The Library "F" Word
Recently the New York Times carried an article about the non payment of library fines, and for some library patrons, the consequences when fines are consistently ignored. The old dime a day fines are a thing of the past. A quarter a day is the going rate in most libraries. (Note: The Lake Chapala Society library recently raised their fines to two pesos per day.) The investment a library makes in a book does not end with the purchase price. There is a considerable amount of time and some money spent by personnel to process the book before it can become part of the library collection. With book prices being what they are, and inflation, it is no wonder fine rates have increased.
The library, above all, wants to get their book returned to their collection. Some libraries have in frustration turned to collection agencies or local law enforcement agencies for assistance. The fine is meant to prod the patron to return what was borrowed. For some unknown reason returning borrowed books has its own complicated psychology. I have loaned books to people who would never for a moment think about cheating me out of $25 but have no qualms about not returning my borrowed book and in at least one case denying they even borrowed it. So imagine the plight of the library with thousands of books to track and thousands of borrowers who may or may not be book honest. For some large metropolitan public libraries, the outstanding fines are in the millions of dollars so I was not surprised to read about the drastic measures taken by them to try again to get their books returned.
This last resort of the libraries is drastic, at least drastic enough to catch the attention of the New York Times. When your name is given to a collection agency, it is reported to the credit reporting services and you may become a credit risk which causes your bank and credit card companies to make demands to which you are not accustomed. And all because of a couple of books you forgot to return to your library. This all may be a case of unforeseen consequences except that you have also ignored all those pleading notices. I don't believe librarians are happy about some of their patrons losing their good credit scores but I doubt if they care much either. Many years ago a friend of mine, then the director of libraries of a large New Jersey suburb asked the local sheriff for some assistance in retrieving seriously overdue books. Since the books were government property the sheriff deputies were dispatched to retrieve them and demand payment of outstanding fines. Those patrons unable to immediately satisfy the deputy's demands were charged with theft and locked up. From the sheriffs viewpoint the program was a success. The local newspaper however, characterized the sheriff's actions as raids and accused the librarian of acting unconscionably. My friend's defense was that of unforeseen consequences. He did not want his patrons jailed. He just wanted the books back. The New York Times considered the story news that was fit to print. The Library Journal and Publisher's Weekly also reported on the situation. My friend, a member in good standing of the American Library Association (ALA) became famous almost overnight, was soon elected to the ALA council and saw his professional career move forward. He weathered the "overdue book" storm in his community. Unfortunately he died of a heart attack while attending an ALA meeting Philadelphia a few years later. It is generally believed that his death was not due to the stress of collecting fines.
Not being a public library, I no longer lend books and am prepared to forgive all those who return my books after reading this column.
