Detroit library reject return of book overdue for 50 years

A former Detroit-area resident attempted to return a library book that was 50 years overdue — but the library told him to keep it.

Chuck Hildebrandt, who now lives in the Chicago area, said he was recently looking through the books on his shelf when he spotted a copy of Baseball’s Zaniest Stars by Howard Liss and noticed it had a Dewey decimal number on the spine.

Hildebrandt soon realized he had checked the book out from the Warren Public Library on Dec. 4, 1974.

“I was so embarrassed,” he told the Detroit Free Press.

The man returned to Metro Detroit for Thanksgiving and tried to return the book, but was told that the book was no longer in the system, along with any record of his having checked it out. Librarians told him he could keep the book, and he would not be charged the 25-cents per day overdue fee — which would have amounted to $4,563.75.

Hildebrandt is now attempting to raise the amount of that waived fee to donate to nonprofit literacy group Reading is Fundamental. He put in the first $457, about 10% of the amount, himself, and is trying to crowdfund the rest.