It is a problem at every library, but KGMB9 went to the University of Hawaii to find out just what they are missing, how much they are owed, and how they can collect.

Every book that is checked out of a university library is stamped with a due date, but not everything is returned on time.

"I brought back two books from the Hawaiian and Pacific collection. They were two days late and I paid two dollars," said graduate student Kristy Perez-Kaiwi after paying her fine at Hamilton Library.

Two dollars and just two days late is no big deal.

"But it's not uncommon to have a patron who has a couple hundred dollars (in late fees) if they haven't paid attention to their fines and fees," said Gregg Geary, head librarian at Sinclair Library. "It's kind of a carrot and stick. The carrot is we loan the stuff free of charge, and the stick is that if you don't bring it back, we charge a fine."

Geary's got a list of more than 3,000 overdue items.

"Here's one that pops out at me. Music of Ancient Hawaii," Geary said while thumbing through the list.

When the fine for a particular item reaches $10, the item is considered lost and the person who borrowed it is hit with a replacement fee and a processing charge. It can really add up.

The most currently owed by any one person; $14,080 by a guy who checked out 176 DVDs and did not return them.

"As of the 28th of February we had $252,537 that were owed Manoa libraries. That's including Sinclair and Hamilton libraries together," Geary told KGMB9.

That is a lot of money and a lot of missing resources.

"[It can] Mess you up pretty big. Especially when that's a book you need for if you're writing a paper," said UH student Nathan Lucrisia.

Of course keeping the stacks stocked with books and other educational resources is a priority for the libraries, so items that are 180 days past due are turned over to a collection agency. People who owe can not get their diplomas or their transcripts. And if they refuse to pay, money can be taken from their state tax returns.

"Libraries by their very nature are a shared resource. We loan material with the expectation that people will return it when they're done with it. When they don't do that, of course, it messes up the system," Geary said.

No one has messed up the system longer than the person who borrowed a book called "Songwriters, Now & Then (1910 - 1974)."

The book was checked-out in September 1987 and it still has not been returned.

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