Posted on 11/21/2017 12:25:19 PM PST by nickcarraway
San Francisco public library officials say they have tried just about everything they could think of to track down long overdue books.
At the start of the year, they even offered a six-week amnesty period for patrons to return long overdue books and settle up their fines. More than 10,000 patrons took advantage of the amnesty — returning 699,563 borrowed materials. Another $329,797 in penalties was forgiven.
But currently, officials told the San Francisco Examiner, there are still 13,000 patrons who owe more than $100 in fines
So library officials are turning to the city’s official bill collectors — the Office of Treasurer and Tax Collector’s Bureau of Delinquent Revenue — to track down dead beat patrons.
“This initiative is the latest in our efforts to remove barriers to access and to address our outstanding liability,” Cathy Delneo, the San Francisco Public Library’s chief of branches, told the Library Commission last week.
According to the Examiner, the library collected $445,590 in fines and fees during the last fiscal year.
The new collection process will allow for payment plans and a chance to negotiate a lower amount than owed, something librarian staff are not authorized to do.
The Bureau of Delinquent Revenue will direct mail three notices and send three email notifications to library patrons seeking to collect over a period of time beginning in January.
I’m guessing the fines are now more than a quarter.
Chung chung.
While you’re thinking about that - think about this!
But don't worry, Illegal Aliens, Dopers, Homos and Negro criminals will be exempt.
“Yeah, I know what you’re thinking... Why’s this guy making such a big stink about old library books? Let me give you a hint, junior. Maybe we can live without libraries, people like you and me.... Maybe. Sure, we’re too old to change the world. What about that kid, sitting down, opening a book right now in a branch of the local library and finding pictures of pee-pees and wee-wees in The Cat in the Hat and The Five Chinese Brothers. Doesn’t he deserve better? Look, if you think this is about overdue fines and missing books, you’d better think again. This is about that kid’s right to read a book without getting his mind warped. Or maybe that turns you on, Seinfeld... Maybe that’s how you get your kicks... You and your goodtime buddies... I’ve got a flash for you, joy boy. Partytime is over.”
I am ALL for this. We lose too much materials (that belong to the public) than we should.
Drop a hammer on them!
Close libraries. With current technology they are a waste of resources. I guess they do give the homeless a place to watch porn, shower in the sinks and to hang-out.
Libraries are just places where they have information.
I drive by a couple of local libraries a few times a week. They are always advertising movie nights and all kinds of events for all kinds of causes.
One gets the impression that the only thing they do with books is sell them a few times a year.
And they are always asking for money, either as charity or from taxpayers.
Our system is doing quite well with material check outs.
We have a large retired Northerner population in our service area. If we closed the libraries, they would riot.
Street folks? We have the biggest problem in the building where I work. And it’s not that bad, considering we are a smaller urban area in Georgia.
I’d been going to the library about 5 miles away my entire life. A couple of years ago, I was unceremoniously shown the door because we live on the wrong side of the county border. Right smack dab on the line but it didn’t matter. Not in the county so no books. The county line runs through the middle of town and less than a mile from the library. Crazy. The business district is on that side of the county line so everyone contributes to the county’s economy and taxes. But, noooo, now it’s either drive 40 miles to their county’s library or do without.
Well, after today’s latest argument with the one grocery store about the price of turkey’s, I’m finished with this one horse town. Last straw. The end. Adios. I’ll drive the 40 miles and take my money elsewhere.
“The former president borrowed The Law of Nations by Emer de Vattel on 5 October 1789, according to the records of the New York Society Library.
Staff discovered it was missing when they conducted an inventory of books in the library’s 1789-1792 ledger earlier this year. Washington had never returned the book – an essay on international affairs – to the library, which shared a building with the federal government at the time and was used by members of Congress and the cabinet as well as the president. The former president’s overdue fines, it has been calculated, would theoretically amount to $300,000 (£209,000).”
https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2010/may/20/george-washington-library-book
Don’t know about your county library but many these days have electronic check out of e-books. Once you have your library card, you can check many books out online at home.
They’ve discontinued all the out of county card holders. Doesn’t matter if you live in town and your property line runs along the county line. Our family has contributed time, materials and money to the library since the day it opened some 50 years ago.
Don’t people have access to the internet at home? It seems like somewhat wasteful to have physical libraries. This is especially true with taxpayers having to pay staff, retirements and so forth. Another plus in eliminating them would be fewer government “workers”.
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