Borrowed time: US library to enforce jail sentences for overdue books

[NWCorona]

Source: The Guardian

A library in Alabama has reportedly warned its customers that it plans to enforce strict new borrowing rules that include the possibility of jail time for anyone who fails to return a book on time.

In an effort to recoup about $200,000 worth of overdue books, the Athens-Limestone public library will be enforcing a new policy that includes fines of $100, a city jail term of 30 days or possibly both, according to the News Courier.

Library director Paula Laurita said the harsh new rules were necessary because offenders were effectively stealing from the library and taxpayers.

“Sometimes we hear, ‘I lent my library card to my cousin,’” Laurita said. “I just want to ask, ‘Would you lend your cousin your credit card? If they go and get $700 worth of clothing and you’re responsible for the bill, would you do that

Read more: https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/sep/03/borrowed-time-us-library-to-enforce-jail-sentences-for-overdue-books

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Are they gonna hire this guy?


I can't believe we are pushing debt prisons.

[frazzled]

1. Um, wouldn't a return amnesty be a better idea?

No one will want to pay a $100 fine for an overdue book. (Of course, no one will want to do jail time for it either; but I'm not sure that prison won't be deemed cruel and unusual punishment.)

They had such an amnesty program here in Chicago. Rather successful, I think. Will look it up.

ON EDIT: Found an article:

For the first time in more than three years, the Chicago Public Library is offering amnesty to those who owe book fines.

Starting today, and lasting through Feb. 18, you can return your overdue library materials and all late fees will be waived.

"What we learned in the last fine amnesty was sort of astonishing," said library Commissioner Brian Bannon.

"We welcomed home so many library materials — it was pretty extraordinary. But the part we hadn't anticipated was the number of patrons we welcomed back. During the last fine amnesty, which was three weeks, 40,000 library patrons re-upped their library card, which is sort of unprecedented for us."

...

During the last amnesty program, in 2012, the library reported receiving 101,301 overdue items, valued at about $2 million, and waived $641,820 worth of fines. The late materials ranged from items only a few weeks overdue to one book that had been due since 1934.

That last item was a limited edition of "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde, which had been overdue for 78 years.

The library caps late fees at $10, but if a fine of 20 cents a day had been enforced, the "Dorian Gray" borrower would have accrued $5,694 in late fees.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/books/ct-cpl-book-fine-amnesty-0203-20160204-story.html

[PatSeg]

3. Much better idea

and obviously it worked.

[tammywammy]

11. They have done that as well

http://www.enewscourier.com/news/local_news/overdue-books-library-to-enforce-ordinance/article_746ed512-6f01-11e6-a0e5-53e37f6a8e2b.html

[suffragette]

34. "But the part we hadn't anticipated was the number of patrons we welcomed back."

Worth repeating.

This is a MUCH better response to the issue. Forgiving rather than punitive and ends up with everyone have a re-energized feeling of being part of a wonderful community rather than dividing into punisher and punished.

[christx30]

2. So, yeah... if I lived there,

I would tear my card in half and place it on the librarian's desk. And the next time there is a bond election for more money for libraries, I'd vote no.

[Sherman A1]

6. Precisely

I would go much further and contact local and state reps regarding any funding from those sources and attempt to have them cut off.

[DonCoquixote]

8. which is precisely what the gop wants

take a government right, make it starved and weak, make people hate it and vote against it, a reliable trick that works for everything from Medicare to public schools.

Why not just work to fire the idiot who did this, who probably has her co workers scratching their heads as to why this isiot runs a library.

[christx30]

9. They are wanting to treat the library as a

business. So we need to show them that we are taking our business elsewhere, unless they change their policies. Because it's not just one person doing it. It's the whole system. One person can't just decide that this is how it's going to be. One person makes the proposal, others vote on it, and it becomes law.
Government is collaboration and consent. Remove your consent, and they will have to change things to get you back.

[DonCoquixote]

17. oh how small a piece of the puzzle you see

The system that does it is very likely over the power of the librarians and others you will step on. Meanwhile, the GOP gets to laugh and say "Now they will have neither a public nor private library, which will keep them good and stupid." If you are going to target a problem, target the people that actually make the decisions, and don't burn down your library to spite them, which is exactly what the sort of state run by Jeff Sessions wants!

[christx30]

19. The average person like me

has absolutely no chance of changing the upper management, the people that make the decisions. We can protest until we are blue in the face, but they are 100% free to ignore us. But we can refuse to participate, we can vote against them getting any money. If the bonds are rejected time and time again, they can't get their pet projects approved. Maybe they we will get their attention then.
I vote against every bond for police. You want to get their attention, take away their money.

[DonCoquixote]

32. and make sure you do plenty of collateral damage

and also make sure that the people who are supposed to be served by the service, most of whom might have less money and rights than you, get screwed.

The powers that be know that they can use this strategy over and over again. As far as "upper management" find out who they invest in and boycott their products..that will get their attention far more than a measly vote.

[warrprayer]

10. Thank you

For pointing out this truth.

Can't believe people here, of all places, aren't wise to this.

[forest444]

15. What does the ideal GOP library look like?

[christx30]

30. And there are people on this thread

saying, pretty much "Right on, go library" about this move. So, like I said, if my local library did this, even though I regularly check things out and return them 3 to 4 days before the due date, I would stop using the library in a way that lets them know it's in protest of putting people in jail. A 30 day jail sentence is enough to have someone lose his or her job. If someone is barely scraping by, they could end up homeless, over a BOOK. Screw that. Tear up the card. Vote against bonds.

