And now you know, it’s never too late to return a book. If you stumble across a forgotten library book that’s been hiding on your shelf for weeks, months, or even years, don’t be afraid to return it. In 2015, a former student at Wakefield High School Library in Wakefield, Virginia, named Eleanor Reed sent back a copy of The Underside of the Leaf. It was borrowed in 1981 and accidentally mixed in with the student’s family collection. In 2016, the granddaughter of a man who had taken out The Microscope and Its Revelations from Hereford Cathedral School in the UK returned the title 120 years after it had been “borrowed.”
Those late fees for unreturned items can add up. Libraries in larger cities can accrue millions in unpaid penalties. In 2016, the San Jose Public Library reported $6.8 million in delinquent fees, with 39 percent of members owing money. Some places will refer debts to collection agencies if a patron exceeds $10 in charges. Other institutions, like Queens Library in New York, will apply credit to fines if patrons come in for “reading time.” Sitting in the library with a book earns credit toward the amount owed.
One of the most overdue library books in the world was returned after 122 years. In 2011 Camden School of Arts lending library in Australia had a first edition of Charles Darwin’s Insectivorous Plants returned to them. The book had been checked out in 1889 and had lain among the book collection of a retired veterinarian before the library stamp was noticed and the book returned, some 122 years late.
Some libraries went to extraordinary lengths to make sure their titles remained on shelves. At Marsh’s Library in Dublin, Ireland, visitors hoping to peruse rare books in the 1800s were locked in cages until they were done reading.
The New York Public Library offers up more than just books. Members can borrow accessories like neckties and briefcases for people looking to complete an ensemble for a job interview.
If you’re in the mood to peruse the ties you will pass by Patience and Fortitude. Patience and Fortitude are the two lions outside the New York Public Library’s main location. The sculptures went up in 1911 and were originally named Leo Astor and Leo Lenox after the library’s co-founders, John Astor and James Lenox. They were later “anointed” as Lady Astor and Lord Lenox before getting their current names in the 1930s.
Many libraries offer free music that’s yours to keep. A service called Freegal allows patrons to download songs from a library of over 15 million tracks. In addition to meeting rooms, book sales, and research assistance, many libraries also offer passport application services that might help you avoid lengthy post office lines.
Hundreds of thousands of Americans call a library their workplace. As of 2020, there were approximately 163,810 librarians; 30,810 library technicians; and 69,650 library assistants working in the United States.
The Osmothèque is a library of smells in Versailles, France. Founded in 1990, the Osmothèque is a repository for perfumes and contains over 3,200 scents, some 400 of which are no longer made. The collection is an archive of perfume-making history, and many fragrance houses and parfumiers have kindly donated samples of perfumes, both current and historical, in order to safeguard their formulas.
It’s said that prolific writer Isaac Asimov is the only person to have published books which have been represented in nine of the ten major Dewey Classification System categories. The system was developed by Melvil Dewey in 1873. It’s been adopted by more than 200,000 libraries in 135 countries. The scheme works hierarchically by dividing knowledge into ten main subjects, meaning that books within the same subject group can be shelved together. It’s thought that the only category Asimov failed to produce a book in was “100 Philosophy.”
The Archivum Secretum Apostolicum Vaticanum or Vatican Secret Archive was created by Pope Paul V in 1612. It contains all the acts passed by the Holy See, plus papal correspondence, state papers and account books. The archive belongs to the reigning pope and when he dies it passes on to his successor. The use of the word “secret” in the title derives from the old usage of the word meaning private or personal—relating to the fact that the archive is, in effect, the private archive of the papacy. The archives have been available to researchers since 1881 and today contain items accumulated in over 600 archival groups (the earliest of which is from the eighth century) on 53 miles of shelving.
The Conjuring Arts Research Center was established in 2003 in Manhattan, New York. As a non-profit organization, its primary role is as a library for books on magic and related arts such as hypnosis, ventriloquism, juggling and sleight of hand. The library currently holds over 12,000 books on magic in numerous different languages and includes rare texts from the 15th century. The collection is especially strong on early magic, holding over 500 books on magic printed before 1700. As well as books the library holds a number of magic periodicals, has an extensive collection of manuscripts featuring magic methods, and holds some 20,000 items of correspondence between magicians.
You can visit the real-life Winnie-the-Pooh. A. A. Milne purchased a teddy bear from Harrods for his son, Christopher Robin, in 1921. The bear was named Winnie-the-pooh after a real bear named Winnipeg at London Zoo, and a swan who featured in Milne’s When We Were Very Young. In 1926, Milne and illustrator E H Shepherd brought Pooh and his friends alive in their beloved children’s book Winnie-the-Pooh. Since 1987 Christopher Robin’s original stuffed bear, plus his companions Eeyore, Tigger, Kanga and Piglet have been owned by New York Public Library where they are displayed, much to the delight of visiting children (and grown-ups).
The rare books library at Harvard only exists because of the sinking of the Titanic. Book collector and Harvard graduate Harry Elkins Widener perished during the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 and as a result his mother, Eleanor Elkins Widener, endowed a library in his honor at Harvard. The Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library was established in 1915 and holds Widener’s personal book collection of 3,300 rare works at its heart. A legend persists that due to her son’s fate, Mrs. Widener made it a condition of her donation that all students must learn to swim. A second myth tells that she bequeathed an extra pot of money to ensure that all students could daily have ice cream for pudding as it was her son’s favorite dessert. Unfortunately, there is no evidence that either of these charming requests is true. So On Your Mark Get Set – Read at your local Library. There are lots of Tales of Tails. Just Stay Calm and Read On.