I swear, sometimes I just don’t know what’s wrong with me.
The library is free, right? Unless, of course, you don’t return your books on time? (Or at all?)
And yes, I do get email notices telling me that I have some items that are coming due. And are overdue. And This is the Final Notice and all of that.
Like I said, I really don’t know what my problem is. My inbox is in a shambles, if that’s any excuse. Hello, electronic clutter. You are not making my short list of to-do’s anytime soon. I have much more important things to do right now. Like sell a house. And read to my kids. And read some books myself. Yes, the ones that are still overdue. I’m paying for them; might as well get my money’s worth.
$27.40 = What I paid in fines just this month.
That is not, by any means, all that I have paid since the beginning of the year. I refuse to look that up right now.
If I recall correctly, last year I declared a moratorium on the public library for this very reason. I’m not quite sure when I started slinking back there again…
And yes, I’m also fully aware that there are “systems” we can employ. We had one working for us at one time: a designated spot for library books; a pile for ones coming in and ones going out. I’m not sure when that fell apart. Perhaps when I started staging this house to sell? I’m thinking that potential buyers are just going to have to deal with a few piles of books out in the open, because this lack-of-a-system system isn’t working for us.
Anyone care to fess up to owing their public library more than a few dollars of their own? Come on, make me feel better. You know you want to.
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{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
first, drives me nuts when people say the library is free. It’s not. It costs money to run it. And its your tax dollars that pay for it. Bring a book back late and they tax you again via a fine.
Cool thing about library fines is… they can be avoided. Bring the stuff back on time.
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jolyn Reply:
July 29th, 2010 at 5:16 pm
You’re so right! And library budgets were majorly cut this year so our library doubled their late fees — from 5 cents to 10 cents a day. Yikes! That can add up. You know, for some people.
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Elizabeth Reply:
August 12th, 2010 at 8:29 pm
10 cents! You’re lucky. The LA library charges 35 cents a day. $1 a day for DVDs.
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jolyn Reply:
August 12th, 2010 at 9:33 pm
35 cents! Yikes! I’d go broke in a month. DVDs are $1 a day here, too. I had to put a moratorium on borrowing those for awhile…
I agree with KLZ, that is how I justify my small fines (less than I would have spent buying the books). I can renew on line so I do that or I send them with my husband in a plastic grocery bag and ask him to drop them off on his way to work (we have a drop box).
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One time a year our library offers a grace week where all fees are waived if you return the overdue items during that week. If you don’t, those fees remain in the system a long time! My 21 year old daughter just went to the library with me last week to check our some exercise videos and found out she had $2.40 in fines – from 2003! They were all books about C.S. Lewis, so she obviously checked them out to help her write a research paper. She’s pretty sure she got an A on that paper she wrote seven years ago when she was 14 . . . !
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I’ll be headed to our library to pay a fine today, probably $5-7, mainly for overdue videos. I just tell myself it’s my contribution to the library since our state (Ohio) has cut their funding so much!
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Write the due date on your calendar the minute you walk in the door. Aside from that, the public library wants something like $26 annual fee for a library card, so I only used them one year. The fee, and the fact that the nearest branch is no where near home keeps me from using the library. I just collect books that friends are giving away, read what I like, and take the rest to the second hand book store for credit. I buy whatever tickles my fancy and usually have a couple shelves of books waiting to be read.
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Oh man, I loved reading all these comments. I am a voracious reader when on summer break from my public school job. I get loads of books at a time, more on interlibrary loan, holds, etc. but I know this will end when the school year starts b/c I just cannot keep up. Pooh on the library system that does not offer 24 hour dropboxes. I have only paid a couple dollars or so on fines in the past, and I usually try to renew online, unless I can’t, in which case a few cents here or there I see as a donation as well. I think the ‘fine free” options people have listed are way cool. I wonder how much “loss” libraries have each year from unreturned items?
