Library tales

I am a great fan of libraries, and an active member of three of them (two public and one University). I love libraries because they offer a cheap way to read an immense number of books you might not want to buy. Or do they?

Today, I heard that through a mistake in the system the University library has been sending me reminders to an old e-mail address I no longer use, which is why I didn't get any reminders, which is why I now owe them 35 euros (and the books of course), which is why I cannot borrow anything anymore until I pay the 35 euros, which wouldn't be such a tragedy if it weren't for the non-spending month (no, that's not true, it would be a minor tragedy regardless, but now it's aggravated), during which clearly I can neither a) buy the book I want to read nor b) pay the fine (although presumably, bringing back the books to ensure the fine does not increase any further should be not only possible but commendable).

Now, if this were an isolated incident, I might shrug my shoulders and blame it on the fickleness of fate. Unfortunately, it isn't. In fact, apart from the minor detail of the wrong e-mail address, I could tell this tale every month.

It seems that although I understand the borrowing bit of the library system, I have trouble coming to grips with the returning. It's not that I don't want to bring the books back, it's just that it consistently slips my mind. Until I need new books, at which point I'm desperate enough to pay whatever fine. But if I'm brutally honest with myself, I think being a member of three libraries, in my particular case, has been infinitely more costly than actually buying all the books I have been reading. And I read a lot.

So for the rest of the month, as I re-re-re-re-read the Forsyte Saga and long for Gilead, I will endeavour to invent a system that will help me out of my fining (or should it be fined) habit. Any help is welcome!