library books

flower_power_4

About 8 or 9 years ago, hubby borrowed some library books and lost them. he was chased for them for a few months then heard nothing. Now he buys all the books he wants to read (not very moneysaving). Ive not joined the library as im worried they might match the address and pull me up for the books. Does anyone know how long the records would be kept for, and if it would be safe for me (and hubby?) to join the library. or should we be honest with them and offer to pay for the books? whats the max he could be charged?

Savvy_Sue

flower_power wrote:

whats the max he could be charged?

I don't know, but when we lost a book we didn't have to pay the full price for replacement, I think they must get discounts for bulk buying!

Why not phone anonymously and ask how long they keep records for and whether they would cross match? It's got to be cheaper than buying all your books ...

The only way I could keep track of library books was by always keeping them in the same place. The boys used to sabotage this, however ...

Poppy9

Why not come clean. If they say they have written it off then offer them some of your unwanted books, videos or DVD's.

Our local library lends all sorts of DVDs from current films to TV series. Just £1.50 for 7 days hire. They are always happy to receive donations especially kids film which have been outgrown.

Just think how much better you would feel knowing you are doing something good.

cath-w

It all depends on whether the library has changed the system they use to hold the data or not. They may have archived old patron records too so you may no longer be on the system.

When someone comes to join we do check if they are already on the system and see if there are any outstanding fines.

The fine for the item will depend on the cost of the item and how old it was. For example a brand new book with no issues and you will be charged the full purchase price, an older book that has been issued 25 times will cost a % of the original purchase price.

The library staff are not going to shout and scream at you - we are human. Pop in and see what they say and tell them they truth. Even if you have to pay for the items it will be cheaper in the long run than having to buy books all the time. Your husband can also re-join too then.

Please note that people are not aware that the ballifs can be called out to collect outstanding fines. We try to contact the customer several times, but if this fails we make a decision whether to continue to chase the fine or not. If we chase the fine this will then be passed to the Council's Treasury Office (i.e. it is no longer in the hands of the library). If the bill is large enough (if someone does not bring back 7 dvds this can be over 100 pounds worth) then the council may choose to pass on the debt for a ballif to collect.

People may think this is extreme, but we have many items lost / stolen and runied. People are always amazed when they ruin a book (ate by the dog, dropped in the bath) that they have to pay for the item. We only have a very limited budget and for evey item ruined we have to replace the item for our budget, usually taking a hit on the cost of the item. This really does reflect how many new books / dvds / magazines we can buy.

Just call in the library and sort things out and then you can have the pleasure of using the library again.

C.

NigeWick

flower_power wrote:

should we be honest with them and offer to pay for the books?

IMHO,yes. You'll probably feel better too.

Nigel.

dougk_2

Not paying for the lost books just increases your council tax and everyone else in the area. The council has to find the money from somewhere to replace them...
So really you don't gain in the end!

flower_power_4

Thanks for all the replies. I know you're all right in saying that I (well hubby) should come clean and offer to pay for the books. Getting him to do that would probably be more bother than its worth as he'll just keep putting it off....... I will be brave and go in and see what they say as all these books are costing a fortune (not to mention the bookshelves to keep the things on!) Whats the worst that can happen? I'll need to pay for a few books, then never need to buy any ever again!! and ive never heard any reports of a librarian eating a member of the public

davidcampbell

and ive never heard any reports of a librarian eating a member of the public

really? blimey, dont move up here. happens all the time. :rotfl:

sorry


on a serious note (ill try) i returned a book to my local library about 2 years late. just found it one day in my house. for some reason they either didnt contact me re lateness or the letter didnt arrive.

anyway i cant remember what they fined me but it was a pitiful amount considering i was 2 years late.

own up, they will probably be happy just to have it back

DC

klondyke

Some libraries declare an amnesty day/week when books can be returned, however late, with no fines or questions asked. You could hope that yours is having one soon!

Even if not, it's well worth braving the dragons (which most of them aren't) as, even if they do make a charge, it's very unlikely to be as much as you are paying for new books on a regular basis. I am a retired librarian, though not in public sector, but have never yet met a colleague who enjoys charging fines. We would far rather see the books back so others can use them, so the fine is just a deterrent rather than an income stream. Still, if they are several years old now, they might not be any use to anyone any more. What really riles us is students in college libraries keeping expensive textbooks, especially as , eg, most FE colleges have a no fine policy. Grrrrrr. So as we can't fine, we are likely to charge full replacement cost instead, plus banning from the library or even the college, if unpaid, so beware! (Amazing how many people suddenly find a 'lost' book when faced with a high charge - happens a lot with rare books and limited editions, when replacement would be far higher than original cost.)

cath-w

flower_power wrote:

... and ive never heard any reports of a librarian eating a member of the public

*burp* "excuse me"

misty

Hi
I had a similar experience. I took out some books - could have sworn blind that I returned them all - explained this to the librarian because I had run up fines as you can only renew them so many times without taking them in. They renewed them again so I could re check but I still couldn't find them and therefore the fine ran up again. Eventually, When I was about to move I found them. I slunk in to the library to return them. They said the fine was higher than it should have been becuase of the extra renewal but they couldn't alter it. They gave me an address to write to explain (local council I think) The lady there wrote back and reduced the amount to half the original. Then when I went to the library with letter (but it had gone on there system anyway) they said as long as I paid something each time I was ( they say they ask for 20% of the balance but in reality take whatever you offer) I could take out items whilst I was paying it back. The only thing I do differently now is take out fewer items and go in more frequently that way I'm not taking out 12 items at time and losing track of what and where they are. Bite the bullet you'll wish you did it ages ago - apart from the book - the libraries have loads to offer.