Saturday, July 26, 2008

Why I Don't Use the Library Part 2 The Continuing Saga


It has to do with fines. And report cards. And guilt.

So replacement fees aren't the only thing you might have to pay at the library. As many of you mentioned in comments of my last post...there's also late fines. I am spectacularly good at getting late fines. As I mentioned I would check out ten books at a time (and CDs and such as I got older) with fines at ten cents a day per item? Added up very very quickly.

But while in high school and college, I still needed to do those pesky research papers. And needed source material. So I checked out books. There is no excuse for turning books in late to your own high school library by the way. I mean, I was there everyday. But I still managed to get threats. No report card until you return those books. Yes that seriously was my life. And high school libraries have late fines, too.

I just don't think I am capable of getting things back on time. It's the reason I adore Blockbuster Online.

I have one more story to share next week...til then...what's the highest library fine you ever paid?

(Read the first post in this series.)

7 comments:

Shelley L. MacKenzie said...

I don't recall paying any library fines...if I did they weren't more than a dollar or two (if that).

However, a few years ago in university I had ordered a book on library loan from another library. It never came in. I never got it. Then I started getting notes to return it because it was due/over due. I went and asked them what it was called, who wrote it, etc. They told me and I never go the book. The librarian told me that if I can't find it or don't return it I will have to pay to have it replaced. They told me the replacement fee would be about $200! Finally, after they looked at the school library (in case it got put on their shelves), me checking my empty locker yet again, checking at home...the librarian informs me that he contacted the other university and the book was still on their shelves...yeah, I told you right off, buddy, that I didn't get the book...sigh.

Sarah said...

Shelley... That would suck so bad! I would be FREAKING!

My highest fine was probably around $2.50

euphrony said...

Try grad school sometime. You use the library like you breathe. And you get privileges, like unlimited number of items to check out, keeping them as long as you want (or until they get recalled), and black lung from breathing the dust in the stacks and rare book collections.

Anonymous said...

I think I win the prize. I took Noah (our oldest grandson to the library last summer, we checked out all sorts of books and then got busy and never took them back. Summer hit again, Noah wanted to go to the library again and we had to pay those pesky fines of 55.00, yep.
I will remember to bring these back...this week.
Barb

Amy said...

Barb, you DO win the prize! Yikes!

Shelley, I'm so glad it worked out! I know I had a fiasco with the library loan program with the UGA library in college but I can't exactly remember what happened...only that I also got letters, but I'm pretty sure it was probably my fault.

Euphrony...I would love to try grad school if I could figure out exactly why I wanted to be there. ;)

Anonymous said...

I think I had a $20-something fine when I was in college. And you think you had no excuse in high school? I was *working* at the library at the time!

Anonymous said...

LOLOLOL! I keep a bag of change in my car for those fines. For the most part, I'm pretty good at keeping things current. As far as the guilt, well, I have none...lol...ever. :)

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