Overdue Library Books Returned — 50 Years Late

There's the concept of better late than never, and then there's this.

Recently, a librarian at Camelback High School in Phoenix received a shock when she opened the mail and discovered two library books a former student finally returned ... a half-century later.

The two Audubon Society tomes, one about forest and woodlands, and another about fields and meadows, were checked out way back in 1959.

What's more, librarian Georgette Bodine said the person who returned the books, who opted to remain anonymous, did not shirk the late fees. On the contrary, the returner enclosed a generous $1,000 money order to cover any outstanding charges.

Bodine told KPHO that the package also contained a letter that explained the returnee had moved to another state and the books were packed by accident.

The person said the $1,000 money order was to cover late fees of 2 cents per day for each book. However, that only totaled about $745. The extra money was added in case late fee rates had changed, as explained in the letter. (How thoughtful!)

In case you were worried, Bodine said the books would be returned to the shelves and the money would be used to buy — what else? — more books.

Interestingly, Bodine said this is not the first time the library has received such overdue overdue books. She told KTAR this is the second unusual incident in three years. "I got a letter in the mail and a check in the mail for somewhere between $75 and $100 from a man who had been going through a 12-step program and wanted to make good the fact that he had stolen a book from the library back in 1962," she chuckled.

It's hard not to admire people who want to right a literary wrong after so many years.

Photo courtesy of austinevan via Flickr.