British Columbia

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

An Edgewood, B.C., man is being commended for his thoughtful maintenance of a library book that he returned to the University of B.C. this January — nearly 65 years after he took it out.

Robert Murray, now 83, took out a copy of a camping handbook in 1960, and returned it with a $100 cheque

A composite of a smiling old white man and a somewhat tattered library book.
Robert Murray took out a camping handbook in 1960 from the University of B.C. and returned it a mere 64 years later. He said he never felt guilty about having it for so long because it had only been borrowed once in the 10 years before he took it out. (CBC, UBC Library Communications & Marketing)

An Edgewood, B.C., man is being commended for his thoughtful maintenance of a library book that he returned to the University of B.C. this January — nearly 65 years after he took it out.

Robert Murray took out his copy of a 1931 edition of Camping and Woodcraft: Handbook for vacation campers and for travelers in the wilderness by Horace Kephart in 1960, towards the end of his second year of electrical engineering at UBC. 

The now 83-year-old former train worker said the book offered much practical advice and remains one of his favourites, and he kept it because of how much value it held, having been written around the turn of the century before modern camping equipment came about.

But nearly 65 years after he took it out in May 1960, he sent it back along with a letter, a $100 cheque that he expected would cover his late fees and a newspaper clipping of someone returning the same book to a Prince George library after three decades in 2014.

A man wearing graduation robes smiles while next to other people.
Robert Murray graduated from the University of B.C. with an electrical engineering degree in 1963. He said he kept the book for decades afterwards because of how practical it was. (Robert Murray via UBC)

Murray was relieved to hear that, while the UBC library had done away with late fees in 2020, his donation would be put to use covering other backlogged fees at the university.

"I had done a week calculation of what two cents a day for 60 some years at three per cent [inflation] would work out to, and I didn't like the answer at all," the retiree told CBC News.

"It's a generous donation, I guess, now because I just learned that the UBC library has foregone overdue payments," he added.

A photo of a camping handbook, with instructions on putting up tents.
The overdue camping handbook featured much practical advice, according to Murray, who said it predated a lot of modern camping equipment and, therefore, made him more hardy while out in the backcountry. (UBC Library Communications & Marketing)

In the letter to the university, Murray said the book was a "treasure" and likely saved his and his son's life while out in the backcountry.

He has since bought a new copy of the book on Amazon, and said that the lessons in Kephart's book showed the "difference between the guy who knew what he was talking about and a bunch of wannabes."

WATCH | Murray returns book 64 years late: 

#TheMoment a B.C. man returned a library book 64 years late

21 hours ago
Duration 1:24
Robert Murray recounts returning a library book 64 years past due and University of British Columbia librarian Susan Parker, recounts the moment she received it.

Librarian said return caused stir

Susan Parker, the university librarian, said she came to the office in January this year to find Murray's carefully wrapped package and letter.

She told CBC News that the package caused a major stir in the library as staff were amazed at how unique the situation was, and the book would eventually go back into circulation given its quality.

A woman reads a letter at a desk.
University of B.C. librarian Susan Parker is seen reading Murray's letter. She said his neatly-wrapped package caused a stir in the office, and she commended Murray's maintenance of the nearly century-old book. (UBC Library Communications & Marketing)

"I was a bit surprised because usually when things are away that long, people don't return them," she said. "Or if they do return them, it's quite anonymous.

"I've been working in libraries for almost that long, 40 years myself, and I haven't seen a book returned after this long," she added.

A photo of a book lying on a typed-up letter next to an envelope.
The University of B.C. librarian says that Murray's copy was in pristine condition despite having been returned six decades after it was taken out, and it would go back into circulation. The B.C. man had sent a letter of explanation and a cheque to cover his late fees along with the book. (UBC Library Communications & Marketing)

Parker says she advises anyone in a situation like Murray's to not wait for six and a half decades and that they could talk to their library if they're worried about late fees.

"We want the books back," she said. "We want to be able to share them with everyone, and we want you to feel comfortable coming to the library and not feel bad or guilty about it."

A newspaper clipping with a headline reading 'Overdue library book returned after 30 years, or maybe more'.
In his package, Murray included a newspaper clipping of someone in Prince George, B.C., returning a later edition of the same handbook to a library after 30 years. (UBC Library Communications & Marketing)

Book helped form emotional moment

Murray said that he read the book multiple times over the years. The avid camper was regularly out in the bush until about the year 2000. He said the practical advice in the book helped him form a bonding moment with his son David.

While he was in his 50s, he said he and his son got lost on a rainy day in June in the B.C. Interior. The Edgewood man's silver prospector compass and Omega watch were both damaged, and they couldn't find the trail they set out to hike.

A well-built man leans against a boat railing.
Robert Murray said he travelled a lot as a youth, and the advice in the book helped his son avoid hypothermia while on a trip. He is seen here on a boat. (Robert Murray via UBC)

While his son eventually thought to put up a tent, Murray said his knowledge of the book told him that a tent would be useless in that weather — and then, helped him advise his son on how to avoid hypothermia.

"He got pretty cold, and I told him to — he was just sitting by the fire — to take off his clothes," Murray said, laughing. "You should have seen his face."

A man is seen with a mountain peak looming over him.
Robert Murray near the Matterhorn peak in Switzerland. The avid outdoorsman said he regularly went into the backcountry until at least 2000. (Robert Murray via UBC)

But Murray knew from the book that his son's wet clothes would wick away heat from his body.

After his son took off his clothes and warmed them by a fire, Murray said they were eventually able to go back the next day after eating stew they made in the field.

"I believe it could easily serve as a text or excellent reference for any study ... of North American wilderness living," Murray wrote in his letter.

A UBC librarian, Susan Parker, says she was surprised and thrilled to get a borrowed book back that was 64 years overdue. Edgewood man Robert Murray, who borrowed it, says he didn't feel bad keeping it past its return date in 1960.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Akshay Kulkarni

Journalist

Akshay Kulkarni is an award-winning journalist who has worked at CBC British Columbia since 2021. Based in Vancouver, he is most interested in data-driven stories. You can email him at [email protected].

With files from Andrew Kitchen