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They'll Break Your Kneecaps -- Quietly
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Monday, April 10, 2006
9:32:00 AM EDT
Hearing Moon River -- Barbra Streisand. Yeah, Streisand. Wanna fight about it?
Got overdue library books? Really, really overdue library books? You might get a letter from a collection agency:
A missing book or an unpaid fine may seem pretty insignificant, but they represent huge losses for the nation’s libraries. In the last year alone, [collection company] Unique recovered about $64 million in library materials and fines, said company spokesman Kenes Bowling.
“Most people still think of libraries ... as dusty little places and librarians as people with sensible shoes going ’shh’ all the time and telling people to bring the book back when they can, when it is convenient,” Leavy said. “All that is changing. Library directors are business savvy, running libraries as a business.”
Her recalcitrant patrons get three notices in the mail and then a phone call before a case is turned over to Unique, which steps in when items are at least 60 days overdue.
I hate to say it, but I suspect that if I allowed myself to check out library books, I'd be one of those people who gets collection agency notices. I've always been horrible at returning books, not out of malice but just out of laziness. As a result I don't really check out library books anymore, because they just made me feel guilty, guilty, guilty. I donate books to my library, though, so I guess that's okay.
What would you do if you got a letter from a collection agency about your overdue library books?
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9:32:00 AM EDT
Hearing Moon River -- Barbra Streisand. Yeah, Streisand. Wanna fight about it?
They'll Break Your Kneecaps -- Quietly
Got overdue library books? Really, really overdue library books? You might get a letter from a collection agency:
A missing book or an unpaid fine may seem pretty insignificant, but they represent huge losses for the nation’s libraries. In the last year alone, [collection company] Unique recovered about $64 million in library materials and fines, said company spokesman Kenes Bowling.
“Most people still think of libraries ... as dusty little places and librarians as people with sensible shoes going ’shh’ all the time and telling people to bring the book back when they can, when it is convenient,” Leavy said. “All that is changing. Library directors are business savvy, running libraries as a business.”
Her recalcitrant patrons get three notices in the mail and then a phone call before a case is turned over to Unique, which steps in when items are at least 60 days overdue.
I hate to say it, but I suspect that if I allowed myself to check out library books, I'd be one of those people who gets collection agency notices. I've always been horrible at returning books, not out of malice but just out of laziness. As a result I don't really check out library books anymore, because they just made me feel guilty, guilty, guilty. I donate books to my library, though, so I guess that's okay.
What would you do if you got a letter from a collection agency about your overdue library books?
Written by johnmscalzi Blog about this entry |
Add to del.icio.us | digg this
This entry has 4 comments: (Add your own)
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Been there, done that. I'm lazy, too, about returning library books. If I ever sell one of my books, I'll donate something to my local library. Of course the way publishers pay, it might be cents instead of dollars.
Jude
http://journals.aol.com/jmorancoyle/MyWay -
A letter from a collection agency for a library book, HA! The mere thought of one of my fathers lectures about responsiblity was enough to get all 5 kids in my house looking for a lost library book to avoid the horror no one would escape, not even the innocent.
-
I used to work as a library enforcer. I once punctured the eardrums of some punk who was late bringing back his "Harry Potter" book. Freedom isn't free at the Duxbury Free Library, and we take absolutely no ship whatsoever.
4/16/06 2:04 AM
natalie