What’s the late charge on that?
Two libraries recently received two very overdue items. In East Peoria, Ill., an anonymous person dropped off an album by 1950s pop singer Julius La Rosa and quickly left, which was probably a good idea because the album had been checked out since Feb. 12, 1962, according to the Associated Press. And, in New Bedford, Mass., 75-year-old Stanley Dudek was nervous about returning a book to his local library that was 99 years, seven months and 12 days overdue, but he made no attempt to flee his responsibility for the fine, according to TheBostonChannel.com.
Dudek had found the old tome, “Facts I Ought to Know about the Government of My Country,” among his mother’s possessions shortly after her death at the age of 90. The book was due on May 2, 1910. The library staff was so happy to have the book returned, however, that they simply waived the fee, which could have been more than $360, the total of one penny a day since its due date. The fine on the album in Illinois was a bit stiffer: $871.90.