A library book card photo recently went viral on Twitter (now X), revealing a jaw-dropping record: a borrower held onto a book for a staggering 14 years before finally returning it! This unbelievable feat has sparked widespread astonishment and hilarious speculation across the internet.
The photo was shared by Dai (@mz22016), a student from Kanazawa University's School of Mathematics and Physics, College of Science and Engineering. The book in question? A dense tome titled "Quantum Field Theory II: Gauge Fields."
While the book's content is undeniably complex, it's the borrowing record that truly stole the show. According to the card, the book was checked out on May 1, 1992, and wasn't returned until February 7, 2006 – a mind-boggling 14-year gap! This extraordinary loan period left many netizens utterly flabbergasted.
Dai himself expressed his shock, tweeting, "The previous person returned it after 14 years, LOL." What's even crazier is that after the book was finally returned, it sat on the shelf for another 19 years before Dai checked it out. Such a massive time gap has everyone wondering about the untold stories behind this particular library item.
Given the book's notoriously difficult subject matter, many users offered up witty theories for the 14-year loan. Some joked that the previous borrower "must have mastered the subject completely," while others quipped that they'd probably need 50 years just to understand it themselves. One user humorously suggested that a book this complex would naturally require an extended study period, even if it meant reading "10 pages a day."
Furthermore, since the book originated from a university library, some netizens speculated that it might have been purchased at a professor's request and then kept in their research lab for years, only to be returned to the library after the professor retired. Dai agreed with this plausible theory, though the exact circumstances remain a mystery.
This incident isn't just about an incredibly long loan period; it also sparks reflection on the patience and dedication required in academic research and learning. Regardless of the reason, the story quickly went viral, racking up over 3 million views and 50,000 likes, becoming a hot topic across the internet.