I'm always surprised with something when I go to the library. The library allows you to rack up $5.00 in fines before they come looking for you. Once you hit the limit, you cannot checkout any books anymore, until you get back below the limit. At a quarter-a-day, this likely takes a while, unless you lose a book or something. While waiting in line, I'll occasionally run into someone who has reached this limit. I'm not in awe of someone hitting their fine limit, what I am in awe of is what people do when faced with the fine.
Patrons are given two options when faced with the fine: 1) pay the whole fine, or 2) pay a portion of the fine. I have never, ever, seen anyone pay the whole fine. Everyone just pays $2-3 to get below the limit so they can check out books again. How cheap are these people? I would feel like an idiot when faced with a $6 fine to only pay a couple bucks. I'm fairly vain, though. Furthermore, this is a middle-class library, so no one is in the struggle. I just find this odd. The best part of all this is watching the person try to act like they are not cheap while doing this. So watch out Wauwatosa library-goers, I'm judging you.
I regularly run up a fine, every two months or so I am up to $5. With so many readers, often books get misplaced for a week or two. I have paid down my fine with a few bucks if that's all the cash I have, otherwise I write a check for the whole amount. Fun to know you're watching patrons like me. Congratulations, isn't today your last day of Law School.
ReplyDeleteYou are cheaper than these people could ever be. Trust me, I would know. I would think you would be more understanding of your own kind.
ReplyDeleteTim: Recently a library in NYC discovered that they have two books overdue from 1789. They were checked out by THE George Washington who listed his occupation as president.
ReplyDeleteThe public library I frequented in high school did not have a $5 limit and on occassion I racked up some serious fines. There was a woman in my ward who worked there so I would wait until she was working to check out my books and she would excuse the whole amount. That allowed me to continue using that particular library instead of having to open up an account at another, more distant library because there was no way I was going to pay those fines.
ReplyDeleteThe concept of a public library system is pretty amazing. Free books! But, it is kind of socialistic. Maybe people in the free market capitalistic system should have to buy those things they use and not count on the government to provide freebies for those kind of people: book-readin'-library-free-loaders.
ReplyDelete