Photo: Poudre Libraries
An overdue library book has finally returned to a library in Colorado -- over 100 years after it was checked out!
On Monday (April 8), Poudre Libraries revealed an unnamed woman dropped off Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott earlier this year. The historical novel was due back to the Fort Collins Public Library and Free Reading Room on February 13, 1919. That makes the book 38,351 days late!
Officials also pointed to the inside of the book's front cover, which outlines the lending rules for the book. Under Article 26, "A fine of two cents per day shall be collected on all books. If a messenger be sent for a detained book an additional charge of 25 cents shall be collected."
"Based on a 2-cents-per-day fine, this fine would be approximately $760.00. Adjusted for inflation, that’s about $14,000!" the news release reads. "Fortunately, Poudre Libraries stopped charging fines for overdue materials in November 2020."
According to the release, the woman's brother found the book in their mother's belongings in Kansas.
Katie Auman, Poudre Libraries' communications development director, told Fox News people should return any library book they find, no matter how long it was overdue.
"On the one hand, we don't want people to keep books for 100 years, but things happen, and we understand that," Auman said. "Brings us a little bit of joy and humor, when we see these older books coming through, having been very well-loved for many, many decades."
Reporters said the original library where the overdue book was checked out has been renamed several times. The library's location is now a community center, as well.
You won't be able to check out the century-old library book due to its fragile condition, but officials said you can look at their current copies.