# This makes me very upset. (Photos)



## Prazzie (Oct 25, 2009)

I have to write a paper, so I went to our university library to get some research materials. I just opened the most important book now and this is what I found:










































The whole book looks like that. Who can read like this? Just one more reason for me to shun paper books and stick to my Kindle. I'm going to search for an electronic version of the book now.

I don't even write in my own books, so to see a book from a library abused in this way just makes me mad.


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## TotallyEpic (Aug 14, 2010)

Hmm. It may have been donated, with the original owner having done that highlighting.

That would really grind me gears too. What book is it?


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## Prazzie (Oct 25, 2009)

It's Discipline and Punish by Michel Foucault. The highlighters are definitely various people. I've got several different markers in different stages of fading, underlining by hand, with a ruler, the squiggly line genius in the photos and different handwriting. Block letters, cursive, some of them wrote horizontally, others wrote vertically in the margins.

What really gets to me is that some of them underlined entire pages and then marked it as important. Why not just quote the whole book? Ugh.

I paged through the whole book, hoping they would've lost some enthusiasm, but no, the whole book is filled with these marks. In some instances, sentences have been scratched out in pencil. WHY?

The book doesn't appear to be available in the Kindle store.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

Incredibly frustrating.  It would be hard to read and to determine what you find important.

I am strongly opposed to book abuse.  I had trouble underlining even my own textbooks.


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## Prazzie (Oct 25, 2009)

These chronic highlighters would probably have a seizure if they discovered there exists a device that enables you to make searchable annotated notes.

I'm taking the book back tomorrow and I'm going to show it to the librarian and tell her that it's practically useless now.


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## kevinpars (Nov 14, 2008)

My wife is a Collection librarian and there is no way that a donated book in this condition would make it to the shelves.  In fact, most libraries don't even take book donations and if they do they use them for book sale / fundraisers rather than to add to the collection.

Unless the book is rare and hard to replace it would be pulled.  In this case, the book could easily be replaced for not that much money.

And if my wife saw a book on the shelves that looked like this it would be weeded (removed from the collection).  If possible, it would be replaced by a new copy.  This book was most likely been missed by the librarians.  You should take it to the desk and show it to the librarians and they will replace it.  If nothing else, they can order the paperback for around $10.00 from Amazon.  My wife pointed out that even if the book was old and worth something that once it was written in it would lose its value.

It is funny when friends argue with me that they like "real books" because of the "smell" and "feel", they are never talking about books that look like this one.  When friends tell me they prefer the "smell of real books", I usually ask them if they ever got a book from the library that was recently loaned to a heavy smoker and still smells like smoke.  That usually shuts them up....


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## Prazzie (Oct 25, 2009)

Thanks kevinpars, I'm glad to hear a librarian agrees that this is unacceptable. Although I'm a Kindle convert, I still have a deep respect and appreciation for paper books. When I saw the state of this one, my heart started pounding, not only because I couldn't use it, but also because these people are clearly IDIOTS who shouldn't be allowed near wooden blocks, never mind important books!


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## ◄ Jess ► (Apr 21, 2010)

Oh my gosh, that looks horrible! Haven't they ever heard of post-it notes? I really don't understand why anyone would do that.


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

Oh Prazzie, how awful.  I agree with what another poster said, I do not write in my own books.  
Recently I put my name in a book because I've been lending it to so many people and asking for it to be returned so I can pass it on again.  It's the first time I've ever put my name in a book and it nearly killed me.  
deb


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## TotallyEpic (Aug 14, 2010)

I'm sure some ebook seller has it in PDF form somewhere.


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## CoffeeCat (Sep 13, 2010)

drenee said:


> Oh Prazzie, how awful. I agree with what another poster said, I do not write in my own books.
> Recently I put my name in a book because I've been lending it to so many people and asking for it to be returned so I can pass it on again. It's the first time I've ever put my name in a book and it nearly killed me.
> deb


Ditto to the disgust of what has happened to that book.

