Man Gets to Keep Library Book After 50 Years. Now He's Raising the Money He Would Have Owed in Late Fees for Charity

Mar. 15, 2025

Chuck Hildebrandt.Photo:Terrie Wendricks

Terrie Wendricks

A Chicago man recently got some good news when he was learned that he can keep the overdue library book he’s had for 50 years free of charge. Now, he’s trying to pay it forward.

A few years ago, Chuck Hildebrandt, 63, discovered he still had a copy ofBaseball’s Zaniest Stars, which he checked out from his hometown library, the Warren County Library in Michigan, on Dec. 4, 1974, according to theDetroit Free Press.

Deciding to keep the book until 2024 to mark the 50th anniversary of checking it out, Hildebrandt recently attempted to return it, theAssociated Pressreported. Although he was prepared to face the financial consequences, he was completely taken aback at the library’s actual response.

“When I started contacting them a month before the due date, they didn’t reply. Three emails and a phone call, and they didn’t return any of them,” Hildebrandt tells PEOPLE. “It had not occurred to me even once they wouldn’t even be interested in receiving the book back.”

He went on to explain that the book had already been removed from the library’s system, which helped him escape a hefty fine.

“I did go into the library day before Thanksgiving, saw the library director, and presented her the book. They checked their system; the book (and I, the patron) had already been deleted. So she said, might as well keep the book, and don’t worry, no fine,” Hildebrandt says.

Chuck Hildebrandt.Terrie Wendricks

But how much would he have theoretically owed in late fees?

Well, according to theDetroit Free Press,at 25 cents per day,it would have ended up costing a staggering $4,563.75.

“When I saw that very exact number, I suddenly felt very embarrassed and maybe even a little ashamed, and even though they’d forgiven the fine, I felt like I needed to do something to make things right,” Hildebrandt tells PEOPLE.

So he decided to raise the amount he would have owedvia GoFundMe, to benefit Reading is Fundamental, a nonprofit literacy group.

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Warren Public Library.Warren Public Library/Facebook

Warren Public Library/Facebook

Since then, there have been dozens of additional donations and as of Monday, Dec. 23, the fundraiser has made over $5,000.

And, he adds, “I hope we can raise a lot more.”

source: people.com