Cape Town residents returned over 12,400 library items during the Fine Free Week. It included popular titles like ‘Wimpy Kid,’ ‘Peppa Pig,’ and ‘Harry Potter.’ While they still have outstanding items, this was a fantastic step towards replenishing the library resources.
Reportedly, the Diary of a Wimpy Kid limps home during the Fine Free Week. Over 40% of all outstanding items from the City of Cape Town libraries were returned during the Fine Free Week, this month.
The Fine Free Week saw the return of total 12,442 items that were valued at R1,622,008 as less than half of the total number of outstanding items of 29,848 valued at R3,680,361.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Community Services and Health – Councillor Francine Higham stated that she wants to thank everyone who made the effort to return their overdue items. Every fine free week is an opportunity for patrons to avoid paying penalties and for the libraries to get back the valuable stock.
Cllr Higham added that the resources are at the heart of library operations. It helps them in keeping the vital lifeline going by returning the outstanding material.
As per the recent data collected during this Fine Free Week, the top-10 books returned were:
- 12 books of Wrecking Ball by Jeff Kinney
- 10 books of No Brainer by Jeff Kinney
- 9 books of The Deep End by Jeff Kinney
- 7 books of James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
- 7 books of The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney
- 7 books of Tippie en Die Hen by Jose Palmer
- 6 books of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
- 6 books of It’s Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han
- 6 books of Peppa Goes Swimming by Mandy Archer
- 6 books of Reckless by Lauren Roberts
Furthermore, the registered library members can access the digital offerings of the City of Cape Town by visiting e-resources (capetown.gov.za). E-books and Audio Books are also available to access or download via the Overdrive Digital Platform or the Libby App on smart devices.
Notably, the residents have access to over 7000 local and international newspapers and magazines that are available to access or download via the PressReader Platform or App.