Posted on 03/06/2017 8:32:20 PM PST by nickcarraway
In 1906, a reporter for the Detroit Free Press described a scene that had become all too common at the citys public libraries. A child hands an overdue book to a stern librarian perched behind a desk, and with a sinister expression, the librarian demands payment of a late fine. In some cases, the child grumbles and pays the penny or two. But in othersoften at the citys smaller, poorer library branchesthe offender cannot pay, and his borrowing privileges are revoked. Scarcely a day passes but it does not leave its record of tears and sighs and vain regrets in little hearts, the reporter lamented.
More than a century later, similar dramas are still enacted in libraries across the country every day. In some districts, up to 35 percent of patrons have had their borrowing privileges revoked because of unpaid fines. Only these days, its librarians themselves who often lament what the Detroit reporter called a tragedy enacted in this little court of equity. Now some libraries are deciding that the money isnt worth the hasslenot only that, but that fining patrons works against everything that public libraries ought to stand for.
Library fines in most places remain quaintly low, sometimes just 10 cents per day. But one users nominal is anothers exorbitant. If a child checks out 10 picture books, the kind of haul librarians love to encourage, and then his mothers work schedule prevents her from returning them for a week past the due date, thats $7. For middle-class patrons, that may feel like a slap on the wrist, or even a feel-good donation. For low-income users, however, it can be a prohibitively expensive penalty. With unpredictable costs hovering over each checkout, too many families decide its safer not to use the library at all. As one California
(Excerpt) Read more at slate.com ...
But I said "Now momma,
She so dog-gone fine
I just can't get enough
Of that Vee Ay Jine."
No can't get enough of the VA Jine.
My former city councilman called it “The Welfare Book Store” Got all the library ladies in a tizzy over that remark. Funny stuff.
I also used to go to the library sale every year. They tossed older books (that hadn’t worn out, they just weren’t “new” titles) and even had multiples of unread (and unstamped) books that they had been given that they never even shelved.
Average price was $1-3.
Great idea. I have not done this in a while, but paperbackswap was a valuable website for trading.
Sheesh, in my town a guy was arrested a few years ago because of an excessive library jine. The book was about three years overdue. I don't know about the rest of the country, but here in Texas we take our jines and our learnin' seriously. I'm series.
I love the used book sales! In addition to their semi-annual book sale, my library finally started keeping a few display stands of a couple hundred or so used books right by the entrance on a permanent basis. There are garage sale-type stickers on each book with the cheapo price, and there’s a collection box attached to one of the display stands. The money raised goes to our “Friends of the Library” organization. Sometimes I just end up buying a book and leaving without checking out one. When I finish reading the used book, I just return it to the library via the drive-thru drop box outside so that they can sell it again. I sometimes throw in other random books I have around the house because I want to free up some space at home for more crap, plus I’m pretty sure the library will appreciate my generous donation. Turns out they don’t. There’s now a sign posted on the book drop box for people to please only place actual library books in there and to take donations inside to a librarian. How rude. Lol. Not gonna happen!
BTW - I'm a master computer geek, and get all sorts of material on the Internet.
But I've always been a bibliophile. :)
Our local library in Texas had a limit on how much of a fine you could accrue. But we used to live in San Marino California and the fine went up daily, forever. Those were expensive to pay! A kid misplaces a book, and months later, you owe more than the book is worth. Kids were in grade school then.
They still charge for non-returns.
Somebody made an arbitrary rule, and a little girl was manipulated into conforming to it. Accomplishing...what?
It’s a long story but I have cards from multiple library systems and tend to check out a lot of books. Occasionally I lose track a little or can’t make it back on time after my renewals run out. One of the systems has no fines but I still try to be a good citizen. If you are really late they send a bill for the cost of the book. Strangely the system with the highest fines seems to allow the most online renewals.
“Hey man, don’t Bundy that book!”
I’ve never heard of a Late-Return Jine.
Libraries give author’s property away for free which lowers book quality. Now you read 10 books instead of one.
Nothing is free including the library which makes you read 10 times as many books.
Forblater
I homeschool so I am at the library constantly. We (my 12 year old and I) have to walk by dozens of computers to get to the section housing the history books. My son has been trained to avert his eyes because degenerates are looking at everything imaginable on the free internet. They line up on their bikes before the libraries open to get a spot.
Another part of the social contract certain groups are exempted from. Really? Now they can’t even be expected to return a d@mn library book on time, or at all?
My daughter, like me, can be absent minded or disorganized in her thinking. Keeping track of books and due dates has helped her become more organized. Perhaps it’s because we homeschool that I see the need for that? There isn’t much accountability to anyone but me, so it’s good for her to manage it all independently.
I’ve had $6.50 on my overdue account for a couple years. I even renewed my expired card and they said nothing.
My wife keeps asking when I’m going to pay it but I tell her I’m waiting for them to ask.
My daughter is a former library employee and is currently a bookseller. She tells me that our library is very, very poorly run. (she worked elsewhere)
That’s sick that the library management is so pathetically spineless.
The library my daughter worked at had that problem. The manager, head librarian just shut off the internet. He made national headlines for that.
After getting sued, he built a small glass walled room for internet use.
It’s gross and disgusting that they cannot put filter software on.
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