ABSTRACT
The author examines three North Carolina public libraries—Cumberland County, Dare County, and Catawba County—and their experiences with the legal side of overdues. Cumberland County’s procedure of taking delinquent patrons to court is outlined, and a particular case is examined. Dare County’s local County Attorney had a special law enacted for that county by the 1983 General Assembly; the implications for the library’s procedures are noted. Attention is given to the enacting by Catawba County’s Commissioners of a local ordinance governing overdue library materials.
(Editor’s note: This article was compiled with information provided by Ricki Brown, Head of Adult Services, Cumberland County Public Library, Fayetteville, NC; Amy Frazer, Dare County Librarian, Manteo, NC; and John Pritchard, Director, Catawba County Public Library, Newton, NC.)
