A Question For Librarians

[John Dishon]

Okay, so back in 2004 I checked out a book from my local public library. I read it and forgot about it and it became overdue. To cut it short, the book is still overdue. However, for some reason, the book is cataloged in the library's system as "Lost" rather instead of "Overdue", so rather than having to pay a daily-accumulating late fee, I instead have to pay a lost fee of $18.95, which is the cost of the book.

Now I don't really want the book, and it is in great condition, the same condition it was in when I checked it out. I want to return the book, but I also want to minimize the cost to me. So my question to you who are librarians or who have been librarians is what is likely to happen if I return the book?

Will they say that I don't have to pay the Lost fee since I'm returning the book and therefore it's not really lost, or will they say, oh, since it's not lost, it's overdue and now you have to pay $50 (for example) instead of $18.95, or will they say, great, thanks for returning the book, but you still have to pay the lost fee?

Because if I have to pay the lost fee even though I'm returning the book, maybe I won't return the book and just pay the lost fee. If I'm going to have to pay an Overdue fee instead, I'm definitely just going to keep the book. Now I know the moral or "right" thing to do would be to just turn myself in and let them do to me what they will, but I'm not interested in that, if I can be quite candid about it.

So to those in the know, if this happened at the library you work or worked at, what would happen?

[I. J. Parker]

It's also possible that the overdue fines cannot exceed the replacemenmt value of the book.

[John McFetridge]

"Now I know the moral or "right" thing to do would be to just turn myself in and let them do to me what they will, but I'm not interested in that."

It's not a big, fat Russian novel, is it?

[Sue Dawson]

It depends of the policy of the library. If you are too embarrassed., you can pop it into the outside drop; however, unless the book has been replaced, it will already have dropped out of the system. The library can re-enter the barcode, and the book will be active again. Most libraries have a max amount if you return items that are no longner in the data base. I think, Woodburn Library (Oregon) was $5.00. I still have a paperback that I borrowed from a student in one of my English classes way back in the 1970s, so even librarians and teachers are not perfect. I have dumped a full coffee cup or two on books in my time but have always replaced with another like copy (purchased on the Net). I even dropped a book in the washing machine once but hastily retrieved it in time to use a half roll of white paper towels to mop up the water. I placed the book under a whole stack of big books as I do not have a book press.

[Barbara Fister]

We forgive all, but charge something like five bucks for giving us a headache.

[Patrick Balester]

I don't work at a library, but i have returned many an overdue book that was listed as "lost" at the Kansas City Public Library. (I once had over 75 dollars in accumulated fees, and my picture almost made the city's Most Wanted List). But if you return the book, they really can't charge you any overdue fee exceeding the books value. Otherwise, they know you'd simply keep the book and pay the lost fee.
Based on my own, they'll charge you a few bucks, and be glad to get the book back. But if you really want to know, just ask them.

[Anne Frasier]

[John McFetridge]

Right under this picture it says, "Reply to this."

Yeah, sure ;)

[Anne Frasier]

haha!!

i'm addicted to that photo.

[John McFetridge]

What's it from? Was that in a movie?

[Anne Frasier]

i have no idea. i just googled spanking and that image popped up. :D

[John McFetridge]

Googled spanking.

Well, there's goes my day...

[Sue Dawson]

I think Google has too much information. Long ago, though, I was looking up a recipe for strawberry jam and came up with a porno group by that name. What I hate is that sometimes it is like sticky jam to get out of a site that you innocently find. However, ads over the years do show much about the culture of the country pegged, i. e., the US or
other countries.

I like Cagle's editorial cartoon site. I have always enjoyed satire and puns--must be in the genes (jeans?) :-). Looking at political cartoons of earlier times in the US makes some of the political cartoons today look pretty tame, but they there are editorial cartoonists in other countries that have been executed because of their illustrations. At least in the US we can speak out most of the time and not get killed.