Joel Schelsinger borrowed a book from his local library in Orchard Park, New York. But by the time Joel revisited the library to return the book, it was 24 years later.

He had borrowed The Joy of Camping in 1981, but forgotten about it. In 2005, now living in another state, Joel had rediscovered the volume and determined to make things right. Traveling 400 miles to his old hometown, Joel returned the book and paid a fine of $2,190. The maximum penalty for overdo or lost books is $15. Joel wasn’t satisfied with that. Knowing that the Orchard Park library faced a budget crunch, Joel calculated what his actual fine would be at 10-cents-a-day for all those years. It added up to $2,190.

Referring to his over-and-above act of generosity, Joel said, "I hope they can do some good things with it; maybe buy some books."