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[Grandpa Shooter]

Stories like this crack me up.


Overdue library books returned half century later.

PHOENIX – A high school librarian in Phoenix says a former student at the school returned two overdue books checked out 51 years ago along with a $1,000 money order to cover the fines.

Camelback High School librarian Georgette Bordine says the two Audubon Society books checked out in 1959 and the money order were sent by someone who wanted to remain anonymous.

Bordine says the letter explained that the borrower's family moved to another state and the books were mistakenly packed.

The letter said the money order was to cover fines of 2 cents per day for each book. That would total about $745. The letter says the extra money was added in case the rates had changed.

Bordine says the money will buy more books, and the overdue books will be returned to the shelves.

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[Monkeyleg]

I consider myself an honest person, but not that honest. :D

[Waitone]

Yeah, well you've never had to face the Library Police.  They are relentless.

[S. Williamson]

Yeah, well you've never had to face the Library Police.  They are relentless.

I tried that a few years back... ended up checking out a stack of books for some paper my senior year of high school.  Didn't return them until about a month into my freshman year of college, and the fine was ~$22.  I put it off for a couple of years (really, just forgot about it) and when I finally went in to pay it, the fine wasn't on record, and thus the library wouldn't accept my cash. 

From a karma standpoint, though, I've given a few of my really favorite books away as gifts to friends. 

[BridgeRunner]

I once lost a book belonging to the MSU library.  The book was out of print, and was one of two copies of a book authored by my mentor's mentor (Eleanor Huzar's bio of Mark Antony).  I tracked down a copy through alibris and paid the fifty dollar lost book fee, the late fines, and hunted out the correct librarian who could get the copy I had procured into the collection with the least likelihood of red tape keeping everything from working out.

It was expensive, but worth it to keep that book in the collection.

[RocketMan]

That was darn decent of you, BridgeWalker.

[MicroBalrog]

Tel Aviv University's central library will waive the fine for losing a book if you replace it with an identical book at your own expense.

[Stand_watie]

Tel Aviv University's central library will waive the fine for losing a book if you replace it with an identical book at your own expense.

     Assuming Tel Aviv's central library is a big beaurocratic institution...that's incredible. As if someone in management had a brain fart for a second and just used common sense instead of 37 layers of red tape.

[BridgeRunner]

That was darn decent of you, BridgeWalker.

Well, I did kind of negate the decentness of it by telling the story.  I didn't really go to that length out of decentness in general, but because of the relationships involved.  Not cool to disappear the book of an academic grandparent. 

In 2001, I got fired from a job for spotty attendance.  I was fired over the phone, and I never returned to the office to retrieve the library book I had left in the break room.  I don't know if it was ever returned or not, as I lost my apartment shortly thereafter and didn't get a proper forwarding address for a little while.  My history with libraries is spotty.

[Boomhauer]

[Strings]

One word about overdue books: Breda

[MicroBalrog]

     Assuming Tel Aviv's central library is a big beaurocratic institution...that's incredible. As if someone in management had a brain fart for a second and just used common sense instead of 37 layers of red tape.

It's part of this.

You do the math.