As for the putting your name in a book, the department chair of my university english department has a stamp (?) (looks like a notary stamp where it just imprints the paper instead of using ink) with her name for all of her personal DTBs. I thought it was a nice and somewhat discrete alternative to writing in it.

Both sides of my family have this habit of writing a note on the inside cover/beginning pages of a book when it's given as a gift. While the gesture is sweet, I hate when they do it.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

CoffeeCat said:


> Both sides of my family have this habit of writing a note on the inside cover/beginning pages of a book when it's given as a gift. While the gesture is sweet, I hate when they do it.


This is the one kind of writing in a book that I _don't_ mind. Not for every single paperback novel, but for books that are in some way important or meaningful. For example, after a vacation years ago my parents gave me a book about the place and wrote something in it -- now when I open it, their comments remind me more vividly of the vacation.

I can write my name in it if the book is going to be lent out, but otherwise it bothers me. However, in my teens and early twenties I had the habit of writing not only my name but also the date and city of purchase in the front. Now I'm glad I did that, because back then I travelled a lot, and seeing one of those inside covers now is always fun.


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## KindleChickie (Oct 24, 2009)

Wow, not only did the librarian miss that...seems they missed it over and over and over.  

I buy used books quite a bit because I am usually searching for out of print books.  I have never purchased on that was as badly abused as that library book.  Now, several of them have either stamps or hand written names in the front and I find it appealing.  I always wonder who was it who purchased the book before me.

As a child, we had several young adult books we passed around thru friends and each one of us would sign it after we read it to keep it from coming back to us.  Wish I had one of those today as a keepsake.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

I am in total agreement with you. I really hate it when I pick up a book that's been defaced in that way. The only way I can see that it's defensible is if, as someone else said, the book came from a private collection and was donated to the library. I hope you can find another copy that's not marked up.


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

My local library upset me.  And then kind of a library in California.  (I'm in the Chicago 'burbs.)  As Greg Mortenson is a relative, I got a donated-by-him copy of his book "Three Cups of Tea" with dedicated autograph to local Villa Park Library.  I called the library about it.  Whomever on the phone said they already had a copy (not autographed), but I could still donate it though I'd be "taking my chances" as to whether they kept it.  Geeeez.  So I simply sent the book to the Villa Park Library in Villa Park, CA.  I never heard from them about it.  I'm done donating new / excellent condition books to libraries.


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## unknown2cherubim (Sep 10, 2010)

KindleChickie said:


> Wow, not only did the librarian miss that...seems they missed it over and over and over.
> <snipped>


In defense of my profession, academic libraries usually use student assistants to check in and check out, IIRC. A real librarian likely has not seen that book since it was purchased. However, a student assistant may have missed it over and over. 



> So I simply sent the book to the Villa Park Library in Villa Park, CA. I never heard from them about it. I'm done donating new / excellent condition books to libraries


Mary, I'd always take your books. Anybody with so outstanding taste in handbags would have to have outstanding taste in books. We gratefully receive books all the time however sometimes we don't have the time we ought to acknowledge all of them as we ought. My apologies.


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## dpinmd (Dec 30, 2009)

Sandpiper said:


> As Greg Mortenson is a relative, I got a donated-by-him copy of his book "Three Cups of Tea" with dedicated autograph to local Villa Park Library.


Totally OT, but how cool that you are related to Greg Mortenson! _Three Cups of Tea_ is one of my favorite books -- we have all three versions in my family, the adult version, YA for my son, and the (gorgeous) picture book for my daughter. I am also the "philanthropy and community involvement" coordinator for my daughter's preschool, and I am going to donate a copy of the picture book so that the teachers can incorporate it into their curriculum as a kickoff to a "Pennies for Peace" drive. Anyway, just wanted to comment on how cool that is -- to me, he's a much more exciting "famous relative" than some movie star or musician!

And back on topic, I personally do sometimes take notes or do underlining in my own books, but always in pencil, and only books that belong to me and I intend to keep. (I adore the annotation/highlighting abilities of the Kindle, and particularly love the searchability!) But I think it's an absolute travesty that someone would deface a library book that way!


