# Always Return your Library Books on Time **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 10, 2009, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/always-return-your-library-books-on-time/485219 "2009-02-10T15:23:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/always-return-your-library-books-on-time/485219/1 "2009-02-10T15:23:48Z")
\*\*Unreturned library book leads to woman’s arrest \*\* > [@](#): > > INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (AP) - An Iowa woman has been arrested because she failed to return a library book. > > Thirty-nine-year-old Shelly Koontz was arrested Thursday night on a fifth-degree theft charge. She is accused of keeping “The Freedom Writers Diary,” which she checked out from the public library in nearby Jesup in April. > > Police say the book - which is about a high school teacher’s effort to inspire students to write - is valued at $13.95. > > Court records show library employees tried repeatedly to contact Koontz by phone and mail. A police officer even visited her home last September. > > Officials at the Buchanan County jail say Koontz was released after posting $250 bond. No telephone listing for Koontz could be found in the Independence area. [http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090124/D95TMVT00.html](http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090124/D95TMVT00.html) It had to cost more than $13.95 for the police to go and arrest her. Either there’s not much to do in Independence, or they’re REALLY desperate for the fine money. Or else they really take library fines seriously out there. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/always-return-your-library-books-on-time/485219/2 "2009-02-10T15:34:33Z")
I bet a hell of a lot of people suddenly showed up with their library fines the next morning, though. ---
**Author:** ![KnitWit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f0a364/32.png) [@KnitWit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KnitWit)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/always-return-your-library-books-on-time/485219/3 "2009-02-10T15:35:37Z")
That’s a local story for me and I can’t believe how ridiculous it is. Are you joking? Do these people have nothing else to do? It was a lost book for crying out loud. Report it to a credit agency if you can’t squeeze money out of her and be done with it. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/always-return-your-library-books-on-time/485219/4 "2009-02-10T15:40:54Z")
The library police are real?!! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/always-return-your-library-books-on-time/485219/5 "2009-02-10T15:42:13Z")
Dude. I’ll admit that I’ve been unconscionably lax in the past about returning library books, but the worst-case scenario is that they send the collections agency after you. The cops? For what?! ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/always-return-your-library-books-on-time/485219/6 "2009-02-10T15:49:33Z")
I once accidentally left a library book on the subway. All they did was deny me library services until I paid to replace it. I guess the reason they could get away with this is that the library isn’t a credit agency or a utility. Those places, I believe, are prevented from enlisting law enforcement by certain laws. If you don’t pay your electric bill or credit card debt, they can’t arrest you. But keeping a library book apparently can be construed as theft. But sending the police for an overdue book? Clearly there isn’t much to do in Independence, IA. It reminds me of a fake documentary film I made about the main library at Berkeley, where the reporter stumbles upon a covert operation of operatives who all dress completely in black and raid professors’ offices to get overdue books (“GRAB”: General Recall of All Books). (No they aren’t real, **runner pat**. It was just a movie.) ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/always-return-your-library-books-on-time/485219/7 "2009-02-10T15:50:26Z")
I think there is more to the story. I have a hard time believing this one. ---
**Author:** ![gravitycrash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@gravitycrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gravitycrash)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/always-return-your-library-books-on-time/485219/8 "2009-02-10T15:52:23Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > The library police are real?!! :eek: Hopefully they didn’t do to her what the library policeman did to that kid. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/always-return-your-library-books-on-time/485219/9 "2009-02-10T16:02:03Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I think there is more to the story. I have a hard time believing this one. I’m thinking ‘Prostitution’ or ‘Crack Distrubution’. Ok, not really. ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/always-return-your-library-books-on-time/485219/10 "2009-02-10T16:26:24Z")
I didn’t know there was such a thing as “fifth degree theft.” Do they have “nth degree theft?” ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/always-return-your-library-books-on-time/485219/11 "2009-02-10T18:13:06Z")
Yeah, but it’s undefined. ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/always-return-your-library-books-on-time/485219/12 "2009-02-10T18:26:37Z")
You’re supposed to return those? Oh crap… ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/always-return-your-library-books-on-time/485219/13 "2009-02-10T18:46:55Z")
There is a way around this issue. Sully, the heroic USAir pilot, had a book from the Danville library with him on the plane. He actually sent them an email requesting an extension of the due date. They excused all fines and penalties, bought another copy, and put in a dedication sticker to him in front. So, all she had to do was save 155 lives, and she would have been clear. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/always-return-your-library-books-on-time/485219/14 "2009-02-10T18:52:40Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > The library police are real?!! :eek: Just like the phone police, at least according to Dr. Johnny Fever. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/always-return-your-library-books-on-time/485219/15 "2009-02-10T19:34:56Z")
I think it is cool that they did it. A Sully is a true hero for being that straight arrow. I got several other things I wish I could get the cops to arrest people for who think the rules are for other people… \< veg \> ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/always-return-your-library-books-on-time/485219/16 "2009-02-10T20:00:41Z")
I borrowed (and returned) an audio book-on-CD for a trip back in December, and was idly wondering why it was still showing up on my account as being out. Just this morning I was flipping through the CDs in my CD visor on the way to work and pulled out one I didn’t recognize to find it was disk 3 of 3! :eek: In case anyone from the [EPL](http://epl.ca/) is reading this, I’m coming by right after work! :eek::eek: ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/always-return-your-library-books-on-time/485219/17 "2009-02-10T20:02:09Z")
Unpaid library fines are a gateway crime. First a person starts by keeping a few library books at home, and before you know it they are out knocking over banks and selling their body for crack. We have to nip this sort of thing in the bud. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/always-return-your-library-books-on-time/485219/18 "2009-02-10T20:10:58Z")
I guess I’m not getting the outrage here. The woman had borrowed a library book nine months ago and not returned it. The library tried to contact her about the overdue book. When that didn’t work, a police officer was sent to her house. She wasn’t arrested on that occasion so I assume she was just asked to return the book or pay for it. Four months pass by and she still hadn’t done anything. Having her arrested may seem extreme but some people ignore anything less than extreme measures. I don’t see any cost issue involved here. The police officer presumedly was not pulled off some other case to arrest Koontz. So he was on duty anyway. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/always-return-your-library-books-on-time/485219/19 "2009-02-10T20:30:41Z")
She really was going to renew it, [but had a problem.](http://notalwaysright.com/books-on-surveillance-tape/1522) ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/always-return-your-library-books-on-time/485219/20 "2009-02-10T20:36:14Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I guess I’m not getting the outrage here. The woman had borrowed a library book nine months ago and not returned it. The library tried to contact her about the overdue book. When that didn’t work, a police officer was sent to her house. She wasn’t arrested on that occasion so I assume she was just asked to return the book or pay for it. Four months pass by and she still hadn’t done anything. > > Having her arrested may seem extreme but some people ignore anything less than extreme measures. > > I don’t see any cost issue involved here. The police officer presumedly was not pulled off some other case to arrest Koontz. So he was on duty anyway. Beaten to the punch by **Little Nemo**. It’s not like some faceless bureaucracy or computer program automatically issued an arrest warrant when her book became due. They tried to contact her multiple times, including letters that she presumably received and ignored, and then sent an officer to her place to ask her to return the book. If you keep the book after all of that, what are they supposed to assume except that you’ve deliberately decided not to return it? Also, as **Little Nemo** says, there was no additional cost involved to the police department. And even if there were, is that a precedent you want to set? If someone steals your purse, and it only has $20 in it, should the police be able to refuse to attend because taking the report will cost more than $20 in police time and resources? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/always-return-your-library-books-on-time/485219.md?page=2)