In this summer of serious concern about the future of libraries, graduate schools of library and information science, the Internet, and things in general, I want to brag about having collected the largest library fine in our history. (Yes, I know that we're a service-oriented profession and that fines are to many of us archaic and detestable; but read on if you please.)

A couple of weeks ago, someone at the University of Akron discovered in the carrel of a graduate student a bunch of books from various area libraries that had not been checked out, and reported that fact to the university police. We at the College of Wooster were called and told that 27 of our chemistry volumes were among them. Our Chemistry Library is an unstaffed, self-help facility, and this fellow (who lives in our town) had simply walked in and helped himself. The total value of the books was around $5,000, which would make their theft a felony in the courts.

We notified the local prosecutor of our intention to press charges. In the meantime, when the fellow visited me, I handed him a memo stating that I was assessing our maximum fine of $50 per volume, plus $150 for not having checked them out, for a total of $1,500. I told him that if he brought me a cashier's check for that amount, made out to the college, by 5 p.m. on July 6, I would drop the charges against him. He asked if I would accept installment payments, and I told him I would not, suggesting that he borrow the money. The check was in my hands by noon on the 6th.

As far as I know, it's the largest fine we've ever collected. We also got the books back, and I feel like Conan the Librarian!