Particle.news
Download on the App Store
5 ARTICLES
·
4mo ago

82-Year-Overdue Parenting Guide Returns to San Antonio Library

It will be sold after its August display to fund library programs.

An overdue library book has found its way back to the San Antonio Public Library nearly 82 years after its due date. “Your Child, His Family, and Friends” by Frances Bruce Strain was checked out in July 1943 and due back 28 days later.
Overdue Book Makes Its Way Back to US Library After 82 Years 'Hope There's No Late Fee'
Image
Image

Overview

  • The 1943 volume Your Child, His Family, and Friends by Frances Bruce Strain was mailed back to San Antonio Public Library in June by an anonymous Oregon resident identifying only as P.A.A.G.
  • In an accompanying letter, the returner traced the book’s journey from the borrower’s grandmother—who worked at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City—to boxes discovered after her son’s death.
  • San Antonio Public Library’s 2021 elimination of overdue fines means no late fee will be charged despite the 82-year delay.
  • Library staff calculated that at three cents per day the book would have accrued about ₹78,600 (roughly $896) in nominal fees or about $16,000 when adjusted for inflation.
  • The guide is in good condition and is on view at the Central Library through the end of August before being donated to the Friends of SAPL and sold to support library programs.