As John Weicker finishes his final two months of school, he’s counting down the days with a small ticker in his office.On Thursday, the counter read 44 days, plus a few hours, minutes and seconds.FORT WAYNE – Paperless library may sound like a contradiction of terms, but the Allen County Public Library plans to go paperless as of June 1.
The new policy does not apply to books and reading materials, but to the many notices sent out to patrons for overdue books, fines and other correspondence, said Jeff Krull, the library’s executive director.
The library is hoping to eliminate the cost of printing the notifications as well as postage expenses, Krull said Thursday.
“We spent well over $100,000 last year on postage alone,” he said.
For the past year, the library has been gathering patrons’ email addresses and phone numbers, said Cheryl Ferverda, communications and development manager at the library.
Two days before their books are due, the patrons will receive a courtesy email or phone call, Ferverda said. They also receive a call when there is an overdue fine or when requested materials or books are available, she said.
The Friends of the Library has joined in and will give away free Kindle e-book readers throughout the year to patrons who agree to go paperless. The drawing will be every month, when one name will be selected from those who have agreed to be contacted by phone or email, Ferverda said.
