Overdue fines and Automatic patron blocks

 

Overdue fines Courtesy notices Automatic blocks previous survey (2003-04)

In 2005-2006 Summit Borrowing Committee and Steering Team have discussed ways of encouraging the timely return of materials. As part of the strategy, the committee asked for information to share about various members' policies on charging overdue fines, and blocking patron requests. The information below was collected from a survey August-September 2006.

Overdue fines

Do you charge overdue fines?

28 responses: 2 do not charge overdue fines for Summit Borrowing, and 26 charge overdue fines for Summit Borrowing:

of those 26: 22 charge fines to all patrons, and 4 charge fines to some patrons

undergraduate students: 26

grad students: 25

faculty: 22

staff: 23

special patrons: 23

Courtesy notices

Do you send courtesy notices?

20 yes, 8 no (3 members are planning to start sending notices this term, and 2 looking into it)

comments:

1 We are going to start sending courtesy notices at the start of the fall term.

2 if we have email addresses

3 Courtesy notices are a huge help in keeping books coming back on time. Overdues dropped drastically from last year with no courtesy notices.

4 EWU is currently in process of implementing. Should have up and going within a couple of weeks.

5 We have sent courtesy notices for one year and our patrons love them.

6 Clark doesn't send courtesy notices for 3 day or local reserve items.

7 We are considering adding courtesy notices this year.

8 Except for 3 day books. will insitute that later this year.

9 We are looking into setting this up.

10 We will be implementing Courtesy Notices this month.

When do you send courtesy notices?

Regular Loan
# days before overdue
members

Short Loan
# days before overdue
members

7 days

1

7 days

7
5 days
2
5 days
1
4 days
4
4 days
0
3 days
9
3 days
2
2 days
2
2 days
2
1 day
1
1 day
0

[ Examples of members' Courtesy Notices ]

Automatic blocks

Notes: when reviewing Max Owed, Max Items, and Max Holds:

Automatic blocks for Undergrad students:

 
Expiration Date
Max Owed

Max Items
Max Holds
1
Blocked if beyond
current term(Y)
$5.00
200
30
2
y
$500.00
50
10
3
end of term
$50
1000
100
4
y
$500
1000
30
5
y
n/a
150
50
6
y
$200.00
299
25
7
y
1
1999
2
8
Y
$19.99
999
999
9
Y
$999.99
500
500
10
Expirations is end of
quarter plus 21 days
$15.00
100
no limit
11
First day of following quarter
$1.00
200
200
12
y
$5,000.00
2100
500
13
y
5
20
10
14
set by quarter
$100.00
100
25
15
y
999
3000
30
16
Y
$999.99
1999
500
17
y
999.99
999
500
18
set by patron load
$999.00
1999
500
19
20
yes
na
999
25
21
end of current quarter
$150
999
999
22
4 weeks past last date of term
999.99
199
500
23
Y
$20
100
30
24
10/15/2007
49.99
100
100
25
y
$1.00
1999
999
26
y
$99999 (we never block)
999 (no limit)
999 (no limit)
27
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
28
end of current quarter
$20.00
50
25

Automatic blocks for Grad students:

 
Expiration Date
Max Owed

Max Items
Max Holds
1
Blocked if beyond
current term (Y)
$5.00
200
50
2
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
3
end of term
$50
1000
100
4
y
$500
1000
30
5
y
n/a
150
50
6
y
$200.00
299
25
7
y
1
1999
2
8
Y
$19.99
999
999
9
Y
$999.99
500
500
10
Expiration is end of
quarter plus 90 days
$15.00
100
no limit
11
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
12
y
$5,000.00
2100
500
13
14
set by academic year
$100.00
100
25
15
--
--
--
--
16
na
na
na
na
17
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
18
set by patron load
$999.00
1999
500
19
20
yes
na
999
25
21
end of current quarter
$150
999
999
22
na
na
na
na
23
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
24
10/15/2007
49.99
100
100
25
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
26
y
$99999
(we never block)
999 (no limit)
999 (no limit)
27
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
28
end of current quarter
$20.00
50
25

Automatic blocks for Faculty:

 
Expiration Date
Max Owed

Max Items
Max Holds
1
Blocked if beyond current term (Y)
$999.99
200
50
2
y
$500.00
50
20
3
end of acad yr
$9.999,999
1000
100
4
y
$500
1000
50
5
n
n/a
150
50
6
y
$200.00
299
25
7
y
20
1999
2
8
Y
$19.99
999
999
9
Y
$999.99
500
500
10
Must be employeed or retired
$52.00
100
no limit
11
1 year after contract expires
$1.00
200
200
12
y
$5,000.00
2100
500
13
n
58
25
25
14
based on period of employment
$300.00
100
25
15
n
999
300
100
16
Y
$999.99
1999
500
17
y
999.99
999
500
18
set by patron load
$999.00
1999
500
19
20
yes
na
na
na
21
end of current quarter
150
999
999
22
End on next Spring term
999
199
500
23
N
$999.99
999
100
24
10/15/2007
999.99
999
999
25
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
26
y
$300 (theoretically -
hard to enforce)
999 (no limit)
999 (no limit)
27
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
28
end of current school year
n/a
50
25

Additional comments

At WWU fines and blocks have proven to be effective tools in getting materials back in a timely manner. Our campus faculty have become better at returning all materials since we started fining for Summit and ILL items. Our fine blocks for students include not only library privileges but registration activities also. Wanting to check out a laptop, order another Summit book or drop a class are all great incentives to take care of business.

Clark staff have same limits as students and faculty but their privileges expire 4 months after last paycheck.

Rather than block library service, we clear their library fines balance monthly & send to student accounts so that their grades are held if accounts aren't paid up.

Accounts are blocked when referred to a collection agency by student accounts office.

2003-04 Survey: Fines charged to patrons

updated: October 18, 2006

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