[DonCoquixote]

33. no "go library"

More like "fire the librarian who thought of this." But of course, when you vote against bonds, you become Jeff Session's ideal tool, someone who votes against the expansion of government save for him and his good ol buddies.

[christx30]

35. More like "Change your tune, then I will vote

for you to get money again."

I vote against bonds for police too, because I don't like seeing cops shooting innocent people. I may lose, or I may win. But it's a form of protest, like boycotting a terrible business.

[mark67]

4. Before I knee jerk react to this...

I would want to know the facts...

There's a big difference between kids who misplace/forget about books vs. an adult who checks out 10-15 bestsellers and never brings them back.

For the one situation I tend to be very forgiving, but for the other my attitude is to man up and return the f*ckin' books!

[csziggy]

20. See message #11 - the library has tried to work with people to no avail nt

[geomon666]

5. Meet the new librarian

[bucolic_frolic]

7. That is becoming common

people don't return books

every so often someone is caught selling the books online or to a local used vendor

after awhile collection agencies get involved, incurring more fees

in this Alabama case sounds like they're trying to recoup some of the value
of the stolen items through hefty fees

Jail time? Is it a sting operation?

[Leontius]

12. Wow all this anger directed at the library

How about some of it directed to the assholes who have basicly stolen the $200,000 worth of books.

[christx30]

13. I don't like yet another reason to put people in jail. n/t

[Egnever]

23. Yea stealing books is bad

Fuck those people. I mean the nerve of them to take books bought with public money.

We should definitely spend more public money jailing them that will teach those dirty book thieves.

Sometimes this place amazes me.

[Sand Rat Expat]

25. I don't agree with what the library's doing here.

But let's not kid ourselves, if people were using the library properly and returning books in a timely fashion, we wouldn't be having this conversation, would we?

I think, rather than threatening fines and jail time, a better method would be for the library to require a credit or debit card on file, just like Blockbuster Video used to do. If you fail to return the book on time, the late fees are billed directly to your account. If after 90 days the book still hasn't been returned, the cost of replacing the book is billed directly to your account, and your library privileges are revoked. And in order to prevent people from using, say, a Chase card to register at the library, then closing the Chase account and switching to US Bank or whatever, have it set up so that every time a book is checked out, the card on file is billed one penny, which is then returned. If the transaction doesn't go through, the patron doesn't get the book.

[elehhhhna]

26. You can out put in amazon or ebay

And not even check it out of the library until it's sold.

[lordsummerisle]

16. Yes

They should definitely hire Mr. Bookman for this...

[CreekDog]

18. Wow, who can argue with the fiscal prudence of thousands of dollars spent to arrest and jail people

...in order to get them to return a $25 book?

[Egnever]

24. Right?

[Odin2005]

21. This sounds like a GOP poison pill to kill support for public libraries.

[Anymouse]

22. Library fines

When my wife took over as library director of our village public library, one of the first things she proposed to the library board was repeal of the village ordinances on library fines.

The board approved that, and it came to us on the village board; a whole section of village ordinances were struck out concerning the library including fines. A single new ordinance was written putting the library board in charge of making policy.

Hundreds of overdue books were returned to the library, including a first edition of Admiral Perry's account of his trip to the Arctic and another of Moby Dick.

Funny how threats don't seem to work as well as forgiveness.

[astral]

27. I don't like the idea of jailtime

but people are not like they used to be and something more than forgiveness will be needed, after trying an amnesty period.

Around here mass people decide to steal at the gas pumps on post-pay pumping, and rather than be able to enforce it they had to go 100% pre-pay. People are like that now, go out and enjoy nature and leave their trash by the campfire. Stop to enjoy the view at a scenic pullout and empty the trash out of their car right there. The moral equivalent of a five year old or worse if that five year old had a decent upbringing.

It makes me sad and yet scared at the same time to see this behavior so rampant, I don't think it's like this everywhere but we have some big pockets of demoralization where nobody gives a damn about much of anything, and I seem to live in one if them even though most people here make a lot more money than I do, it's not about poverty, this stuff is going on where people who can't afford a car don't go. When I was a kid I learned the library was a big deal and a privilege to have. You made sure you didn't forget your due date and didn't just misplace your books.

Where I used to live the library simply had a guilt box at the counter where you could donate funds for being late with books. not returning them at all or damaging them would result in fines for the cost of replacement. I suppose at that point it would become as serious as not paying a fine for a driving violation so people will take it seriously. libraries will not be here much longer if we dont respect them anymore.

[TexasBushwhacker]

31. I don't know why people don't put muzzles on their dogs

From a liability standpoint, I would think the owner would want to prevent their dogs from biting people or other animals.

That being said, the only dog that has ever bitten me wasn't a pit bull and the only pit bull I've ever had the pleasure to know was a sweetheart.

[TexasBushwhacker]

37. He was!

As terriers though, they do have a strong prey instinct and will bite, hold and shake with their large strong jaws. Add to that many have been selectively bred for aggressiveness and fighting. Those traits have escaped to the wider gene pool and sometimes who have dogs, through no fault of their own or their owners, just have an aggressive streak.

There was a case recently of a pit bull that had killed two other dogs and bitten an old woman quite badly. The owner still claimed the dog wasn't aggressive and wanted the dog to live. In a case like that, the dog simply must be euthanized.

[martin mike]

29. waitasec

I thought the only book that was even legal in Alabama was the Bible!