The library lends you books, they don't give them to you...
This news story: Woman Arrested For Failing To Return Library Books has me wondering what the heck she was thinking when she decided to pit her will against her local library. Don't you know the Library will always win? Did she fail to watch the Seinfeld episode about the library book?
“I said, what could they possibly do? They can’t arrest me for this… I was wrong,” Dalibor said.
Dalibor did not respond to four notices from the library, two phone calls and two letters. The library forwarded the case to police, who issued a citation for Dalibor's failure to return the materials or pay the fine. The citation included a court date, which Dalibor admits she ignored.
With arrest warrant in hand, police showed up at Dalibor’s door and led her away in handcuffs.
While the police have been criticized for going so far, the police chief said they simply followed the law.
“None of this would have been necessary if she followed the agreement and returned the books,” said Grafton Police Chief Charles Wenten.
Dalibor paid her $170 fine and was released.
A used copy of Angels & Demons will set you back about $0.46 and White Oleander about $0.01. Add in shipping and for less then $10 you can avoid incarceration and public humiliation - priceless!
Good for the library system. Our society has such strange view on theft -- take a pack of gum from a corner store without paying, and people will line up to deride you. Charge $2k of furniture and then fail to pay your credit card bills, or steal books from your (most likely resource-deprived) local library, and people will line up to make excuses for you!
With library items you also have to count in the cost of the time staff spent cataloging the book, standard overdue fues and then the time it takes to modify the existing item's record. Then they'll have to go through the process of ordering another copy, cataloging it, jacketing it, etc. It's not just the cost of the item that counts - there's a lot more that goes on behind the scenes.
I'm glad to see this case. Then again, I work in the notoriously unrespected library field. So, I'm biased.
I will be needing the Scarlet O thanks. I have book on my shelf called The Money Cat by Elisabeth Kyle that was due back on 4th May 1971. I hate to think what the overdue fees would be for the last 36 years! I can feel a book donation coming on...
I am the worst library patron ever - and used to justify my inability to return things on time (or at all) as 'financing' the library with my overdue fees (before I met my financial downfall and became more responsible). But that one book I neglected to return and cost me a collection/tradeline on my credit report? I really really liked it. But though it may have cost me $100 and a nick on my CR...At least i didn't have to go to jail!
will set you back about $0.46 and 
Good for the library system. Our society has such strange view on theft -- take a pack of gum from a corner store without paying, and people will line up to deride you. Charge $2k of furniture and then fail to pay your credit card bills, or steal books from your (most likely resource-deprived) local library, and people will line up to make excuses for you!