Duct Tape, Elmer's Glue and Industrial Staples

By: Michele, Children's Librarian

Most people are helpful, it is true, but sometimes when it comes to library books they are too helpful. I speak of repairs made to library materials by patrons. We know that things wear out and that some times, even if you didn't mean it, things tear or break. But before your helpful instinct kicks in, remember that the library items that you borrowed are not yours. They belong to the library and therefore to everyone.

Never attempt to repair damages to a library item yourself. We have staff members trained in book repair, video repair, CD repair, and cassette tape repair. We have special materials to make the cleanest, neatest repairs possible.

We know that most patrons are careful to make sure that the items they borrow stay safe, but some do not. We often joke of a story about a man who took several CD's from the library, he had not checked them out. They were in his car when the police started to chase him for another offense. So he would not get caught with the stolen goods in his car, he threw the library CD's out the window during the high speed car chase. The police later brought the CD's back to us, but as you can imagine they could no longer be circulated! This man ended up paying for all the damaged CD's and going to jail.

It is true if we spot damaged materials that have been checked out to you we will charge a fine. I believe that is the reason that most patron repairs occur. Nobody wants to pay a fine, they hope the clerk checking in materials won't notice. And sometimes it works, we miss the masking taped pages or the industrial staples poking through the spine. However, we don't charge for normal wear and tear, if a page falls out because the glue is old and cracked, just let us know, we can fix that. (this happens a lot to those who read LDS Fiction titles) Did you know that most library fines are prorated to how old the item is and how many times a book has checked out? You probably won't pay full price for any damages that occur. If the item is more than 1 year old and has circulated more than 20 times, I usually only charge between half and 1/3 the original price. We also have a basic book damage fee that is only $2.50, we use this fine if we think the damages will not keep us from circulating the item and it can remain in the collection.

Still damages do occur, they are a fact of library life and the delicate nature of books. So when you accidentlly spill your coke onto your library book, or when your dog pees on it, or when the baby chews the spine or tears the pages or if your child leaves the book on the front lawn and the sprinklers turn on and drench it. Suck it up and pay the fine. :) Thank you!

Tip: If you notice damages to a book that you would like to check out, bring the damage to the attention of the clerk at the front desk. She can put a notice in the computer and in the book, that the damage already existed when you took the item home.