Library patron, aged 70 years, finally returns a 56-year-old overdue book to the library.
British Woman Returns 56-Year-Old Overdue Library Book
A 70-year-old British woman, Lesley Harrison, has returned a book borrowed from a library in England after 56 years. The library staff at Killingworth Library were astonished when Mrs. Harrison came in to return a book that she had borrowed to help her study for her O-Level German at Whitley Bay Grammar School in April 1966.
The book Lesley borrowed was "Ich Lerne Deutsch," and it was in excellent condition. According to a rough calculation by Councillor Sandra Graham, a borrower that had kept a book for that long should have a fine of about £2,000. However, the North Tyneside council waived all late return fees for Lesley, and Councillor Sandra Graham thanked Mrs. Harrison for returning the book, regardless of how long it took.
Mrs. Harrison had shown interest in becoming a librarian at one point. She could remember studying with the book just a few weeks before England's famous World Cup win over West Germany in June 1966. Lesley didn't return the book due to the fear of not being able to afford the weekly fines at the time.
In many libraries, if a book is not returned within the expected time, the library staff places a fine on the borrower. Libraries expect borrowers to return books within 21 days. If items remain unreturned beyond about a month, they are often considered lost, leading to billing for replacement costs. Some libraries have eliminated overdue fines but still consider certain overdue durations before treating items as lost.
Notable cases of extremely long overdue books include the Guinness World Record for the most overdue library book, which involves a book borrowed from Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge, England, in 1668 and returned in 1956, making it 288 years late. No fine was charged for this extremely long delay.
Councillor Sandra Graham encourages the public to take advantage of the waiver to return all overdue library books. By returning overdue books, not only do borrowers save money, but they also contribute to the circulation of books for other readers to enjoy.
- Lesley Harrison, who once aspired to become a librarian, shared an interesting anecdote about her past as she recently returned a 56-year-overdue book titled "Ich Lern Deutsch" from her home-and-garden days, which she borrowed to study for her O-Level German.
- Amidst the entertainment of reminiscing about the World Cup win over West Germany in June 1966, Lesley Harrison decided to return her long-overdue book, choosing to contribute to the library's home-and-garden, by providing another reader with the opportunity to enjoy it, rather than continuing to pay the home-and-garden-related fines she could no longer afford during her youth.
