A book was finally returned to a library in Auckland, New Zealand after being borrowed some 68 years ago.
The book, Myths and Legends of Maoriland, was supposed to be returned on or before Dec. 17, 1948. It wasn’t returned until Wednesday.
“A wonderful customer came to see us with a confession today!” the library wrote on Facebook. “As a child she was a patron of Epsom Library until she moved out of Auckland – and accidentally took a library book with her!
“Today she finally managed to return it to us. It’s a fair few years overdue but in excellent well-read condition,” reads the Facebook message.
Speaking with Auckland Now, Epsom librarian Zoe Cornelius said the book-borrower always wanted to return the book but wasn’t able to do so since she moved away.
“She’s had it for years and always been thinking she wanted to get it back to us, and was never able to do so,” Cornelius told the news outlet. “It was fantastic, though, that she could bring it back for us and tell us about it. I just got such a thrill out of it.”
Photos of the A. W. Reed novel show the tattered condition the book was returned in as well as the back page and due date slip.
“This book must be returned on or before the date last stamped below. If kept beyond that date, a fine will be charged at the rate of three-pence for the first week or part thereof, and one penny per day thereafter,” reads the terms and conditions of borrowing.
So, Auckland Now did some number-crunching to calculate what the late fine would be at the rate set back in 1948.
“The woman would be fined 102.50 pounds for the 24,604 days it was overdue. Converted to today’s money and adjusted for inflation (using the Reserve Bank’s online inflation calculator), that’s a whopping $7,321.43 fine,” the news outlet explained.
That’s C$6, 415.11.
But the woman won’t be fined, Cornelius told Auckland Now.
“Of course she would have been a child at that time as well, and we don’t charge our kids fines,” she said.