Sunday, July 14, 2013

Don’t hold your breath waiting for these fines!



What do Keith Richards, George Washington and I have in common? We all love the library, and have the fines to prove it!

Have you seen the new Spencer Road Library?  My husband says they built at least one wing with the late fees I’ve had to pay through the years. (Hey, I was busy.) However, my guilt has been assuaged. I recently learned that delaying the return of books follows a strong tradition dating back to the beginning of our country. 

Currently, I have two overdue books that will go back tomorrow, bringing my fine to a hefty $7. Richards and Washington, however, have fees that are significantly more substantial. Richards confessed that he failed to return books borrowed from his early teens, and Washington checked out two on Oct. 5, 1789 that have yet to be returned. Although there is no exact figure for Richards, adjusting for inflation, Washington’s fine would be somewhere in the ballpark of $300,000. 

So tell me, what’s the largest fine you’ve ever had to pay?

Write soon,

Mary
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/apr/18/george-washington-library-new-york

4 comments:

  1. I have an overdue book right now, and since the St. Louis County libraries have a deal during July (bring in cans of food and knock your fine down a bit), I am going to get a bag of canned goods together and head over this week.

    The biggest? I think I had a fine in the $20s at one point. But hey, it was for a good cause...

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  2. My biggest... I think it was $11.00. That was about the time I started to limit the kids books to 3-4 at a time so I could keep a better eye on how many we had out in total. We do better now that we live within walking distance from the Spencer Road branch.

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  3. Those aren't too bad, Sioux and Karen! I had some big fines when my kids were little, too, and they'd get armfuls of books and then misplace them or leave them at Grandmas for a while! And yes, it's for a good cause!

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  4. I'm usually good about renewing my books on line, but the other day when my grandson checked out a book he discovered he had a $6.20 fine on books he checked out for his research project back in April.
    I love the Spencer Branch library. It is so shiny and new.

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