Even the dead apparently have to pay the fines on their overdue books at one Westchester County library. Elizabeth Schaper said she was charged a 50-cent late fee while turning in a book that her late mother had checked out of a Harrison Public Library branch.
"I was in shock," Schaper said. "This has rocked me to my core."
Schaper's mother, Ethel Schaper, died at the age of 87 on Sept. 16 after suffering a massive stroke. A few days later, Schaper said she found a library book, "The Price of Silence," by Camilla Trinchieri, that her mother had checked out from the library.
"My mother was an avid reader she read an average of two books a week," Schaper said. "She was a frequent patron of the library."
Schaper said she returned the book last week, and was stunned when the man behind the library counter told her of the 50-cent fee.
"I told him that maybe he didn't hear me right, that my mother had just died, otherwise I'm sure that she would have returned it on time," Schaper said. "His only reply was that, 'That will be 50 cents.'"
Connie Perrotta, a secretary for the director of the Harrison Public Library, confirmed the incident occurred but said that the library would have no comment.
Schaper said a couple days after the incident another library employee called to apologize and offered to return the fine she had paid.
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Information from: The Journal News, http://www.thejournalnews.com
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oh yes, you must always satisfy the monkey. Strong and Beautiful smells like a monkey
It sounds like that guy was poorly trained or more burnt out than I am! Shhh, don't tell - but we waive the fine if your books are over-due because you died.
I had a disagreement with my library a couple of months ago. My computer was down, and I had an online training module to complete. I went to the library but soon used up my hour on the computer.
I went to use a computer in the completely empty children's section as I've done many times, but was told that adults could not enter there without children. The head librarian's reasoning was convoluted, but seemed to involve wanting to protect children from possible predators.
Considering that school-age children were in school at the time, and pre-schoolers should certainly not be left in the library without adult supervision, I had to wonder what she thought she was accomplishing.
I called the main library and they said they would speak to the librarian about her policy, but it was too late to get my training module done.
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So make the best of this test, and don't ask why.
It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time. - Green Day
oh yes, you must always satisfy the monkey. 
