Laura Gentry’s Dec. 24 letter criticizing the Everett Public Library was misguided, casting blame on the staff for a situation she caused herself (“Everett Library: No leniency for first offense on books”). If she was charged $60 for overdue books, it must be because she ignored numerous warnings. Everett has the most lenient overdue policy of any library I have seen. It charges no late fees until a book is long overdue, and sends several polite reminder notices.
As a reader who sometimes returns books late, I appreciate their leniency. But when I go looking for a particular book, I wish they were more aggressive. It is frustrating to check the computer listings and see that a book is weeks or months overdue. Sometimes only fines will get people’s attention.
Still more irritating is how Ms. Gentry shuns personal responsibility by saying that the Sept. 11 attacks, the war and anthrax threats made the pile of books “slip her mind.” That is no reason to lambaste library staff. Society did not stop functioning on Sept. 11. The library staff was at work on Sept. 12, despite the shock and sorrow. The least she can do is return a few overdue books. Failing that, she should pay the fine without casting blame on hard-working staff.
Her letter calls the library “unfeeling” and “uncompromising.” I disagree. From my personal experience, the Everett Library is managed and staffed by conscientious, thoughtful people. They stretch public dollars a long way in difficult times, and do whatever they can to serve a growing, diverse community. The library is a public resource and making it work requires its users, borrowers and readers to play a part, too.
Everett
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