱

      • Savas on 04/12/2017 - 08:42

        Oh no!! Actually I just remembered once I had to pay a 20 cent overdue fee, I was very ashamed.

        • INFIDEL on 04/12/2017 - 08:45
          +1

          The shame! The shame!😱
          Fines vary by council. Brisbane introduced a 14 day grace period (email warning sent) before fines apply…
          Which is nice if you have items overdue, but worse if you are waiting for that item. I think people now automatically add 14 days to the loan period, defeating the gesture.

        • Savas on 04/12/2017 - 08:47
          +1

          @Infidel: Oh interesting, our library has 7 day grace and Canberra library no grace.

        • INFIDEL on 04/12/2017 - 08:48
          +2

          @Savas:
          What would you expect of Canberra😉
          Nice setting up the lame joke like that.

        • mattythecapybara on 04/12/2017 - 18:06
          +1

          It's good thing you paid it too, with interest, it'd probably be up to a million dollars by now …

    • mattythecapybara on 04/12/2017 - 17:32
      +1

      Call the cops.

  • aaruu on 04/12/2017 - 09:49
    +2

    Waiving fees is a minor compromise when it comes to return of "true assets" of a Library - BOOKS. Good move Brisbane City Council Library :)

    • dtc on 04/12/2017 - 12:40
      +2

      There have been overseas studies showing that fine waivers result in the value of returned books greatly exceeding the value of the waived fines. It appears people just stop returning books/using the library if the fine is too big

  • misterpotatomato on 04/12/2017 - 09:59
    -4

    If they really cared it would be for parking fines also

    • FabMan on 04/12/2017 - 10:25
      +2

      Park properly in future.

      • misterpotatomato on 04/12/2017 - 11:05
        -2

        I actually have an interesting story in relation to this.

        I got a fine once from Brisbane City Council for about ~$450 (it was massive) for parking somewhere on Edward St. As is the case with all these things, you immediately ask for photographic evidence.

        You know what happened? BCC wrote us a letter back and said, upon further inspection, the fine wasn't warranted. What this meant was that they messed up, and I wasn't actually in the wrong. This held up with what I thought- namely that I wasn't in that area at all at the time when they said I was.

        If I hadn't checked this, and had just paid the fine (like 99% of people do I assume) then I would have just been handing over hundreds of dollars for absolutely nothing.

        The fine was essentially a shake-down, and I lost all trust in BCC at that point. Now whenever I get a fine, I contest it, and when they knock it back, I escalate it up to the independent parking guy. This circus takes months to complete, and in which time, the money is still with me gaining interest/offsetting my home loan.

        Coming back to this, waiving really, really little amounts of money like this for a can of food is cute, but worth almost nothing. If BCC were serious about this cause, they would run something more like "Donate half/three-quarters of your fine amount in canned food and we'll waive your fine". But they're not, they're just trying to accumulate some good will at no cost to themselves.

        EDIT: I do wonder about the downvotes, what I'm saying is true. If they really cared about it, they would apply it to parking fines.

        • dtc on 04/12/2017 - 12:42
          +3

          downvotes because it wasnt a shakedown. How many people would get a parking fine from somewhere they knew they werent parking and would 'just pay it'. None. It was clearly a mistake which was rectified when a person looked at it. Not only rectified but the mistake was admitted as soon as it was brought to their attention

          points for saying 'check your fines carefully'. Downvotes for assuming it was some nefarious money grabbing underhanded tactic.

        • INFIDEL on 04/12/2017 - 18:00

          I actually have an interesting story in relation to this.

          Well, it was a story.

          ~$450 fine

          That's hard to believe. The maximum BCC parking fines currently is $252 (Stopping in a clearway, Stopping in a parking area for people with disabilities without displaying a current permit), up from one I contested for around $234.
          They had photographic evidence & I admitted I was in the wrong. I won my simple appeal based on valid grounds - just told me not to do it again.

          You can pay the fine & still contest it. Starting point is a simple letter setting out the reasons you claim you should not receive the penalty, backed up with documentation. I lodged mine through the local Alderman's office. Got a quick response & all over without much hassle & no fine. Good info & can lodge appeal online.

          So much for the claim of a shakedown😠
          Errors do occur & some abuse the appeals process for their own ends, costing the Council plenty.
          Making claims like that can end up in court!

    • gilbarc on 04/12/2017 - 19:11

      To encourage people to return their parking spaces?

  • [Deactivated] on 04/12/2017 - 11:34

    With the amnesty the Seinfeld quote is even more relevant.

    “It reminds me of like this pathetic friend that everbody had when they were a little kid who would let you borrow any of his stuff if you would just be his friend. That's what the library is. A government funded pathetic friend.” - Jerry

    • INFIDEL on 04/12/2017 - 18:13

      No soup amnesty for you!

  • coco91 on 04/12/2017 - 15:09

    Great idea.

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