Library Program: Read To Pay Off Your Fees

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Library fines and fees can really add up, but now the St. Paul Public Library system has a way to pay them down.

All you have to do is read.

"For every 15 minutes of reading, you get a dollar coupon," said Regina Harris, Dayton's Bluff Library Manager.

The program is called Read Down and it's just like it sounds.

"In an hour, I can take $4 off?" asked Ryan Long. "That'd be great."

The more you read inside the library, the more money you can clear off your card, as each hour is $4 in coupons. What you read is up to you. And there's another incentive besides cash.

"It might encourage me to read more," Jahmal Climmons said.

It could also prompt Mom and Dad to get the kids into the library. The little ones can actually help pay down the fees their parents have racked up.

The Read Down program ends on June 15.

There is some fine print, such as you can't get actual cash for the coupons. For more, click here.