Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

OVERDUE LIBRARY BOOK FINE CALCULATOR

Date Range From

1970

Date Range To

1985

Materials

WOOD, PLASTIC, METAL

No. Pieces

1

Height

7.5

Length

17.5

Width

7.5

Description

RECTANGULAR PIECE OF WOOD WITH ANGLED METAL BRACKET FIXED TO BACK AS A STAND, TO PROP UP WOOD AT AN ANGLE. PAPER CARD WITH DESCENDING NUMERICAL VALUES AND TEXT READING “GAYLORD FINE CALCULATOR” IS FIXED TO TOP SIDE OF WOOD WITH A SHEET OF CLEAR PLASTIC AND SIX METAL SLOTTED SCREWS. A STRIP OF METAL HOLDS SQUARE PIECES OF BLACK PLASTIC IN A VERTICAL ROW ALONG THE RIGHT SIDE; EACH PLASTIC PIECE HAS A NUMBER FROM 1 TO 31 STAMPED IN WHITE INK. MINOR WEAR ON BOTTOM EDGE; OVERALL VERY GOOD CONDITION.

Subjects

DATA PROCESSING T&E

Historical Association

EDUCATION

History

THIS FINE CALCULATOR WAS USED BY STAFF AT THE LETHBRIDGE PUBLIC LIBRARY. ON MAY 1, 2015 COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN INTERVIEWED LINDA MCELRAVY, WHO WORKED AT THE LIBRARY’S MAIN BRANCH STARTING IN 1978, RETIRING FROM HER POSITION AS ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC SERVICES IN 2008. MCELRAVY SAID: “THIS [WOULD HAVE BEEN USED] FOR CALCULATING OVERDUE FINES AND THESE WOULD BE THE NUMBERS OF THE MONTH… IF [THE BOOK] WAS DUE BACK ON THE 30TH THEN THAT’S HOW MUCH YOU OWED… UNTIL ’92 WE ONLY HAD ONE [CIRCULATION] DESK SO… WE’RE ASSUMING THAT WAS USED AT THE MAIN CIRCULATION DESK… IT WOULD HAVE BEEN USED [PRIOR TO THE AUTOMATION OF THE LIBRARY’S SYSTEM] BECAUSE WE HAD NO OTHER WAY TO CALCULATE [FINES] BUT ONCE THE COMPUTER CAME ALONG THE CIRCULATION MODULES ALWAYS CALCULATED FINES SO IT WASN’T [NEEDED ANYMORE] - ANOTHER THING THAT BECAME REDUNDANT AT THAT POINT.” THE FOLLOWING BRIEF HISTORY OF THE LETHBRIDGE PUBLIC LIBRARY WAS DEVELOPED WITH INFORMATION FROM THE LIBRARY’S WEBSITE. IN 1911 A CITY BYLAW WAS PASSED FOR THE PROVISION OF A LOCAL LIBRARY TO BE ESTABLISHED, AND EIGHT YEARS LATER LETHBRIDGE’S FIRST LIBRARY SERVICE WAS OPERATED OUT OF TWO ROOMS IN THE YMCA BUILDING. IN 1922, THE CARNEGIE LIBRARY BUILDING IN GALT GARDENS OPENED, WITH AN EXTENSION ADDED IN 1951. IN 1956 A NORTH BRANCH WAS OPENED, AND A SOUTH BRANCH FOLLOWED IN 1974. THE LETHBRIDGE PUBLIC LIBRARY MAIN BRANCH ON STAFFORD DRIVE SOUTH WAS COMPLETED IN 1974, WITH AN EXTENSION AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHINOOK ARCH REGIONAL LIBRARY SYSTEM IN 1992. IN 1989 THE LIBRARY ADOPTED THE DYNIX AUTOMATED CATALOGUE SYSTEM, AND IN 1997 INTRODUCED PUBLIC INTERNET ACCESS COMPUTERS. IN 2010, THE CROSSINGS BRANCH OPENED IN WEST LETHBRIDGE. SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR HARDCOPIES OF FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT AND ONLINE SOURCE MATERIAL.

Catalogue Number

P20140025002

Acquisition Date

2014-07

Collection

Museum

Less detail