As Arthur taught us, having fun isn’t hard when you’ve got a library card. However, the song doesn’t mention anything about holding onto a library book for five decades, as Chuck Hildebrandt did.
As the Detroit Free Press reports, the 63-year-old Hildebrandt first checked out Baseball’s Zaniest Stars from Michigan’s Warren Public Library in 1974. The book remained in Hildebrandt’s possession through various moves and other life changes before he discovered it again about five or six years ago. He then decided he’d finally return it upon the 50th anniversary of the checkout date.
But when he arrived back at the Warren Public Library, where a quarter-a-day late fee over 50 years adds up to a fine of more than $4,500, he found that it had “zero interest” in taking the book or any money from him.
“Some people never come back to face the music,” says library director Oksana Urban. “But there was really no music to face, because he and the book were erased from our system.”
Hildebrandt is certainly lucky his case wasn’t transferred to Lt. Bookman.