If you've received a three-piece sealed letter from the National Library Board (NLB) reminding you to pay a fine for a book you don't remember borrowing, you are not alone.

The New Paper carried a story today on some irate library users who received these fine reminders.

What is bugging some library users is that amount that they are being fined for, and the age of the fines.

Mr Aw Gek Huat, 53, received a fine for 30 cents for an overdue book that he admits to having loaned - but over six years ago.

Others like Mr Yeo Tiong Ghee, 33, are certain that they are being fined for books they have never borrowed. In this instance, Mr Yeo's fines were for children's story books, which he claims to have no business borrowing.

Although earlier media reports had stated some $3.5 million has been written off for amounts outstanding for more than five years, the NLB clarified that this only applied to uncontactable library members, foreigners who have left the country, and users who have since died.

According to an NLB spokesperson, a total of 800,000 mailers will be sent out to recover $5.4 million in outstanding library fines, as reported by the Auditor-General's Office in July.

NLB estimates that the operating cost of the mailing exercise will be less than 1 per cent of the amount to be recovered.

For library users who would like to seek recourse, you can write in with your reasons which the NLB will consider a case-by-case basis.

But do bear in mind that you will be barred from borrowing library material once you accumulate more than $6 in fines.

For the full story, pick up a copy of today's New Paper