Nita's REALLY Overdue book

[nita13579]

Nita's Book

This is a very good subject to discuss. Maybe Mrs. Lesser let her buy it, or she is a wizard herself. She was only in the first book so far, but I really like her character. Maybe she let her have it to keep.

[kk]

But Mrs. Lesser wouldn't have known that she didn't check it out. Mrs. Lesser was, as said in the book, the weekend librarian. She told Nita to bring it back in Monday to have it stamped then. So Mrs. Lesser probably wouldn't have been the one to stamp the book, even if Nita had brought it back. And nobody else would know that Nita ever took the book.

Even if it was set in modern times, and it was all being checked with present-day computer systems, it would just appear as if the book was still checked in, and Mrs. Lesser would probably think Nita had just read it quickly, and returned it.

And I bet Kit payed for his Manual, since it was at an antique store, but it was probably rather inexpensive, as secondhand books often are. And you know it was very worth it, no matter how much it cost.

[anotherBob]

She may have been just the weekend librarian but it was Mrs. Lesser's who had put the Dewey number on the book. It had supposedly been there for a long time, but at the same time, it had never been there. I doubt Mrs Lesser would have remembered it nor would it have been in any of the records of books the library owned. If she had gone back to turn it in, the librarians would just tell her that she couldn't have gotten it there and let her keep it.

Bob

[Crawl]

I do think the manual would have a way of dealing with the problem if nita really needed to go back to the library but I don't think it's ever been mentioned that Nita had to go to that particular library ever again. As bad as it is she could always just never return it. The librarian isn't likely to hunt her down even if they have her address and it's listed on the computer as way way overdue. She could always use some type of transport spell to commute to a different library to get books.

[Rianne]

you can't use any branch libraries in the city, if you have a book overdue at one. (or at least where I live it is like that.) I was also wondering about it, but then decided the book probably wasn't part of the library [database] and the manual just... disguised it's self, kind of...

[nangke]

The only time I haven't been able to check out books while I was overdue was when I was using the library at a local community college. Otherwise none of the 3 library systems I currently have cards for have prevented me from checking out books when I have an overdue balance (not that I leave fines unpaid if I can help it :P).

I'm starting to get really curious about how wizard manuals come to be now. But I think we might be putting too much stock in the notion that the books Nita and Kit pick up were already manuals (with some kind of obfuscating field to those without the will or talent for magic) waiting for wizard candidates, because that presumes they were placed or abandoned by persons or powers unknown.

I guess right now I imagine that the books didn't become wizard manuals until the moment when wizardly potential reaches critical mass around or in the would-be wizard. Like they're gathering a static charge that doesn't become a spark until they chance upon an object (and this could cover books, computers, or even wind, I suppose) that to them represents knowledge, power -- maybe even a little salvation or peace.

Anyway, m2c

[SpacePen]

ooh, I like that idea. When the potential wizard is at the right moment, the thing they think of as giving knowledge becomes what they need.

Hm.

Except there are wizards who sort of.. specialize in experimenting with applying the manual to new formats. Wasn't there a mention of Dairine getting her manual in a computer "early" - that is to say, while the manuals as computers were still being prototyped or beta tested?