Many library books returned damaged
Written by Writer on Friday, November 14th, 2008
Many library books returned damaged
The Yomiuri Shimbun
Many books borrowed from public libraries are being returned with signs of having been handled roughly.
Some books have been stained with round marks, apparently after being used as coasters for drinks or dishes, while others have come back with animal bite marks. Other books have been subject to nasty pranks, including the spoiling of detective novel endings by revealing the criminal’s name at the beginning of the book.
Because many people use libraries, it is difficult to identify the perpetrators. Even if the culprits are asked to pay compensation, few respond.
At a public library in a Tokyo ward, more than 1,000 damaged books could not be returned to the shelves in the last fiscal year. The books were returned by borrowers with pages cut out or warped by moisture. Such cases have been increasing in recent years. A library worker said sadly that staff members could only remove such damaged books from the shelves.
At a public library in the northern Kanto area, a book was returned with half-eaten chocolate stuck between the pages.
“I found many books with food and juice stains, probably because people read the books while eating and drinking,” a librarian there said. “Kids used to read books after they washed their hands, but I seldom see them take such precautions nowadays.”
About six months ago, a staff member at a public library in the Kinki district found a picture book that had been returned with nearly all the pages covered in crayon scribbles. When a library worker brought the damage to the attention of the woman who returned the book, the borrower said, “this [damage] should be permissible since we are paying taxes,” the staff member said.
At a public library in the Tohoku region, a staff member found a detective novel with red lines drawn under the criminal’s name, letting new readers know who the culprit is before they finish the book.
“It’s such bad behavior to deprive readers of the pleasure of reading a detective novel,” a librarian fumed.
Eleven public libraries in Nerima Ward, Tokyo, started to keep borrowers’ contact information in January so they can trace users when damage is found in returned books. They contacted 54 users who had returned damaged books by the end of September.
Of the 54, only four admitted responsibility and paid for the damaged property. Many of those borrowers claimed the damage had been done before they borrowed the books, or said they did not remember if they had damaged the books.
One user reportedly got angry just for being contacted by a library staff member, saying, “I’m being treated like a criminal.”
“It’s difficult to identify people who damage books and library staff can’t pursue them too aggressively,” said Kaname Matsuoka, secretary general of the Japan Library Association. “Users should understand that the convenience of libraries depends on relying on users to treat borrowed books carefully.”
(Nov. 14, 2008)
