Library waives fees in exchange for Dance Dance Revolution play

I've written before about the librarian who challenges late-fine-owing patrons to get their fines erased by playing Dance Dance Revolution against her. Now the Wadleigh Memorial Library in Mass. NH has adopted the same measure for their Patron Appreciation Day.

Patrons were invited to make good on unpaid fines by donating canned and packaged foods for the local soup kitchen or by entering a dance competition, “Dance Dance Revolution.”

To sweeten the pot, during most of the day the library served coffee, bagels, pastries and ice cream, donated by area businesses.

By midafternoon, the cans and packages were piling up on a table inside library director Michelle Sampson’s office while circulation assistant Katie Spofford was setting up the video dance game on a PlayStation in a carpeted room upstairs.

Link (via The Shifted Librarian)

(Image: Johnny)

[#1 posted by MOONBAT , February 18, 2008 3:12 PM]

"To sweeten the pot, during most of the day the library served coffee, bagels, pastries and ice cream, donated by area businesses."

Where's MeMe Roth when you need her?

[#2 posted by evb , February 18, 2008 5:55 PM]

Great story. Actually, the Wadleigh Memorial Library is in Milford, New Hampshire.

[#3 posted by eap , February 18, 2008 6:16 PM]

Government, if you're reading this, I'll take more libraries and fewer tax abatements.

[#4 posted by Protonk , February 18, 2008 6:24 PM]

Suddenly, single men in the area all 'forgot' to return their recently checked out copies of Pride and Prejudice.

Maybe her name is Marian?

[#5 posted by Takuan , February 18, 2008 7:27 PM]

much better than the one at my old school who would ask "What is your favourite colour?"

[#6 posted by Wirelizard , February 18, 2008 10:45 PM]

DDR-for-fines. Cool!

I'd suggest that for the city library I work at, except we just got locked out by our employer...

[#7 posted by Halloween Jack , February 19, 2008 6:34 AM]

#1 MOONBAT: Good lord, is that crazy eating disorder poster child still around?

[#8 posted by zuzu , February 19, 2008 6:48 AM]

Government, if you're reading this, I'll take more libraries and fewer tax abatements.

Opportunity cost. The problem isn't tax cuts, the problem is deficit spending, which by definition is inflation -- which is wealth-transfer from everyone saving money or earning a paycheck into the hands of government (mainly military) contractors.

However, libraries are the purview of municipality (i.e. local) government, not federal or even state. So be careful not to "pay the gas bill to the electric company" as it were.

[#9 posted by chelleparmele , February 19, 2008 9:33 AM]

Fantastic idea. I haven't had a library fine since high school but if I did, I'd love to pay it this way.

[#10 posted by MOONBAT , February 19, 2008 1:23 PM]

I love MeMe Roth and agree with everything she says. I also think her antics are hilarious.