Library Book Returned After 41 Years in Woodbridge

Woodbridge, NJ - When librarians checked the book drop at the Fords branch of the Woodbridge library Friday morning, they may have expected to find some late books.

What they didn't expect to find was a book 41 years overdue.

Yes, a well-worn copy of this book had been placed in the book drop sometime overnight, said Kathryn Brown, head of the Fords branch. The book is "By Land and By Sea," by Samuel Eliot Morison. It was due back on Dec. 12, 1974.

So who owes the library a very large fine?

"We have no way of knowing. All the records from the 1970s, when this book was taken out, were never transferred to our electronic system," said Brown. "We all got a good laugh out of this morning. At least the person did the right thing and returned the book in good conscience. It was probably someone cleaning out an old house."

Brown, who has been working at the branch for 29 years, said this is the longest she's ever seen an overdue book returned.

The current fine is 15 cents a day for late books, Brown said. If Woodbridge were to assess that fine, including leap years, the fine owed would be $2,216.55.

She said the library would never do that.

Photo reprinted with permission from the Fords branch of the Woodbridge Public Library.