I understand the desire to protect public property, and I know that libraries are probably hard-pressed to keep their books in circulation. And, I know that this woman apparently ignored numerous warnings to return the book.
BUT,
This just looks silly to me. I think that the negative PR ramifications for the library may, in the end, cost them far more than $13.95.
What's negative about it? They gave her plenty opportunities to return the book. Theft is theft. I use our local public library all the time and it's really frustrating to be waiting on items that people won't return. People who think this is unduly harsh aren't the ones who utilize libraries.
This woman, through pure laziness, brought this on herself. I applaud the library. I'll bet another thing. After this story hit the wires, I'll bet a whole bunch of overdue books got returned to this library!