Missouri Library Receives Ultimate Surprise After Overdue Children’s Book is Returned 30 Years Later
A children’s book that has been missing from a Missouri library for the past 30 years was finally returned by an individual who probably forgot that they even had it checked out in the first place.
The incident occurred in a public library located in Missouri where library officials were completely taken aback when they discovered that a children’s book, believed to be long lost and forgotten, was returned, thirty years past its due date.
The book titled, “The Cat in the Hat” by Dr. Seuss, was due back to the library in March of 1991, and after 30 years of being overdue, it was finally returned. Library officials were shocked to see that the Culprit left behind the book with a short apology note that said, “Sorry for the late return,” in order to mitigate any possible consequences of returning the book so long after the due date.
One library official who spoke to our reporter was completely dumbfounded by this act and said, “It’s amazing that there are still people in the world who are willing to take responsibility for their actions, no matter how long it might take them. We are glad to finally have the book back in our collection.”
The book’s return was made at a time when libraries have become more reliant on technology to track books, which has caused some librarians to fear that borrowers would forget to return books. But after this incident, it seems that some book borrowers still remember that the library practices an ancient ritual called “book return.”
Experts in the industry hailed the return of the book as a positive move but urged that borrowings should be taken more seriously in the future. A couple of years late is acceptable, but a thirty-year overdue book is a stretch of the imagination.
It is believed that the delay in returning the book may have been due to a generational difference in the understanding of the concept of a due date. The person responsible for the lateness probably thought that keeping the book for an extended period of time was justifiable since the library had an abundance of copies and no-one was waiting for it.
In conclusion, it’s refreshing to see that some people out there still hold themselves accountable for their overdue library books. Let’s hope that the rest of the world takes inspiration from this act of responsibility and return their overdue books. Because, really, who needs the possibility of accumulating library fines when there is a free option called “just bring the book back on time”?
