Getting Tough on Overdues

This week, ABC news had a story they posted online about a man in Colorado who was arrested for failing to return a DVD to the library from which he had borrowed it. (Well, actually he was arrested because he ignored a summons to appear in court. The summons was in regards to the overdue DVD.) While the story is certainly not a new one (in fact, I believe I've previously made a blog posting about this very topic a year or so ago), the "readers' comments" about the story were extremely passionate--either for or against the incident. It seems that most all of the library-related postings (likely made by library employees) believed the Colorado man deserved what he got. Other readers weren't so friendly toward the library and found it difficult to believe that the police should get involved with library materials that aren't returned.

One reader's comment particularly bothered me. This commenter (known as "mrandmrsrogers") indicated that libraries aren't needed. The writer noted that anyone can get wonderful books from Amazon or Barnes & Noble, and all other information is available online. Who needs libraries, anyway?

Am I the only one bothered by that reader's comments? I would like to believe that the reader is alone in those thoughts, but I fear there are more like him/her. Too many people think libraries are not an integral part of a community, that "the Internet" is the new know-all/tell-all service and that books are readily available to everyone just by "going online or to the store." Too many people have no clue about libraries and the vast services they offer. Libaries aren't just about books or computers any more. They're about transforming lives, about providing opportunities for education and advancement, about promoting literacy (including information literacy) among the community. I could go on. Sadly, many of people like "mrandmrsrogers" also serve on city councils, state boards, and other legislative bodies that oversee funding to libraries. That can be the only reason why some of my library colleagues (directors of other libraries in my area) are facing budget cuts as high as 39%.

If your library isn't already touting itself and its services in your community, there's no better time than now. Get the library value calculator posted to your website. Add up the figures for all to see! Let your community members know what you're doing. Tell them about the programs, services and resources you offer. Spread the word! Let the "mrandmrsrogers" folks in your community know what the library is REALLY all about.


View the ABC news story at this link:
http://abcnews.go.com/WN/arrested-cuffed-overdue-library-books/story?id=10062565