Students in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA,  won't feel embarrassed anymore about returning their overdue library books, DVDs, CDs, audio books, scripts and magazines and paying the fine. Eye4You Alliance and the The Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County set up a fines paying machine in the teen grid in Second Life, so students can avoid the stern looks of the librarian at the counter, and pay them at home, on their computer.

Eye4You Alliance picked a few teens to script the fines paying machine. Nexii Malthus, a teen grid resident from the United Kingdom, persevered and solved the challenge.

Kelly Czarnecki (Bluewings Hayek in SL) is the leader of Eye4You Alliance and also a PLCMC Librarian. "The Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County is the first library in the world to accept Linden Dollars for fines. It's a great use of the Second Life economy and it's a fun way to pay off money owed."

The machine is user friendly. The user types his or her PLCMC card number into the machine, which then checks the PLCMC database to see how much the teen owes. It will then allow the teen to pay some or all of the fines and then it will contact a PLCMC Librarian who will then edit the teen's card within 2 business days.

Czarnecki says about ten students who live in Charlotte have used the machine. and she expects up to 100 students could use it after signing up for a teen grid account. "I hope there are possibilities for other libraries. There are tons of libraries on the main grid."