TITUSVILLE — An overdue library book recently returned to Titusville’s Benson Memorial Library isn’t being offered for loan again.
It’s on display instead in the office of the library at 213 N. Franklin St.
“Lombardi: Winning is the Only Thing” was last checked out in 1973 and was due to be returned on July 26 of that year. Instead it was returned this fall, 51 years later, along with a donation to cover the fine — if there was one — plus interest.
“It was a huge surprise,” said library Executive Director Jessica Hilburn, who was not working when the reader brought the book and donation to the library. “The staff texted me to let me know. We were all floored by it.”
The long-ago Benson Library patron no longer lives in the area but stopped in during a visit several weeks ago, Hilburn said.
“Out of the goodness of his heart, he brought the book back after he found it while going through some things,” she said.
The library is not releasing the man’s name or the amount of his donation, to protect his privacy, Hilburn said. In a similar case, a book checked out in May 1973 from the Worcester Public Library in Massachusetts was returned this summer. That book would have cost the borrower almost $2,000 if that library still collected fines, according to CNN.
Benson Memorial Library did share news of the “Lombardi” return on Facebook, describing it as “a wonderful delight we never could have anticipated and a story we’ll remember forever.”
It “brought us so much joy,” Hilburn said.
How much are Benson Memorial Library overdue book fines?
The borrower could simply have discarded the book and ignored the fine. The statute of limitations on the return, if one existed, would have been long past. And in fact Benson Memorial Library, along with the entire Crawford County Federated Library System, has not been charging fines for overdue books since 2021.
The donation given with the book, like any donation, will help the library pay operating costs, including buying materials and subscriptions, Hilburn said.
The man’s kindness may do more in boosting and promoting the library.
“It’s been so nice to share his love of the library,” Hilburn said. “Even 51 years after he last checked out his last book, he still remembers the library and appreciates the services we provide.”
“Lombardi: Winning is the Only Thing,” edited by Jerry Kramer, is about football coaching great Vince Lombardi.
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Contact Valerie Myers at [email protected].
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