- Ever found a library book that was old like this one turned in 119 years later?
Did you read Late Library Book Turned in 119 Years Later: Part One? Follow the link if you missed it because this is part two.
The treatise was published during a time in the world when it was still growing to understand the possibilities of electricity. As of 1880, a historic patent embodying the principles of the incandescent lamp was received by the one and only Thomas Edison.
At the time the book was last in the New Bedford library, the nation was preparing for a second modern World Series, President Theodore Roosevelt was on track to win an additional term, Wilbur and Orville Wright had just finished their first airplane flight the year before and New York was celebrating its very first subway line.
The discovery and return of the book really speaks to the durability of the
printed word. (And 119 years later no less.) This is especially so in this time of computerization and instant access to unfathomable amounts of information, Melo said.
“The value of the printed book is it’s not digital, it’s not going to disappear. Just holding it, you get the sense of someone having this book 120 years ago and reading it, and here it is in my hands,” she said. “It is still going to be here a hundred years from now. The printed book is always going to be valuable.”
The late fee at the New Bedford library is 5 cents per day. With that in mind, someone returning a book overdue by 119 years would owe more than $2,100.00 in fines.
Thankfully, the library’s late fee has a maximum of $2.00.
Another lesson according to Melo, it’s never too late to return a library book. Even if it’s 119 years later.
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