The library continues to struggle with overdue books as the school year nears a close, despite a range of efforts made by the librarians at Palo Alto High School.
Paly librarian Deborah Henry said it is never too late to return books.
“We just got two books sent back to us from a student who graduated in 1961,” Henry said. “He found them when he was cleaning his home and sent me a note saying he came across these books yesterday. They’ve been in a family cardboard box for over 30 years.”
According to Paly librarian Sima Thomas, the library currently has 463 books checked out, with almost 300 overdue. Thomas said getting students to return library books had always been a challenge, regardless of having as penalties or not.
“Ever since I’ve been here as a librarian, there has been some level of issue with getting books back,” Thomas said. “(The year I started was the year they eliminated fines for overdue books. That’s a whole equity issue, and I’m 100% in favor of no fines, but there was a noticeable increase in the accumulation of overdue books because without something hanging over you.)”
Thomas said the librarians have tried many strategies to encourage students to bring back library books, including restricting yearbook and prom tickets until all books were returned, but that these policies were eventually scrapped to ensure equitable access for all students.
“Our last carrot on a stick is that seniors can’t get their tickets to graduation to give to their friends and family until they’ve cleared — not just library, but textbooks, library and gym equipment,” Thomas said. “All that sort of stuff has to be signed off, and for seniors, that does work.”
According to Thomas, another prominent factor contributing to unreturned books is English classes that prompt students to borrow from the library.
“What I noticed about the seniors who still have books out is that most of those books are left over from junior year in AP Lang because you check out a book every quarter,” Thomas said. “It’s great, but also frustrating when students don’t return them at the end because I have to go rebuy them and replace them.”
Senior Kalea Try, who needed to check out books for her English class, said reminders have helped her return books on time.
“During AP Lang class and whenever we check out a book, I’ve received the notices from the librarians or from the teacher, and I just return it as early as possible so I don’t have to worry about it later,” Try said. “You don’t want to postpone your stress.”
According to junior Vedaz Pengsom, having a stable plan to return books is enough to prevent an accumulation of overdue books.
“Usually I just finish the books within a week, which is definitely a lot less than how many days you get [to return the book],”Pengsom said. “I just try to have a consistent schedule — if you have a schedule that keeps you on time and you don’t stray away from it too much, then you’ll be good.”
According to Thomas, students shouldn’t be afraid to speak up about losing books and should prioritize properly communicating with the librarians.
“If you’ve lost a book and there’s a situation of financial hardship or you can’t afford to replace it, then you can come and tell me, and that’s fine,” Thomas said. “I can just mark it as lost, and I know it’s never coming back. I have no judgment about that. I get it and I don’t want to put anyone in a financially uncomfortable situation.”
