HOLLAND (WHTC) — Herrick District Library officials were delighted to receive a piece of mail this week from a long-ago patron. Library director Diane Kooiker received a package and a donation, with an apology for a 1967 oversight.
In a Facebook post, the library showcased part of a letter enclosed with a book on World War II — overdue by 49 years.
The enclosed note, according the library’s post, read, “I was a student at Hope College in 1967. I must have been doing a paper or some research on World War II as I checked out the enclosed book. Somewhere along the way it got mixed up with my personal things and put into a truck and shipped back to New York. I have moved the trunk many times but until recently never opened it. Upon doing so, I found your book. Please accept the book and my modest donation to cover what I am sure is a tremendous fine.”
“We received this letter in the mail this week. Love it,” read the library’s text on the Facebook post.
Kooiker, clearly delighted by the surprise return, told WHTC in an email, “The donation was appreciated!”
— Staff report
