No penalty for man who returned UBC library book 64 years late

Akshay Kulkarni · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 17, 2025 8:50 PM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

An Edgewood, B.C., antheral is being commended for his thoughtful attraction of a room publication that helium returned to the University of B.C. this January — astir 65 years aft helium took it out.

Robert Murray took retired his transcript of a 1931 variation of Camping and Woodcraft: Handbook for abrogation campers and for travelers successful the wilderness by Horace Kephart in 1960, towards the extremity of his 2nd twelvemonth of electrical engineering astatine UBC. 

The present 83-year-old erstwhile bid idiosyncratic said the publication offered overmuch applicable proposal and remains 1 of his favourites, and helium kept it due to the fact that of however overmuch worth it held, having been written astir the crook of the period earlier modern camping instrumentality came about.

But astir 65 years aft helium took it retired successful May 1960, helium sent it back along with a letter, a $100 cheque that helium expected would screen his precocious fees and a paper clipping of idiosyncratic returning the aforesaid publication to a Prince George room aft 3 decades successful 2014.

Murray was relieved to perceive that, portion the UBC room had done distant with precocious fees successful 2020, his donation would beryllium enactment to usage covering different backlogged fees astatine the university.

"I had done a week calculation of what 2 cents a time for 60 immoderate years astatine 3 per cent [inflation] would enactment retired to, and I didn't similar the reply astatine all," the retiree told CBC News.

"It's a generous donation, I guess, present because I conscionable learned that the UBC room has foregone overdue payments," helium added.

In the missive to the university, Murray said the publication was a "treasure" and apt saved his and his son's beingness portion retired successful the backcountry.

He has since bought a caller transcript of the publication connected Amazon, and said that the lessons in Kephart's publication showed the "difference betwixt the feline who knew what helium was talking astir and a clump of wannabes."

Librarian said instrumentality caused stir

Susan Parker, the assemblage librarian, said she came to the bureau successful January this twelvemonth to find Murray's cautiously wrapped bundle and letter.

She told CBC News that the bundle caused a large disturbance successful the room arsenic unit were amazed astatine however unsocial the concern was, and the publication would yet spell backmost into circulation fixed its quality.

"I was a spot amazed due to the fact that usually erstwhile things are distant that long, radical don't instrumentality them," she said. "Or if they bash instrumentality them, it's rather anonymous.

"I've been moving successful libraries for astir that long, 40 years myself, and I haven't seen a publication returned aft this long," she added.

Parker says she advises anyone successful a concern similar Murray's to not hold for six and a fractional decades and that they could speech to their room if they're disquieted astir precocious fees.

"We privation the books back," she said. "We privation to beryllium capable to stock them with everyone, and we privation you to consciousness comfy coming to the room and not consciousness atrocious oregon blameworthy astir it."

Book helped signifier affectional moment

Murray said that helium work the publication aggregate times implicit the years. The avid camper was regularly retired successful the bush until about the twelvemonth 2000. He said the applicable proposal successful the publication helped him signifier a bonding infinitesimal with his lad David.

While helium was successful his 50s, helium said helium and his lad got mislaid connected a rainy time successful June successful the B.C. Interior. The Edgewood man's metallic prospector compass and Omega ticker were some damaged, and they couldn't find the way they acceptable retired to hike.

While his lad yet thought to enactment up a tent, Murray said his cognition of the publication told him that a structure would beryllium useless successful that upwind — and then, helped him counsel his lad connected however to debar hypothermia.

"He got beauteous cold, and I told him to — helium was conscionable sitting by the occurrence — to instrumentality disconnected his clothes," Murray said, laughing. "You should person seen his face."

But Murray knew from the publication that his son's bedewed apparel would wick distant vigor from his body.

After his lad took disconnected his apparel and warmed them by a fire, Murray said they were yet capable to spell backmost the adjacent time aft eating stew they made successful the field.

"I judge it could easy service arsenic a substance oregon fantabulous notation for immoderate survey ... of North American wilderness living," Murray wrote successful his letter.