Your Friendly Local Library?

A quickie in Time on libraries hiring collection agencies for materials not being returned on time. Ouch! Talk about bad PR.

August 30, 2005 by Steven Uncategorized 7

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leeb says:

August 30, 2005 at 7:17 am

Libraries are lenient
The fact that library books are returned late constantly is testimony to how libraries are devalued and discounted by many people. What happens if you make a late payment on your monthly credit card payment? You pay a late payment penalty fee. No one goes up in arms about that. So why is the library so lenient in comparison and yet still cop the flak?

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shoe says:

August 30, 2005 at 9:41 am

And this generally goes beyond late

I know when my library turns things over to the dreaded collection agency, the book is no longer marked “late” in the system, it’s marked “Lost”.

We send gentle reminders if you’re late. Actually, you get a creepy automated voice on your answering machine if you’re late. But if you think you’ve scored with that rare book you found buried up in the fiction section that we, yes, loaned, not gave you, that’s when we send the collection agency guys out after you.

Is it bad PR really? I mean, Barnes and Noble doesn’t let you take books home to read and keep forever without paying for them. Just cause I pay taxes doesn’t mean I own the books.

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mdoneil says:

August 30, 2005 at 10:29 am

Theives
Today I found the Tao of Pooh’s cover in the 917’s. Why someone would rip the cover off a book and steal the rest of it amazes me.

I’d like to find out who did it and give them a good swift kick in the gonads. You can buy the thing on amazon used for $1.45

Why do people ruin a book and then steal it from the library when we will loan it to you for a month completely free?

Some days I’m disappointed I live in the same community as these people.

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Bibliofuture says:

August 30, 2005 at 7:35 pm

Re:Theives
Do you have a security strip in the cover and that is why they ditched the cover? If not a security strip I don’t understand why they would ditch the cover?

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mdoneil says:

August 31, 2005 at 12:44 am

Re:Theives
The barcode was on the cover. The security strip was inside the book. People set off the alarms several times a day so the circ staff just tends to ignore them.

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Anonymous Patron says:

August 31, 2005 at 8:31 pm

Re:And this generally goes beyond late
Don’t just comment here, send your thoughts to

[email protected]

View this as an opportunity to educate the general public on a library problem.

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rdf says:

September 9, 2005 at 11:33 pm

Friendly Libraries
One of problems associated with fines and collection agencies arises with patrons who are new Americans. Those from nations without public library systems love the idea of taking out books,CD’s, etc. but the due date and subsequent late fees are harder to explain. Over time it works out, but it presents some challenges.

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