Lost a library book for 6 months, then found a way to get the fine waived

I checked out a gardening guide from the downtown branch last spring and somehow it slid behind my nightstand until December. When I finally brought it back, the late fee was $14, but I told the librarian I donated $10 worth of old paperbacks to their book sale bin instead. Has anyone else talked a library into forgiving a fine with a creative trade?

2 comments

2 Comments

finleycooper1d ago

Calling that a "creative trade" is kind of a stretch. You basically gave them some old books you probably would have thrown out anyway, and they still lost $4 on the deal. Libraries are already underfunded and you're acting like you pulled one over on them, not exactly a win for the community. Did you even ask if they wanted those paperbacks?

jennifer_mitchell531d ago

Whoa, I think you might be mixing up how library fines work. Most libraries put late fees or replacement costs back into their own system, so they're not really "losing" money on the deal. I used to work at a library and we took donated books all the time, even old paperbacks, as long as they were in decent shape. They'd sell them for a quarter or fifty cents at their book sale and that cash went right back into buying new stuff for the shelves.