Just paid $47.20 in library fees....

[lokiju]

1/3 of a Amazon Kindle.

 

[PottedMeat]

All the books I've ever borrowed or used in college and sold back have been in the bathroom. :evil:

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: Paladin3
I'm a former librarian and can see both sides of the issue.

First, library patrons really need to take responsibility for the books they borrow and be prepared to pay the fee for late/lost/damaged materials. Where else can you borrow hundreds of dollars worth of books, videos, DVDs, software and other materials with a little more than a promise to return them? Want to avoid late fees? Return the materials on time like you said you would. Which reminds me I have an overdue book in the back of my car.

I can't count the number of times patrons returned materials late or just completely destroyed them and then where outraged that we expected them to pay a fee. At my last library we loaned books for 4 weeks, and they could be renewed for another 4, but people still bitched that we were ripping them off by charging 10 cents/day late fees when they kept books beyond the two month max.

My favorite incident was over $200 worth of books that came back soaked in cat pee, and the patron claimed we must have done it because we didn?t like her. I only WISH I could have come up with something like that because, after all, I did hate that particular patron.

Children?s books returned reeking of cigarette smoke, titles covered in various biological substances, food between the pages of paperbacks, a sheet of toilet paper used as a bookmark and left behind, obscene notes for me or the next reader penned in the margins?ah, good times, good times. Boy I miss that job, all the giggles and the mandatory Purell baths after working the front desk.

And I can?t even describe the funk that wafted off the homeless and semi-homeless who trudged in to use our public Internet computers. And a big WHAT THE FUCK WHERE YOU THINKING goes out to the guy one night who wanted me to print 200 copies of his white supremacist newsletter for free because ?it?s a public service? and then bitched me out when I told him no. But I digress?

On the other hand, public libraries today are often WAY out of control. While most have reasonable fee structures and policies, way too many are run by staffs that seem to have a grudge against the very patrons they are suppose to serve. A $24 fine for a single book overdue only one week is absurd at best. Most libraries only charge 10-15 cents per day per book late fee.

And the OP $47.20 in fees isn?t all that much, especially if it involved lost, damaged or destroyed materials. The largest fine I've personally slapped a patron with approached $400, but that was for quite a few lost books.

CLIFFS: Blah, blah, blah.

I found your post informative.

We actually use the library once a month for kids' books or movies for them or some books for us, I'm surprised to say I still get some use out of it since internet and 2009 and all, but I do.

I don't mind minimal fines as in a way I feel it's like a rental fee, but I'm pretty good overall with returning on time and the fees are negligible anyway.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Many libraries have amnesty weeks once a year where you can return overdue books without penalty. If you had kept them longer you possibly could have paid nothing.

 

[DrPizza]

I don't mind library fines (I think my biggest library fine was 45 cents.) But, as far as it being free... Although a small portion of my tax bill, it's still a decent hunk of change. I'd be in favor of digitizing the collections in the libraries, then instead of cities taxing us to provide support for the libraries & free dissemination of information, they tax us instead & provide us with free high speed internet access which could accomplish the same thing.

 

[BeauJangles]

Originally posted by: DrPizza
I don't mind library fines (I think my biggest library fine was 45 cents.) But, as far as it being free... Although a small portion of my tax bill, it's still a decent hunk of change. I'd be in favor of digitizing the collections in the libraries, then instead of cities taxing us to provide support for the libraries & free dissemination of information, they tax us instead & provide us with free high speed internet access which could accomplish the same thing.

Most people like to read their books in physical form. Libraries are just great places in general. I love going in there to read and relax or to just get away from the world. It's also a place where people who cannot even afford computers can get online, read local newspapers, or whatever.

 

[villageidiot111]

I racked up a $15.47 bill, and they don't let you check out stuff if your charges are greater than $15. I payed them 48cents and have been able to check out books ever since.

 

[erub]

Originally posted by: Xstatic1

Originally posted by: her209
2 lapdances + tip

where would that be? mexico?

i thought lapdances were $50 minimum. (not that i would know)

Lapdances in USA are $20 - for $50 in Mexico I was offered an HJ

I can thank the Dallas library for getting me my current job - before the interview I checked out a few books, studied up on some of the technical stuff I was a bit more rusty on, and aced the interview. I did have to buy them a new book when I spilt some water on one of them. Oh well, I got to keep the water damaged one.