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By Robert Gillespie
Ever borrow a book and forget to return it? Chances are it caught your eye in 10 or 20 years, but that's not the Colby record. Early in 2000, a letter arrived in Miller Library explaining that An Outline History of the Roman Empire, by William S. Davis (Macmillan, 1911), had taken up residence in the letter writer's library instead of Colby's. "The evidence indicates that it was my doing," he wrote. "The checkout date in June 1951 coincides with the last month I was at Colby as a student." The book was 48 years and seven months overdue. At the current rate of 25 cents a day, that's a fine of $4,433.50. What's a librarian to do? "I thought it might no longer be listed as part of our collection," said Frances Parker, assistant director for public services in Miller Library. She found that the College had the same material in other books and suggested that the borrower might like to have the book for keeps.Suanne Muehlner, director of the Colby libraries, noted that the alum had found the book while brushing up on his ancient history-and that he had used a Latin phrase in his letter. She sent the book back to him. "Clearly this is a case of liber non surreptus," she wrote in a letter, "and as, in the course of the years, the place of this outline history has been filled by others. . . . we therefore are happy to be able to veniam dare for the oversight and to allow the Outline to continue its comfortable retirement in your home library." As for fines, Parker says there's a cap when the bill reaches $1,000. And all fines revert to a lower, standard amount if a book is returned. "But," she said, laughing, "we don't encourage people to take things and keep them just so we'll give them back!" |
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