Librarians are so fair

The headline in the Baltimore Sun reads,

Library patron 'borrows' way into prison
Record of 402 overdue items leads to Randallstown man's theft conviction, 3-year term

The article begins, If you're two weeks late in returning a book to the Baltimore County library, you're likely to get a phone call. If your book is four weeks overdue, you'll receive a notice in the mail.

And if you're Philip Akbar Shabazz, you're sent a letter that begins: "You currently have 402 items overdue from the Baltimore County Public Library. Fees and charges for these items amount to over $8,400."

Despite this guy using multiple (stolen?) cards to get hundreds of books (which it is believed he sold), the article ends in the best way possible:

Still, library officials said that if Shabazz were to square his account, he would no longer be barred from library branches.

"He would be welcomed back," Wheeler said.

I *love* librarians!

Read the whole article here.