Colorado library receives returned book more than a century overdue: 'Things happen'
The copy of "Ivanhoe: A Romance," was returned to the Poudre Libraries nearly 105 years to the day after it was due. The library did not charge a late fee.
A library in Colorado recently received the unexpected return of a book that was due back in '19.
The year 1919, that is.
The copy of "Ivanhoe: A Romance," a novel by Sir Walter Scott, was originally due back at the Fort Collins Public Library and Free Reading Room on February 13, 1919.
Instead, the person who checked it out held onto the book for quite a bit past its due date — until it was recently discovered in Kansas more than a century later.
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The book was dropped off anonymously at the Poudre Libraries in February, nearly 105 years since it was due, the library system announced in an April 8 article posted on its website.
The woman who returned the book said her brother found it in their mother's belongings.
A sticker placed on the inside cover of the book warns that the library user would be subject to fees if the book were returned late.
"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," said the sticker.
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The $760 late fee in 1919 dollars would be equal to about $14,000 when adjusted for inflation, said the library.
Despite the written warning in the book, the person who borrowed the book will not have to pay a cent.
The Poudre Libraries stopped charging fines in 2020, said their website.
The Poudre Libraries are three libraries that are located in Fort Collins, Colorado. (Poudre Libraries)
A representative from the Poudre Libraries told Fox News Digital that she was glad the book was back — and that people should return any library book they find, regardless of how overdue it might be.
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"On the one hand, we don't want people to keep books for 100 years, but things happen, and we understand that," Katie Auman, Poudre Libraries' communications development director, told Fox News Digital in a phone interview.
FILE - Books on shelves on the first floor at the library. (Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images)
"Every single public library is going to work with customers to help them out," she said. "It's definitely not something to be afraid of."
It "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," Auman said.
While this particular copy of Ivanhoe: A Romance is not going to be put back into circulation in the library system, the library does have (considerably newer) copies of the book that can be checked out, said their website.
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The Poudre Libraries consist of three library locations in Fort Collins, Colorado.
The original library where the book was checked out has been renamed several times, and the location where the book was checked out is now a community center.
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In 2009, the three libraries in Fort Collins were given the name "Poudre River Public Library District," says the Poudre Libraries website.