More than 105,000 books across Essex are presumed by librarians to have been lost, figures show.
Essex County Council said texts were listed as “assumed lost” after 45 days passed without their return.
The authority has received £58,845 in fines from readers who failed to bring books back to its libraries this year, a Freedom of Information request revealed.
A spokeswoman said it was “great” to see well-used library services, but warned people were “disappointed” when their favourite novels were unavailable.
“Each month thousands of items are loaned across Essex that help educate, inform and inspire a love of reading, learning and literacy,” she said.
“However, not all of these items make it back to us on time – or at all.”
The data, requested by the BBC, showed 105,455 books were presumed to be lost.
Library rules dictate if a customer loses an item they are expected to pay for it, with any late returns also incurring a fine.
The council website states within the first week of a late return, borrowers are charged 26p per day.
However, this rises to a weekly cost of £1.76 if not paid in the first seven days.
The spokeswoman said: “Our library overdue policy makes sure that our library users have access to an accurate and effective catalogue.
“If you are borrowing something from one of our libraries please make sure you take care of it and return it when it when it is due so others aren’t left disappointed.”
