LISNews: Librarian News

Marlene writes " Here’s a fund raiser idea, get those slacker patrons to pay up or suffer a mark on their credit report. Durham County Library hopes to get back some of the $400,000 owed to the system and has gone the same way as 520 other library systems in US and Canada (including neighboring Chapel Hill library, as well as Mecklenburg, Guilford and Rockingham counties ) that use Unique Management Services. The collection service only takes library systems as clients and strives to be “gentle� with patrons as they repeatedly persuade them to pay those overdue and lost item fines. If that tactic doesn’t work, the service reports the patron’s account to Trans Union, Equifax and Experian. If a patron is under 18, the mark goes on the parent’s credit record."

No one knows why Mildred Pugmire didn't return the books she borrowed 76 years ago from the Salt Lake City Public Library:

• Years overdue: 76
• Possible Fines: $5,000
• Claimed world record: returned to Harvard University's library in 1997 -- 233 years overdue.

The Salt Lake Tribune has this one.