The North Adams Library found a patron of theirs had not returned hundreds of dollars worth of materials over the course of two years. As Jim Vasil explains, what happened next seems stranger than fiction.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- Mindy Hackner directs the public library in North Adams, certainly one of the more modern ones in the Berkshires. But in any library, some things don't change, including the common principle of returning your books and movies on time.
One person did not, and it led them into police custody.
"This was an anomaly," said Hackner. "This is something that certainly I've never seen before."
"We're not talking about small bills of $35 and $40," said Hackner, "we're talking hundreds of dollars."
A patron of Hackner's, who she's keeping anonymous, owed the library several hundred dollars in materials dating back to 2013. The library's computer system never noted its return, and after failing to contact the patron several times, Hackner sent them a letter warning that they would begin court proceedings.
"It's something I really don't like to do, and the court isn't particularly fond of us doing it, but it's one way to recover materials," said Hackner.
As it turns out, the books were returned, but not to the front desk. As for the patron, they never showed up to their court date, leading to their arrest.
Hackner says it could have all been avoided if the person brought their materials back up to the front desk instead of simply walking in and leaving them back on the shelf.
"It fell through the cracks," said Hackner, "and we felt very badly about it. We don't like this process. We don't like to do it."
An apology was given and the fees were waived. It's a reminder of how your local library cares for their materials, which of course, are paid for by tax dollars. But libraries can be understanding, after all, life happens.
"It was something that was really beyond our control and unfortunate," said Hackner.