The first was $1 I gave to a deaf people’s charity. She came by and pushed the paper toward me, which explained the charity and asked me to sign my name and gave my donation. When I wrote down $1 I heard her give an odd sound - like a staccato, decisive laugh … or maybe she was clearing her throat. When I gave her the dollar, she clasped it between her hands as if to pray. So either she scoffed at my niggardly donation and then blessed me, not realizing I could here her reaction, or she was just clearing her throat.
I get off work at 5 PM and the parking becomes free at 6 PM. So arriving at the library no earlier than 5:15, and putting all my change in the meter, I thought I was okay. What does it mean when Boris thinks something is okay? It means that cat is going to start missing the litter box. I got a $16 ticket (pretty cheap by comparison to some cities) at 5:38.
So yeah that’s my mundane pointless story for Thursday.
Well, I checked out two books last year at my local library. When I went to return them, the library was closed for renovation. I took the books to another branch, where they told me it would be taken care of. At this point the books were a couple days late.
Of course, the books didn’t get returned until months later. The result? My library wants 20$ from me.
Screw em. I can go to the Harris County library instead.
(Yes, I’ll pay the fine eventually. I’m just a little too pissed to do it right now)
Damn ‘Mouse and the Motorcycle’ cost me $15 in fees! Never again will I let my 8 year old cousin ‘borrow’ a book. During the duration of his ‘borrowing’ of the book, he got sick. And for some reason he decided it was easier to throw up in a book rather than in a toilet. I guess librarians get picky if a book stinks and has stains all over it when someone goes to return it… sheesh.
“I’m not dumb. I just have a command of thoroughly useless information.”-- Calvin and Hobbes
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Actually, the public library is way cheaper, even with the occasional fine (see below) for me than the alternative, which is book clubs and bookstores. I can’t seem to get out of either one without making a purchase. What I have learned to do now is to mark up the book club catalog with all the books I might want and then take it to the library and order all the books. It’s funny, when they arrive, how many of them aren’t as interesting as I thought. I’m glad I didn’t buy them. And if they are really good I can always go to the bookstore and buy them.
I, personally, do pretty good with library books, but –
My kids never return anything on time. They find it in their room six months later when they finally clean all the way to the carpet. Lesson learned – they never use my card. If their card has a big fine on it, too bad, pay the man. They still can’t use my card.
We have two dogs, one of them still a puppy. The little one has a thing for library books. She has cost me about $20 so far and I try to be careful but she just chewed the cover of another book two days ago.
“And comb London’s teeming millions for him? Had we but world enough and time.”
Dorothy L. Sayers Murder Must Advertise
Libraries are super, and I happily pay the piddling fines when I’m over a day or two. But when an out-of-town library misplaced my book after I returned it, I sure as heck didn’t pay. Then they were closed (special library holiday) when I went to correct the problem in person. It was months later when I managed to get back over there again so that’s that. They turned up the book (hidden in their bin? mis-shelved?) but still figured I had caused the problem. Well, I can still check out books from a dozen other libraries so no great loss.
I have also learned to never hand over materials; always use the chutes (although this contradicts that last experience.) Twice I have had fines assessed because my books were reshelved without being checked back in. Once they quickly straightened out the matter. The other library (at college) thought they would mollify me by cutting the fine in half. That was an insult! Now I avoid making eye contact or hide books I’m carrying so that I can slip them in the slot before a clerk reaches out for them (or pretend I didn’t see her reaching out.)
When ordering a book through the inter-library loan service, I have learned to get a receipt for the piddling charge. It’s a good deal but I have no interest in paying twice anymore. (I did pay that unfair repeat charge, as it was only 75¢.)
I use to practically live in the library. It was a second home to me. Now, living in a township where the library is about as wide as a double wide trailer and the book selection is outdated and sure I can borrow books from other cities libraries but it’s a pain in the ass, I wonder with the era of the Internet, why would anyone really need the libary anymore? I find all the information I need right here in the comfort of my own home.
I use to practically live in the library. It was a second home to me. Now, living in a township where the library is about as wide as a double wide trailer and the book selection is outdated and sure I can borrow books from other cities libraries but it’s a pain in the ass, I wonder with the era of the Internet, why would anyone really need the libary anymore? I find all the information I need right here in the comfort of my own home.
Shirley: Surely you jest. You read an ENTIRE book on your computer? I’ve found many interesting items on the 'puter, and I might read a news article, but one of life’s great pleasures for me is to lie back on the couch with a real book (no t.v., total quiet) and read for hours at a time. Can’t imagine getting totally absorbed in a story while looking at my pc monitor,and there’s just something very satisfying about turning the pages of a book - you’re getting into the story even more and closer to finding out how it comes out - you can see roughly how much you’ve read and how much more you have to go. I’ve stayed up til the wee hours to finish a book, knowing I had only a few more chapters to finish. And I’m sure there is info in the library you can’t find on the 'puter - or perhaps you can find on the 'puter but who knows how authoritative it is? At the library you can find all sorts of reference books - medical, encyclopedic, phone books from other states - you might eventually find info on the web, but how long did it take and can you trust the source?
I know this thread is a bit old, but this just happened today.
I was one day late returning a book 2 weeks ago. I didn’t bother paying it right away, it was just a 25 cent fee. Today I got a card from the library goons informing me that they cancelled a hold I had on a book because of my “outstanding unpaid late fee” that I’d left for 2 weeks without paying.
HUH?!
I’ve had late charges as big as $21 before, and they never cancelled a hold before, and they still let me sign out books, and I didn’t have to pay it all right away. I’m pretty pissed off because the book had a long waiting list.
And I’ve read some books online before that the library didn’t have, like the Oz books. I much prefer to be reading in bed, but it’s not so bad when there is no other alternative.