Librarian Busted

Today I received a bill for $100.01 from a library that shall remain unnamed. I have one of their interlibrary loan books. I remembered consistently that I HAD the book, I just didn’t feel like returning it. And then I didn’t feel like returning it some more so I renewed it. That worked pretty well, for a while. Then they suspended my borrowing privileges and sent me a bill. Ho-hum.

I want to call and say. “Don’t you think it sends a poor customer service message to send inflated bills for books overdue by barely a month? Perhaps your public services staff should consider reminder emails instead to enhance rather than detract from the public image of your library.” Snarl.

Surprised? Librarians have notoriously bad borrowing habits. I’ve known librarians respected state-wide for their exceptional skills who routinely run more than double over their book limit and often keep favorite titles for years on end, all with a good-natured giggle.

But don’t tell that to the patrons!