Letter: Pursue book fines diligently

Thursday, July 1, 2004 | 8:43 a.m.

The recent action by the members of the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District board to write off more than $700,000 in overdue public library fines and unreturned books showed a lack of concern for the public interest.

This became even more reprehensible when a June 28 article in USA Today explained that almost 600 library systems employ the services of a collection agency to recover fines and books. According to an officer of the collection agency cited in the article, 70 percent of the delinquents respond when contacted. The cost of the agency's services are passed along to the delinquents.

Communities large and small throughout America use this means of recovering their property and the appropriate fines. Why should the Clark County system be any different? And why should the taxpayers of Southern Nevada have to incur the loss?

HERB JAFFE

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