“All we want for Christmas is our overdue books back.”
It’s a simple refrain and, if sung with gusto to the tune of Mariah Carey’s seasonal smash hit, it’s effective.
But Orkney Library & Archive aren’t just relying on good marketing to get their message across. Anyone who returns an overdue book to an Orkney library between now and Dec 24 will have their fees waived.
Whether it’s a George Mackay Brown collection that you just can’t bear to send back, or the sourdough how-to book you checked out at the start of lockdown and haven’t had a peek at, all overdue books are eligible for forgiveness in the spirit of the season.
A creative and kind-hearted plea
Orkney Library & Archive has built a name for itself over the years with an active and creative social media presence.
From going viral in 2014 and quickly amassing 10,000 followers – the account now boasts 76.7 thousand – to offering can’t-miss deals like “borrow one book free borrow another free”.
Don't forget we've got a fantastic deal on in the library TOMORROW. Borrow one book about a cubist artist for free, borrow another book about the same cubist artist for FREE.
We're calling it Braque Friday. pic.twitter.com/aLVpP58yUj
— Orkney Library (@OrkneyLibrary) November 25, 2021
The account can even brag about owning a piece of the Twitterverse’s Holy Grail: the coveted blue “verified” badge.
Now, at the start of the Christmas season, Orkney Library and Archive are waiving late fees during the December Book Amnesty programme. The announcement came on Twitter, of course.
🎶 We don't want a lot for Christmas
There is just one thing we need
We don't care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree
We just want the books we own
More than you could ever know
Make our wish come true
All we want for Christmas
is our overdue books baaaack 🎶 pic.twitter.com/HmHRkqQPpt— Orkney Library (@OrkneyLibrary) November 30, 2021
Wheel out the karaoke machine, hit play on Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” and the library’s lyrical announcement will start to come to life.
What are the rules?
The library laid out the rules simply: Anyone with overdue books can bring them to either the Stromness or Kirkwall branch and drop them off. If you make the returns between now and December 24, your Orkney library will waive your fees with no questions asked.
Followers are already clamouring for a countdown on the number of books still overdue in the run-up to Christmas Eve.
And one doubts the librarians’ ability to refrain from a bit of judgment when they see a particularly egregious overdue loan cross their desk.
that's just our resting librarian face
— Orkney Library (@OrkneyLibrary) November 30, 2021
But even if you don’t have any fees you need waived, it might still be worth a visit. Christmas is a time for miracles and, if you ask one Orkney book club, you never know when JK Rowling might turn up.
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