Apparently I can't go too long without having a kerfluffle with the Cobb County library system.

I've had problems with them before. Once they told me I had a book that was three weeks late. I've been taking books from the library for 40 years now and have never brought back a book more than two days late in all that time. Another time they told me I had not returned a book that I had returned with three other books. When I walked into the library and pointed out that the book they said I had not returned was back on the shelf, they said, "Well, we might have more than one copy!" in huffy tones. I looked. This was a very obscure book about symbols in advertising and they only had one copy.

Both of these mistakes happened when I returned books through the book drop. I now return my books directly to the librarian's desk. Funny it hasn't happened since then, huh?

I may have mentioned I borrowed the other four Five Little Peppers books through interlibrary loan. I picked up the first two on January 24. I noticed that one book had a due date of January 30 on it, the other February 1. I was just about to ask about it when the librarian handed me the little receipt that they put in all library books now. It said the books were due February 7. The librarian said clearly to me "These books are due back on February 7." When I came home and checked my online account, it also said the books were due February 7.

We had two messages from the branch library from which I had picked up the books on the answering machine yesterday. One said that I had two library books that were overdue and that there were fines on them. The next said that a mistake had been made and that the books were not overdue but the librarian wanted to talk to me. I went to the computer, checked my account, and sure enough, the dates that had, until Monday, had said February 7, now had other dates on them and fines listed.

Before I could call that particular library this morning, the central library called me complaining about the books. I told them that I had received conflicting information about the volumes, but that I had received three different inputs that the books were due February 7, not on the dates indicated on the books. I was told frostily that I should have known the actual due date was the one on the books, despite what the librarian, the receipt, and the original computer listing said.

So I have to go over there at lunchtime and straighten out the mess.

[Update: 2:30 p.m. Went to library during lunch hour. Explained. They pulled up my account. Sure enough, books show as due February 7. Librarian checks books in and removes $13 in fines. We okay again.]

Labels: books

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. . . . . noted and logged by Linda at 11:42:00 AM

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