Your Library Connection
 

Pay up, Mr. President

You may have heard that Former President George Washington had two books checked out from New York City’s oldest library and never returned them.  They were due on Nov. 2, 1789, and some estimate that the 220 years of fines would amount to $300,000!  That would be a real boon to the Independence Public Library budget!!   If this were at the Independence Public Library, the former president would owe the cost of replacement for the two books he borrowed.   After months or years of overdue fines, this is typically a more manageable sum for the borrower.  Since Washington’s books may be irreplaceable, I’m not sure where the advantage would lie in this case.   

The library director for New York City Libraries stated that he’d like to have the books back.  He’s definitely an optimist!  We love to get our items back as well…that is more important to the library and community than the actual late fees.

We witness a variety of behaviors from those with overdues…guilt, an easygoing acceptance, laughter, anger, etc.  We aren’t judgmental and really aren’t going to remember or care who had overdues or lost an item.  We live in a fast-paced society and bringing back library materials within the time allotment isn’t always a priority with so many things demanding our attention.  So, we just ask that you do take care of it as soon as you can, and in a pleasant manner, please. 

What is the purpose of overdue fines?  Overdues are an incentive to get items back so that others can use them.  They help to make things available to others on a timely basis.  And they help the library from losing lots of materials…because you can’t check out more items until your fine is paid down to $5.00 or less.  Fines also provide a little boost to our budget, so just keep in mind that you are helping out the library when you pay your fine!

To assist you in our fast-paced world, you can sign up for an account with our online catalog and check to see when items are due and even renew your books, DVDs or magazines online.   To find out how to do this, go to the library web page, www.indylibrary.org.  Next, click on How to set up and access your personal account online under Destiny Web Catalog (upper right corner). 

What else can you do?  Read one of the library’s books on organization or improving your memory?  (if you aren’t smiling, this is meant to be funny!)  Or, if you like to listen to audio books or have an eBook Reader (Sony Reader or Barnes and Noble Nook) you can go to NEIBORS on the library’s website, check out books online, download them, and they will automatically expire so you don’t have to physically return anything!

You might want to tie a string around your finger to help you remember these two special programs we have coming up at the library…check out the Rainforest Adventure on May 1^st and Meet Albert Einstein and Edgar Allan Poe on May 7^th!  For more info, call us 334-2470.

Home  Pictures  Donations  Services   Calendar of  Events  Web and Reference Resources   Kids' Resources  New Books and Materials   Online Catalog   Community Resources  Library Connections  Friends of the Library