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Can you renew items online? I use that to buy time. I also put a moratorium on library books when we are under chaos, like renovating a bathroom or organizing for vacations.
Also fines on the kids cards are less than on adult cards, so I usually check my books out on their cards. Sneaking a little.
I consider library fines a donation, cause it’s supporting a worthy cause.
One last thing- my library runs promotions a free times a year to bring canned good for the food bank and they will cancel your fines. You could start that in the community.
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oops.
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I lost my eloquent reply. Suffice it to say, “me too” in a huge way.
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I am so glad to hear that it’s not just me. I have a book in the trunk of my car that I really don’t know how long I’ve had out. I read it a long, long time ago, but it’s just such a chore to turn it in. The most embarrassing part is that the library is no more than a mile from my house, and yes, they do have a drop box. I’m afraid to find out how much I owe. They can build an annex and name it after me. Maybe I can finance it.
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2 – 3 times a year our library has a “food for fines” month. All month you can return overdue books for no charge if you take food for the food bank.
I needed that when I had kids and home and was working full time. Not so much now. But it’s a great idea.
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I had a fine of about $150 at my college library one time. I checked out an old Chemistry textbook for my dad (a chemist who needed to freshen up on polymers), and he lost it. The book was extremely old, but they wanted to charge me what the modern equivalent would be.
I held out as long as I could, but they threatened to hold my diploma, so I ended up buying a replacement on Amazon for much cheaper.
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jolyn Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 1:48 pm
I’m actually waiting to hear from the library right now if they want me to replace a book that my son drew in. My husband thought he was being smart by finding a replacement book for only $5, but our library says they have to replace books themselves and we just pay them. (?) I may fight that, but if I’m not successful, the cost will be another $15.
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dgsandbjsmom Reply:
July 2nd, 2010 at 9:12 pm
I just paid a $40 fine for a some damaged books. One book had been returned 6 months prior and I was not the one who had damaged it. Needless to say I have stopped going to our local public library. Used to love it but yeah, they should let us replace the book with the same book. The book was like $5 on ebay.
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I think I owe about $5.00 right now, but I blame the library. In Clark County (OH) the library cut hours and they no longer have the drop box open when the library is closed because it takes extra staffing to empty it and process the books. I went by two branches last week to return some books and they were closed as were the drop boxes. I know I can renew them online but never have my card when I think about doing it.
A few years ago I paid off $35 in late fees.
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jolyn Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 1:42 pm
Ok, not having a drop box is WRONG.
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I do owe a few dollars right now.
But, I tell myself, still cheaper than if I’d bought ALL of the books.
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jolyn Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 1:42 pm
Oh, yes, it could always be worse! At least, that’s how I try to justify it in my own mind…
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I blogged back in February that I was scared of going back to the library because I knew I had a fine…..it had been like 4 years!! I finally did it….and felt stupid that the fine was $1.05.
Can you set an alarm on your phone or e-mail to pop up the day before the due date, and then either run by and put the books in the drop box, or renew on line?
No idea how many you check out at a time, but what if you only check out enough for one week, and then make one day a week Library Day. So every Tuesday, you return what you borrowed the previous week. That may help some, assuming you actually go!!!
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jolyn Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 1:41 pm
I never would have thought of using my phone! But if I manage to ignore my email reminders, would a phone alarm even work?
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Mysti Reply:
July 1st, 2010 at 7:51 am
Hey, I tried!
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Try putting all the books in a large canvas bag (like the size of a good beach bag). I use it to put books in when the kids are picking them out, then the bag stays in the same spot in the house all the time. The kids take out books and put them back as needed. I also write the due date on my calendar with a number for the amount of books due. It’s not completely flawless, but it helps ALOT!
and for the record, this system came about after our moratorium on books (because of $120 fine).
Glad to say the most I’ve paid since this system in $3 ~ and that’s because they charge $1 a day for late movies.
