COLUMBUS, Ohio — The staff at Licking County Library in Downtown Newark recently had a book returned to them that was 93 years overdue.
Leah Nickell, a circulation supervisor at the library, said she was working at the desk when a patron came into the building to drop off a book that she found. The patron discovered it sitting on a shelf at a family member’s house when she was cleaning and brought it into the library.
The library’s marketing and PR specialist Olivia Chapman posted a reel to Instagram on Feb. 14, showing off the find.
“Heart Throbs: The Old Scrap Book” is a collection of poetry and prose from 1905.
Nickell said when the patron brought it in, she said she thought the library staff would get a laugh.
“It seems like the perfect time to post on Valentine’s Day and people really resonated with that thought of giving back and it kind of shows the importance of the library and how they wanted to bring it back to us,” said Chapman. “It’s a nice historical piece for us.”
Both Nickell and Chapman agree that it’s the oldest book they’ve ever had returned to them. It wasn’t listed in the system and left the library before the time of barcodes.
On the inside of the book, there is a paper cover that has the “Public Library of Newark Ohio” on it. Inside that cover is the due date list.
The first time it was checked out at the library was on April 20, 1931, and it was last checked out later that year in November — only to be returned to the library in 2024.
The reel posted to social media said, “It’s a good thing we’re now fine free.”