The Worcester Public Library in Massachusetts, United States, has come up with an ingenious way to encourage users to use its services again. Under the March Meowness program, those who have lost or damaged books can reactivate their accounts by showing a photo, drawing or magazine clipping of a cat.
This initiative has generated great interest and has led to hundreds of people returning items and regaining their borrowing privileges. According to Jason Homer, executive director of the library, around 400 people have already reactivated their accounts thanks to this program, which has been well received by the community.
The idea behind March Meowness emerged as a creative way to remove barriers for those who stopped using the library due to outstanding fees or lost items. Homer explained that while the library no longer charges fines for late returns, many people avoided returning due to charges for lost items.
With this program, the library seeks to soften the image of the harsh librarian and demonstrate its commitment to the community. User-submitted cat photos have become a form of forgiveness and created a more welcoming atmosphere in the library.
This innovative approach has generated interest beyond Worcester, with the local NPR affiliate highlighting the initiative as something never seen before. Participation in the program has been varied, with people bringing photos of cats and, in some cases, even drawing their own feline representations.
As The New York Times explains, a 7-year-old boy who never returned the Captain Underpants book didn't have a cat. The library staff gave him a sheet of paper and crayons to draw a cat. Thus, he was able to reactivate his membership card.
The library has prepared activities for this entire month of March dedicated to cats. These range from making cat toys to a screening of the movie Cats, to a cat eye makeup workshop and a discussion with Dr. Rachel Gellar to "understand your cat", among others.
