From July 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024, patrons whose Hamilton-Wenham Public Library books are damaged by a pet’s appetite for reading will be eligible to have your replacement fee waived!

If your furry family member has chewed up a library book, send us a cute photo of the hungry culprit to share on our social media, and we’ll forgive the cost of the damage.

Below are the rules for our Books Bite Damage Forgiveness Program eligibility:

• The Books Bite Program applies to books only. Damaged DVDs, CDs, Library of Things items, and other Library materials are not eligible for waived replacement fees.
• This program applies to books that belong to the Hamilton-Wenham Public Library only. Books borrowed from other libraries via ILL and ComCat are not eligible for waived replacement fees.
• Families are eligible for one waived replacement fee per household.
• Please note that books damaged by human error are not eligible for this program. A damaged book’s eligibility and approval for the Book Bites Program will be determined by a member of the Library staff. Please bring your damaged book to the Circulation Desk for review.
• Once your damaged item has been approved for the Books Bite Program, photos of your cute furry culprit should be sent to Adult Services Librarian, Jessica Furtado at jfurtado@hwlibrary.org within 30 days of receiving approval for your waived replacement fee. In your email, please include your pet’s name and tell us their favorite snack (…aside from books!).
• In submitting your pet’s photo, you agree to give Hamilton-Wenham Public Library permission to publish any submitted photo online and in print, including but not limited to use on the Library’s social media, flyers, website, and marketing materials.
• While we anticipate that dogs will be the most frequent offenders, the Books Bite Program applies to Hamilton-Wenham Public Library books damaged by any pet, so if your kitten had a cookbook craving or your goat got greedy for some classic literature, we want to see their pictures, too!