Finnish Library Book Returned 84 Years Overdue

A book borrowed from a Helsinki library was returned in May -- 84 years overdue, a librarian told AFP on Wednesday.
A book borrowed from a Helsinki library was returned in May -- 84 years overdue, a librarian told AFP on Wednesday.
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Finnish Library Book Returned 84 Years Overdue

A book borrowed from a Helsinki library was returned in May -- 84 years overdue, a librarian told AFP on Wednesday.
A book borrowed from a Helsinki library was returned in May -- 84 years overdue, a librarian told AFP on Wednesday.

A book borrowed from a Helsinki library was returned in May -- 84 years overdue, a librarian told AFP on Wednesday.

A Finnish translation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's book "Refugees" was received by librarian Heini Strand on Monday at the main desk at the Helsinki Central Library Oodi.

"The due date of the loan was December 26, 1939", Strand said, adding that she had never received a book so long overdue.

The relationship between the person who happily returned the book and the original borrower remained unknown.

"Usually these kinds of loans returned decades after the due date are books found when people go through deceased relatives' belongings", Strand said.

"People want to do the right thing and return the book that is the library's property...I think that is lovely", she added.

A likely explanation for the delayed return was that the due date fell a month after the Soviet Union's invasion of Finland in November 1939, Strand noted.

"The return of the book might not have been the first thing on the borrower's mind when the due date approached".

The so-called Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union raged between the neighbouring countries until March 1940, when a peace treaty was signed forcing Finland to make significant land cessions.

"If the person survived the war, the person probably had other things on their mind than returning the book", Strand said.

The book is a historical novel published in 1893 and set in 17th century France, written by the British author best known for his stories about the character Sherlock Holmes.

According to Strand, the library may make the book -- an edition published in 1925 -- available to the public again since it was received in such good condition.

"The quality of old books is usually much better than new ones".



Cheeseburgers and Chicken So Far Fail to Entice a Rescue Dog Who’s Spent Weeks on the Run in Alaska 

This image provided by Skylar Young-Bayer shows a trail camera catching a glimpse of the dog Jackie near a trap on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Juneau, Alaska. (Skylar Young-Bayer via AP)
This image provided by Skylar Young-Bayer shows a trail camera catching a glimpse of the dog Jackie near a trap on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Juneau, Alaska. (Skylar Young-Bayer via AP)
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Cheeseburgers and Chicken So Far Fail to Entice a Rescue Dog Who’s Spent Weeks on the Run in Alaska 

This image provided by Skylar Young-Bayer shows a trail camera catching a glimpse of the dog Jackie near a trap on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Juneau, Alaska. (Skylar Young-Bayer via AP)
This image provided by Skylar Young-Bayer shows a trail camera catching a glimpse of the dog Jackie near a trap on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Juneau, Alaska. (Skylar Young-Bayer via AP)

In the days after wildfires devastated the Los Angeles area, a formerly stray dog named Jackie lucked into a new life. She was rescued from an overburdened shelter in Los Angeles County, where she faced possible euthanasia, and given a home far away in Juneau, Alaska.

But Jackie didn’t stay long.

The German shepherd-husky mix slipped her collar on the first day with her new family in mid-February and absconded to a pocket of forest. Since then, she has been living by her wits — eluding a trap that was set with food such as cheeseburgers or chicken by animal control workers and volunteers worried about her.

The forested area Jackie frequents is near a busy road. Further, black bears are starting to reemerge from hibernation, raising the potential the dog could have an unfortunate run-in. Volunteers have stopped putting out food and cat kibble to avoid attracting bears.

“Maybe this is what she wants, is to be free and feral like this,” said Thom Young-Bayer, a Juneau animal control officer. “It's not a safe way for her to live here.”

Young-Bayer and his wife, Skylar, have been searching in their free time, often at night, for the skittish canine, painstakingly trying to build trust with her. Jackie has been known to burrow into the soft moss on the forest floor for cover and to avoid looking directly into the Young-Bayers’ headlamps, making it hard to detect her eyes in the dark.

On videos Thom Young-Bayer has taken with his infrared camera, Jackie’s red heat signature resembles something out of the movie “Predator.”

On a recent day, Young-Bayer caught a fleeting glimpse of Jackie in the lush forest, her dark coat helping camouflage her movements among the stumps and roots. He surveyed the undergrowth and surroundings but came up empty — as did a nearby trap he had been monitoring for weeks.

When Young-Bayer returned to a trail where a fellow animal control officer had been waiting, he learned Jackie had trotted past on a frozen pond.

Lately Young-Bayer has been encountering Jackie on every visit. Young-Bayer says that's progress. Weeks ago, if Jackie saw someone, she would flee. He and his wife aren't trying to sneak up on the dog and want to help her feel safe, he said.

Juneau Animal Rescue, a local pet adoption agency that also handles animal control and protective services, has asked that people who see Jackie report their sightings. Given the dog's skittishness, officials want to limit those searching for her.

Little is known about Jackie's history. She was brought into a California shelter as a stray in early January, days before deadly wildfires swept through the Los Angeles area. She is believed to be 2 to 3 years old. Her intake forms listed her as quiet with a moderate anxiety and stress level.

Skylar Young-Bayer, who has volunteered with rescue groups in that region, helped arrange for Jackie and two other dogs at risk of being euthanized to be transferred to Juneau for adoption. Jackie was with a foster home before her adoption placing.

Other dogs have gained fame as fugitives, including Scrim, a 17-pound, mostly terrier mutt who was recaptured in New Orleans in February — in a cat trap — after months on the lam.

Mike Mazouch, animal control and protection director for Juneau Animal Rescue, noted Jackie didn't have much time to bond with her new family before bolting. Officers deemed trying to tranquilize her as too risky because they didn't know if they would be able to find her once she was sedated.

Mazouch accompanied Thom Young-Bayer to the forest last week to disassemble the trap when Jackie came within 50 feet (15 meters) of Mazouch on the frozen pond. Mazouch snapped a photo of her as she appeared between the skinny, tall trees. He called efforts to capture her a “battle of wills.”

“She is not willing to give up, and we're not willing to give up, either,” Mazouch said.