NORTHRIDGE : CSUN Library Eases Fines on Late Books

Cal State Northridge is offering amnesty to the most common of common criminals: those who keep their library books past the due date.

In an effort to return about 5,000 volumes to their shelves in the aftermath of the Northridge earthquake, Dean of Library Services Susan Curzon has declared June a penalty-free month for overdue books, even those that were forgotten under beds and on cluttered shelves accruing fines well before the Jan. 17 earthquake.

“This has been such a difficult time for our patrons,” Curzon said. “We wanted to do something special for them.”

Although 15 cartons of books were water damaged after the temblor, most of the university’s 1.1 million volumes were not seriously harmed when the Oviatt Library was battered by the quake. Since the students were on vacation at the time, only a fraction of the 500,000 books that circulate every year were checked out.

The fine-free period will run from June 1-30. After that, no fines will be assessed for books during the period from Jan. 17 to May 16.