San Antonio Public Library (SAPL) made a decision to stop charging fees for late returns last year. We believe that this policy change probably prompted one person to return The Beatles cassette they checked out more than four decades ago.
SAPL revealed the return of The Beatles cassette in a recent Facebook post. They attached a couple of photos of the cassette while writing that someone waited 44 years to return it.
“Luckily, we have been fine-free since October 2021, so even if you have an item to return that’s a year late, a decade late, and even four decades late, we will still accept it at NO charge!” the library wrote in the caption.
Speaking with The New York Post, SAPL marketing manager Scott Williams said the library doesn’t have data about the late fee charge back in the 1970s when the cassette was taken. In recent years, before the no-fee policy was put in place, the fine was 35 cents per day. The maximum fee careless borrowers faced was capped at $10.
The cassette actually didn’t contain any The Beatles music. Instead, it features a recording of John Lennon and Paul McCartney discussing several personal and band-related topics.
