World, Writing, Wealth discussion

Don't know whether this behavior is global or only some local peculiarity, but I suspect a return rate of borrowed books may not be very high.
I see that people complain about it on the web: https://www.quora.com/Why-dont-people...
Libraries stipulate financial guarantees and fines to make sure they have their titles back.
What's your experience: is a lent book likely to return back?

My experience is a lent book is a donated book

Can't say about person-to-person loaning, but if it was that big a problem with libraries, communities would just shut them down because of the money lost through books not being returned.

J.J. wrote: "Can't say about person-to-person loaning, but if it was that big a problem with libraries, communities would just shut them down because of the money lost through books not being returned."

As far as I know many libraries 'secure' the return through credit card deposit or check..

There is also the point that libraries are dispassionate, and will pursue. In New Zealand, public libraries tend to be owned by the city, so they can simply recover costs through local body taxes. But if you lend a book to a relation, say, are you really going to go after them through legal proceedings?

Same rules for me as lending money. When I lend books, I do it with the expectation that I'll never see them again, so I don't lend what I'm not willing to lose. Life's too short. When I get a book back, I'm pleasantly surprised.

I estimate the chance of return at 50% :) And what's your experience?

Well here in the states if you do not return the books and you have outstanding dues, your library privileges are suspended until you pay the fines. Now going to some other library in your county will not help either as everything is networked through the computer system and it will red flag through the system that you owe the dues.

I did notice something interesting in one of my local libraries is that they now have swap book boxes. You can take books in and get books out for free.

They also have a program called Friends of the Library and the library will have a weekend normally in the spring and fall where they will sell books. This is when they become overloaded from donations and need to sell the books.

Explaination of the freebie books - no checkout required is what I meant - they do not track them. :)

I'm meticulous about returning books I've borrowed. How about you guys?

I always return, except didn't have a chance to give back to my Portuguese teacher O Demónio e a Senhorita Prym , which weighs on my conscience :)

When I have taken books out I have
always made sure to get them back on time. I do not like worrying about returning so I make sure I keep track of when they are due.

Though since I have my kindle it is way easier for returned books as once I borrow them from the overdrive system they automatically will disappear off my kindle when the due date arrives and are returned to the digital system of the library without a worry from me about keeping track of when they are due.

It has been a long time since anyone borrowed a book. Mostly, before that, it was my daughter who borrowed my books, so they did come back.

I can't recall in my life ever having lent a book that wasn't returned, and I always returned what I borrowed, but I never had many friends that were readers, let alone science fiction readers.

Our local library used to have fines. Don't know if they still do. I have never returned a book late. They have some racks of paperbacks that are take one, leave one.

Our Friends of the Library sell books cheap. They have a decent number to choose from. We have a 2nd Friend of the Library that outrgrew that room and opened up a store size location with books, CDs, vinyl, movies. Basically a used book store. They are a bit more expensive but do a half price day once a month and things that encourage people to shop there.

I go to both to look for some books I want to in printed form or which I am willing to pay a dollar or two for and then put them into one of the community Little Library places. Mostly though, I use them to buy children's books because it is so much less expensive than buying new.

If I borrow a book, it always returns. If I lend a book and I say I want it back, I expect it back and I usually get it back.

I always return books, too. A couple of years ago, I let my neighbor borrow three mythology books, expecting to get them back, as I always return hers. A couple of weeks ago, I asked her if she would return the books, especially the illustrated one, as my son had asked about it to read to his son. Well, I got that one back, but not the other two, and I'm not going to ask again. They're gone.

What's your experience?

I will only lend a book to one of my adult children, grandchildren, or sons-in-law. They have always returned them within a reasonable time. Everyone else (many have tried), I politely, but firmly, refuse their request.

I've learned that "lending" a book means "giving away" a book, so I never lend anything that I want back. Even trusted friends fail to return them.

Scout wrote: "I've learned that "lending" a book means "giving away" a book, so I never lend anything that I want back. Even trusted friends fail to return them."

Unfortunately I know that feeling all too well.

I was visiting some friends down the shore (NJ) and noticed that a lot of people have these "lawn libraries" - they put out a case of books they don't want, and you're supposed to take one and give one. Is this a thing anywhere else?

Barbara wrote: "I was visiting some friends down the shore (NJ) and noticed that a lot of people have these "lawn libraries" - they put out a case of books they don't want, and you're supposed to take one and give..."

They are called Little Free Libraries. It’s a real thing.

https://littlefreelibrary.org/

When I was 14 I was reading The Stand. A neighbor lady at our community’s pool saw me reading it. She loaned me Night Shift and I loaned her book:The Stand|644283].

In the meantime she hired me to babysit her two kids. I returned her book. Waited months to get my book back. One day I saw the book while babysitting and it was torn, dog eared and I didn’t want it back at that point and didn’t ask about it ever again (never got it back either).

I was traumatized and never loaned a book to anyone again until 38 years later. I thought it was safe to loan my own daughter a book. She was an avid reader as well and loaned me many of her books. Sometimes she would just hand me books she read and tell me I would like these too. The book disappeared. I think she loaned to a friend. She claimed she returned it.

That is why I never loan books out. Even your own family can’t be trusted to return a book.