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Overdue Library Book Returned After 50 Years

A university library in southwest Ohio got an unexpected shock when a former student returned a library book – 50 years after it was taken out.

James Phillips, of Minnesota, was a student at University of Dayton back in 1967 when he borrowed the ‘History of the Crusades’, according to Detroit Free Press. He was leaving the school to join the U.S. Marines shortly after checking out the book and says that it must have got gathered up with his other belongings and shipped to his parents’ house. His younger brother then acquired the book unknowingly until recently when he forwarded it to Phillips.

When returning the book he attached a note apologizing for the late return and that it “somehow got misplaced”.

Please accept my apologies for the absence of the enclosed book History of the Crusades. I apparently checked it out when I was a freshman student and somehow it got misplaced all these years

According to University of Dayton websiteKaty Kelly, University of Dayton communications and outreach librarianclaims that the university was unaware of the missing book and was not on any of the modern records. She says that it was “interesting to see a book that had no evidence of our modern technology” and that it was “very thoughtful of him”  to return the book after so long.

It was interesting to see a book that had no evidence of our modern technology returned. It still has the old borrowing card stamped with dates back to 1950. It was very thoughtful of him to do this because not everyone would choose to return it after so long

Phillips can now rest with a clear conscience since the 1967 policy was that students could only borrow books for 14 days. He stated that he was “relieved” that the book was back where it belonged.

I apologize for my oversight in not returning the book before I left the University of Dayton, but I feel much relieved knowing now that it has finally made its way home to where it belongs

The library, of course, decided not to make Phillips pay the late fee which today would have amounted to $350.

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