Grand Rapids Man Finally Returns His Overdue Library Book 32 Years Later

We've all felt the shame of realizing we held on to something we borrowed or rented for a little too long.

When you were a kid maybe you forgot the two day rule for Blockbuster and ended up paying some late fees, or maybe you got a little too into that library book and held on to it for a few extra days.

And that may feel weird, but would you return something if it was overdue by 32 years?

On Tuesday morning, that's exactly what Tommy Russo did when he returned a book titled 'The English Language' to the main branch of the Grand Rapids Public Library after it was 32 years overdue.

He said that he found it in his father's home while he was packing up to move him, and decided to return it to the Grand Rapids Public Library.

I'm not sure if I would be brave enough to walk into the library after accidentally hoarding a book for over 30 years, but I will agree that he did the right thing by bringing it back.

How much are the late fees on a 32-year overdue library book?

Thankfully for Tommy and his dad, they won't have to mortgage their home to afford the late fees on this way overdue book.

Back in 2020, the Grand Rapids Public Library got rid of excessive overdue fees by only allowing them to rack up to the retail amount of the book. Once you get to that point, they consider it lost forever and only add a charge for what the book originally cost to your account

Now, the library gets to decide: is this book still relevant today and should it return to the shelf? If it does, here's hoping someone only holds it for a week or two this time.