Library stamps - by Adam Smyth - TEXT!

By A Mystery Man Writer

Description

In a hands-on ritual that has now largely been replaced by the beep of a bar code reader, borrowing a library book for many decades involved the stamping of a return date on a sheet glued to the front or rear inside cover. Additionally, a paper card was removed from the ‘lending pocket’, usually glued to the bottom left inside cover, and the borrower’s name was written in, and it was also stamped with the return date. When the book was returned, the stamped date was struck through, and the book card replaced in the pocket. A late return meant, usually