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Susan in VA said:


> This is the one kind of writing in a book that I _don't_ mind. Not for every single paperback novel, but for books that are in some way important or meaningful. For example, after a vacation years ago my parents gave me a book about the place and wrote something in it -- now when I open it, their comments remind me more vividly of the vacation.


I agree; and we have books that my husband inherited that were given to his parents and inscribed. It's touching to see his grandmother's inscription in some of the books.

Betsy


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## Melonhead (Jan 1, 2010)

Stuff like this is easy to miss by the library staff, who don't need to open every book to check it in and out. In my library the barcode label is on the outside back, and unless a librarian pulls it from the shelf to answer a reference question (rarely), it doesn't get opened in house.

We rely on people to tell us if a book is marked up that badly.

This kind of thing gets my blood boiling. What makes these people feel so entitled that they mark up the library's book?


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## racheldeet (Jan 21, 2010)

I frequently see this from books in the university library -- but at the same time, I take books out of there for research, not for general reading. >.> It doesn't bother me as much for that reason, because I'm generally skimming for the information I need (and sometimes the underlines help).

It does bother me when people use highlighter though. I think if you're going to do it, the polite thing to do is to use pencil, and then ERASE the marks before returning the book.


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## Prazzie (Oct 25, 2009)

Yes, I've often erased other people's pencil marks from library books. The problem with this particular copy is that nearly every page is underlined, with dark pencil that won't erase completely, markers, or pen. It's also not useful for me, since they've underlined pretty much everything, to the point of obscuring some of the text. In some instances, some bright spark underlined already underlined passages with their own pen, because apparently the words weren't underlined enough yet.










When I need to highlight sentences, I make a copy of the page first, then make all my notes on the copy, leaving the book unscathed.


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## TLM (Apr 8, 2010)

To write in a library book or a book that just doesn't belong to you is a crime.

But I am in the couldn't write in my own textbooks camp.

I do however put my name and the date I got a book, purchased or as a gift in the inside front cover.  Lately I have been using bookplates or a bookplate stamp.  Much neater.  But even that feels weird.


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

Melonhead said:


> Stuff like this is easy to miss by the library staff, who don't need to open every book to check it in and out. In my library the barcode label is on the outside back, and unless a librarian pulls it from the shelf to answer a reference question (rarely), it doesn't get opened in house.
> 
> We rely on people to tell us if a book is marked up that badly.
> 
> This kind of thing gets my blood boiling. What makes these people feel so entitled that they mark up the library's book?


Shoot at my library where I worked we had to page through (briefly) EVERY book we checked in looking for obvious damage or torn pages. If we had missed this book and someone later turned it in to report it, our manager would have gone back and checked to see who did check-in and we'd have been in deep trouble for not catching it.

Patrons get charged the full price of the book plus a handling fee for replacement for this type of damage. Even worse--if we're unable to determine who did the damage (say it has been checked in and out a lot with some faded and some new) we would be the ones sitting there erasing any and all pencil marks...THEN it would be determined whether it was too damaged to keep...


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

That is so sad.
It shows a total disregard for the rights of others.
And the property rights of the library.

The good news is that I think most people don't do that to most books.

Just sayin.....


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## DLs Niece (Apr 12, 2010)

TLM said:


> To write in a library book or a book that just doesn't belong to you is a crime.
> 
> But I am in the couldn't write in my own textbooks camp.
> 
> I do however put my name and the date I got a book, purchased or as a gift in the inside front cover. Lately I have been using bookplates or a bookplate stamp. Much neater. But even that feels weird.


I have to agree with you. And I will only print my name on the very first page of a book I intend to loan... not one I am keeping to myself.


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

I never write in books. In school, my text books looked brand new at the end of the year. I have never understood highlighting, especially if you do it so much that almost everything is highlighted.


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## Holly A Hook (Sep 19, 2010)

Why underline every line in the whole book?  That doesn't make any sense to me.