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jolyn Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 1:38 pm
THAT is why I rarely check out movies. I say that as my kids are watching one from the library right now. (I’m going there again tomorrow, I promise.)
We’ve done the canvas bag thing, and it worked quite well. I really am getting back into a system again. The kids are actually good about following it, so I can’t even blame them: It’s me who dropped the ball!
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I would recommend visiting the library on a schedule. Go every other week if that helps. Don’t renew the books if that messes you up, instead, just request another copy of the same title beforehand, so it is available when you go on a regular visit.
I do work for a public library system (as a reference librarian) and people who visit regularly tend to have less problems with fines.
Also, take advantage of drop-off boxes and as soon as you finish a book, put it in your car or at a spot near the front door immediately. If you can swing by the library building while doing other errands, you can just drop off books between visits.
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jolyn Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 1:36 pm
Oh, Tara, all of those things I have done before and they have worked great. I actually do get quite a lot returned on time! I never had thought about requesting the same title to check out when I’m not done with the one I have; I might have to try that sometime. Really, it’s a matter of routine. And right now I don’t have one.
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Oh, I really didn’t want to post my name… shoulda used an alias. Let’s see… my biggest one-time fine was $125, give or take $10. I can’t remember the exact amount (I think I blocked it from my memory). They were all books we used for homeschooling… and a couple videos, which is what *really* ran up the cost. Right now I have an outstanding fine of about $60, which I haven’t paid yet (although the books were all returned two months ago). I’ll have to suck it up and write that check so we can continue homeschooling this year. I’m so very bad about getting books back to the library on time. I even forget to renew them online. I really have no excuse… it’s just laziness and poor time management skills on my part.
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jolyn Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 1:33 pm
Oh, Cecily. It appears we are kindred spirits, but not in a good way.
I once forgot to return a video before we went on a trip. We actually rarely, rarely get videos, b/c I’m so bad with returning things. That particular one was actually for a school assignment for Conner. I remembered it about a hundred miles out. A lot of my books right now are for my research on homeschooling. I always check out more than I can possibly get around to reading in a few weeks time. But they all look so interesting! Why, oh why, is it so difficult to just renew them right away when I get the email notice? *sigh* My most recent “problem” is that our library recently doubled their fines and I didn’t realize it. I don’t blame them; their budget has been cut considerably in recent months. They’re even starting to have book sales to make room for more inventory rather than donating to charity, though I have yet to make it to one of their sales. That’s probably a good thing…
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Sorry my largest fine has only been $2.00 =o(
Are you able to renew them online? That’s what I always do cause I can never seem to get back until after the due date. And libraries where I live cost $10 a year for membership =o)
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jolyn Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 1:26 pm
Yes, I am! This is where I have no excuse! Except that you can only renew them once, or sometimes not at all if someone has placed on hold on that item. I think the membership fee is actually a good idea! Libraries deserve the funds and, at least around here, they have had their budgets severely curtailed.
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LOL, last year i had a fine of over $40 at one time at my library. i also get the periodic email reminders etc. but something always comes up to get me all off kilter and poof the fines start piling up. my library (San Diego County) has a Fine Free Friday, the last Friday of each month. i had almost $30 this time, including a ‘lost book’ fee, and it was all waived last Friday.
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jolyn Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 1:24 pm
OMGosh, fine free Friday? I need that! What is it with the email reminders not even working? I really don’t know what my problem is. It’s like I want to pay the fees.
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Funniest thing about my library fees is that my husband is a librarian – a branch manager no less! His attitude toward it is that he’d rather pay my late fees so that I get the books read than buy me the books for even more and have to deal with them taking up space! Of course, that means that the weight is on me to be a good steward of the grace my husband shows me by looking the other way at yet *another* “assumed lost” notice. yikes!
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jolyn Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 1:23 pm
TOO funny. That kind of reminds me of when I am late returning books to the base library (we’re military). They don’t charge any fees, but they do send a notice to my husband’s commander. D’oh!
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