Posted on 11/19/2004 10:26:27 PM PST by plan2succeed.org
Stacks of chronically overdue library books may soon land some readers in Bay County, Mich., more than just a 10-cent-a-day fine. Frustrated librarians are proposing a crackdown on the worst offenders that could include criminal charges and up to 90 days in jail.
"We want to go after some of the people who owe us a lot of money," Frederick J. Paffhausen, the library's system director, told The Bay City Times (search) for a story Thursday. "We want to set an example."
Paffhausen, who took over as director in October, is asking the Bay County Library Board for permission to seek arrest warrants for offenders who ignore repeated notices. The board plans to consider the crackdown next month.
For example, one patron from Bad Axe owes $1,190 for 73 items — mainly science-fiction books — hoarded for more than a year, Paffhausen said.
Patrons keep an average of $25,000 in overdue materials out of the county's library system each year, officials said.
That costs taxpayers money, because the library often must buy second copies to replace unreturned materials, leaving less for new books, CDs and DVDs, Paffhausen said.
Currently, the library cuts off an offending patron's library privileges and sends overdue notices. Daily fines of 5 to 10 cents per item are assessed. If the material is worth $75 or more, the patron receives a form letter from the county Prosecutor's Office warning that it's a crime to keep library items.
Despite the threats, about half the offenders who receive the prosecutor's letter never return the material, librarians said. And nothing more is done.
....
Library Board Chairman Michael K. Gray emphasized a crackdown would target only the "most egregious offenders.
"We're not talking about going after children," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
eek!
unbelievable
Why is it unbelievable? It's nothing less than theft. It's theft from the taxpayers who pay to have this material in the library available to all. Why should someone be able to walk off with thousands of dollars of material that doesn't belong to them and not pay any legal consequences?
Somebody needs to inform Mr. Frederick J. Paffhausen that there is no such a thing as "debtors prison" here in America, unless you are a deadbeat parent (and that is actually a contempt charge).
You MAY be able to make a case for theft, if the materials haven't been returned.
You may also be able to put the fines as a collection action on someones credit report, but JAIL????
Gimme a break!
One of the things you are suppose to show that a crime has been committed is criminal intent.
Its hard to show criminal intent for losing library books. One more basic tenant of law being ignored in a society once Godly and free.
Saquin, you may be right. Librarians should consider this. But they also should consider complying with federal law to reduce the availability of Internet porn attracting criminals into the library. The point is that wanting to put overdue book offenders into jail while at the same time advancing the rights of criminals to view pornography is clearly inappropriate, to say the very least. And this is not the only time librarians are interested in fines but not children. For example, a librarian called a father to tell him his kid's videos were overdue and a fine needed to be paid. When the father asked the name of the videos he needed to look for, the librarian refused to reveal the name of the videos claiming the child's rights would be violated! The father eventually found the X or R rated videos (can't remember which) under the child's mattress.
They might get the books back if they announced amnesty instead of large fines and jail time, telling me this isn't about the books.
Agreed! I had a large number of books that for various reasons did not get returned on time. They are all returned after a month and a half. But because of the amount of books out, it would have been cheaper to keep the books and pay for lost items, rather than pay for the fines.
That happened to me too when I got a divorce. The books weren't in my possession when they came due, and then the charge was so high I couldn't take them back once I had them again. They had an amnesty, and I quickly returned the books!
Um...in my library you get to take out a maximum of four books at a time.
How is it, that someone can have 73 books on loan?
I mean, someone is NOT doing their job there.
Humerous!
It's not overdue books - it's theft. That being said, I agree with you about Librarians in general. The main problem with them is that they are totally and completely useless, with totally and completely useless degrees. With computers, all libraries need are clerks to put books back on the shelves. So the librarians, useless as they are, need something to do. So they have started getting involved with public policy.
It seems reasonable to prosecute in a case so extreme. The system also needs to get into the habit of haulting check-outs by these folks before their first dozen unreturned turns into four dozen, or six dozen! A reasonable person can see this was not an accidental loss.
SOME, perhaps MUCH of the material is donated. But clearly it's theft. Theft of public services from fellow citizens, taxpayers and would-be patrons wanting those damn books being horded.
I work in a library. Virtually none of our material is from donations. Every Spring and Fall people seem to do their major cleaning and come in with boxes or bags of stuff to donate (and then want a receipt to use at tax time). 90% of it is pure crap (musty, moldy, water damaged, torn, been in the basement for 20 years, textbooks from 1962...)
Judith Krug, director of the ALA's Office of Intellectual Freedom, told WorldNetDaily that libraries should be able to deny book gifts and librarians given wide discretion in determining what materials are included in the library's collection.
"They clearly know best," said Klug. "I don't know of a librarian that hasn't gone out into the community to determine what materials are useful for their community."
When asked whether that view conflicted with the ALA's stand against book banning, Krug replied that the organization's policy only applies to books that have passed librarian muster.
"Our concern regarding the removal of materials regards items that have already been acquired according to the policies and procedures set forth by the library. Once material has been selected, then it shouldn't be removed if it is ever challenged," she said.
When told of the ALA's stand on the controversy, Grant responded, "Their position is simply Orwellian. In the name of intellectual freedom, they man the barricades anytime someone suggests the removal of child pornography from a library, but if anything conflicts with their political agenda, then censorship imposed by the library hierarchy is completely acceptable. They're encouraging libraries to set up their own Politburo to test books for political correctness."
ping
No sympathy here for public libraries, which are just an extention of our corrupted public schools. After seeing the porn and the utter trash that our public libraries make available for our children, frankly I think THEY should be in jail. I've seen books from the public libraries that tell children how to cut themselves to "relieve tension", how to steal their parents' credit cards and buy things, how to be a sexual pervert, how to run away from home, and how to manipulate people to get their way.
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