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Woman returns library books after 30 years, doesn't even get fined. Here's why

A woman recently returned a few books to a Philadelphia library and she was not even charged a fine for this particular reason.

Updated on: Jul 31, 2022, 15:34:56 IST
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A woman recently lost her mother and went back to organise her childhood home in Pennsylvania. While at it, she discovered a stack of books that she later submitted to a Philadelphia library. But the most interesting part is that these books have been returned a whopping 30 years after their due date. Alexis Azeff reveals that she was organising her childhood home in Berks County when she discovered a stack of books she had borrowed from the Free Library of Philadelphia in 1992.

The receipt showing that the library book was overdue for 30 years.  (Free Library of Philadelphia)
The receipt showing that the library book was overdue for 30 years.  (Free Library of Philadelphia)

According to a report on the official website of Billy Penn, She wasn't penalised for her good deed because the Free Library had abolished late fees; in fact, she left with a renewed library card so she could borrow more books in the future. Mary Westbrook, one of the children's librarians on duty that day, claimed that she and other staff members had long advocated for the change in the fine-free policy because it would encourage customers who couldn't pay the fines to return their books, even if they were a little late, and keep using the library's resources.

The library then took to Facebook to share the following post:

Shared on July 28, this post has received several responses.

“I once had a patron who returned a yoga book 2 years late, he brought his prison release papers with him and he had been released the previous day. I was impressed and the book was in perfect condition,” narrated one. “So cute. I wish y'all would put them back in circulation! There may be no 'market' for obscure 90s kids mysteries, but they're probably still fun to pick up while browsing,” shared a second. “Better late than never! Lol,” wrote a third.

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