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## AlmostHeaven (Oct 10, 2010)

Completely disgusting! Unfortunately, I've seen things like this more times than I care to remember. The last couple of generations have lost respect for things of value ... especially ones that don't belong to them. It makes me sick at what a wasteful and unappreciative world we live in. Parents need to pass respect on to their children but first they must possess it themselves.


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## kb7uen Gene (Mar 13, 2009)

I can understand textbooks, but a regular book.  I'm amazed the library wouldn't do a quick scan of the book upon it's return before putting back on the shelf.

Gene


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## unknown2cherubim (Sep 10, 2010)

kb7uen Gene said:


> I can understand textbooks, but a regular book. I'm amazed the library wouldn't do a quick scan of the book upon it's return before putting back on the shelf.
> 
> Gene


Depends on whether they have enough staff to do so. One scan doesn't take long but multiply that x the 1000s and add to that possible student assistants who take their jobs with differing degrees of seriousness -- any present company excluded of course!


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## Addie (Jun 10, 2009)

Ugh. That's horrible. I never wrote/highlighted in my library or school books. I did start highlighting my college books, but I did so sparingly. I'll highlight sentences in my books now--again, sparingly--but that's because I plan on keeping them. I like being able to go back and pick out certain sentences that struck a particular chord with me. But if I find out the book I'm reading is something I want to take notes on, I'll grab a notebook, not write in it. I just don't like seeing that mess in my books. Plus, if I ever decide to loan my book to a friend, I don't want them to have to read my drivel.
I really like highlighting Kindle books because of the My Clippings feature. It's so nice to be able to browse my highlights without having to scan a whole book.


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## JaneD (May 11, 2010)

One of the reasons I love ebooks is that I have no qualms about underlining and marking notes in them. I could never bring myself to do that to a DTB - it seems like vandalism, even when it's a book I own.  All I can think of is the next person who will be reading it, annoyed at my intrusive thoughts.


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## Laurensaga (Sep 29, 2010)

It's painful just to look at.  I feel terrible just signing my name in one of my novels.


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## JumpingShip (Jun 3, 2010)

I have never written in books and I always am amazed that people feel the need to underline passages. If a passage was so important for a report or something, I would copy it to paper and note the page number.  Nothing is worse than trying to read around someone else's notes and highlights in a book. If someone must do so, they should at least buy their own copy. I hated it in school when I'd be issued a book that the whole class was reading, and someone had marked it up.

I don't even turn the page over on the corner to mark where I left off, I just look at the page number before shutting it.  Oh, and don't get me started on people who bend the whole front cover back while reading a paperback! lol. Some people I just won't lend books to as they are so hard on them.

I als


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## Indy (Jun 7, 2010)

That wiggly underlining could just about give someone a seizure trying to read through the basketweave effect it creates when doing the WHOLE page.  I can't even imagine what it would take to put that wiggly sh*t on there with a steady hand.


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## Prazzie (Oct 25, 2009)

I returned the book yesterday and pointed out the damage to the librarian. He agreed that looking at that mess for too long can play tricks on your eyes. I don't know whether he's taken the book out of circulation, but from now on, I'll page through library books before borrowing them.


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## D. Nathan Hilliard (Jun 5, 2010)

Holly A Hook said:


> Why underline every line in the whole book? That doesn't make any sense to me.


Really. Because if you think about it...when you've highlighted everything, you've highlighted nothing.


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## ClickNextPage (Oct 15, 2009)

Elk said:


> I am strongly opposed to book abuse. I had trouble underlining even my own textbooks.


Same here. I recently went to a used bookstore with the intent of buying several books specifically to mark up as an exercise in analyzing various things in order to assist my writing. I couldn't do it!!!


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## Terrence OBrien (Oct 21, 2010)

_"What really gets to me is that some of them underlined entire pages and then marked it as important. Why not just quote the whole book? Ugh."_

I have zero sympathy and support for anyone who would do that to a library book. I figure they can buy a copy if they want to do that.

However, regarding underling everything... I recently saw a guy I work with underlining everything in a book using a ruler. He said he was dyslexic, and that's how he keeps the words in order as he reads. He pulled out another book, and the whole thing was underlined.


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