According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the record for the longest overdue library book was set in 1956, when a book about the Archbishop of Bremen was returned by Professor Sir John Plumb to a library in the U.K. after being checked out 288 years prior in 1668 by Colonel Robert Walpole. Thankfully, no fine was charged.
Do you have a stack of books to return to the library still sitting by your front door? Return them for others to enjoy during Return Borrowed Books Week, March 3-9! Your librarians will thank you!