A Fine Mess: How To Get Out of Library Late Fees, Tickets

Getting out of late-book fines at the library requires a reason. A really good one. "We do allow some negotiation of late fees but only for very extenuating circumstances," Gayle Snible, spokeswoman for the New York Public Library, tells WalletPop.

"Extenuating" can include severe illness, funeral of a close loved one, car accident and any other event that generates true hardship, Snible said. You'll have to provide a "little bit of proof" but Snible didn't specify. In any event, "If [patrons] feel they have a good reason, they should plead their case," she said.