A year or so ago I might have just ignored this email, since I haven't used the City Library in four years.
That was before last year when I was (yes, it's true) sent to collections for a Davis County Library fine of $53. I bring the humiliation of sharing this upon myself as a Public Service Announcement:
USE THE LIBRARY AT YOUR OWN RISK.
(Also, believe the library when they say they might send your fine to collections. They're not just blowing sunshine, friends.)
So I called the Salt Lake City library and asked why the push to have me pay a four year old fine. C'mon people...I thought I was free and clear. Four years is an eternity in library fine land!
The lovely librarian was extremely kind, but puzzled. She couldn't understand why I hadn't been sent to collections already (!) but after a little begging, she waived part of my fine. Not all, as I had hoped for, but still, anything is helpful.
Libraries are dangerous places to people like me. And by people like me, I mean book-loving people with book-loving offspring who just can't get organized to save their lives.
Sigh.
3 comments:
I love your library fine stories, because they could be my own library fine stories. I have such a huge fine, and the Wasatch County Library isn't even worth paying a fine to. There was even a time when I could have taken in a can of food for every dollar of my fine, but there wasn't a case lot sale in conjunction, so I missed that too. I am a library failure. Buying books from Amazon is cheaper than me going to the library. It's a fact. I see it as my way of supporting the publishing industry:)
Haha, this is hilarious! At BYU, ever semester I had library fines. And every semester, the sweet librarians would tell me, "We will waive your fines just this once." So I never had to pay. I never understood why, but they must not have kept records of the year before when they'd waived my fine, "just once."
I've gotten better, but I still do have at least a $1 fine every time I check something out.
But at least you love books, and your children love books. I'm glad they lowered the amount you owe. After four years, can't we just let bygones be bygones?
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