|
Overdue Library Materials
| Policy No. 96-5 (Click Policy Number County Policy Lists, select LeRoy Collins Leon County Public Library) |
Effective Date: |
October 13, 1998 |
The LeRoy Collins Leon County Public Library circulates library materials to eligible borrowers and seeks the return of all overdue library materials borrowed from the Library.
The Board of County Commissioners may amend these procedures from time to time as it deems appropriate in the best interest of the citizens of Leon County.
- The procedure for obtaining the return of overdue materials will apply to those materials that are overdue as of February 29, 1996.
- An overdue notice shall be sent to the delinquent patron when an item becomes 21 days overdue, informing the patron of the overdue status and the possibility of further action.
- If no response is received, within 21 more days, a bill is sent to the patron requesting payment for the item(s). Quarterly, the Library sends a letter and a duplicate bill to patrons whose overdue/lost accounts total more than $100, requesting that the item(s) be returned and all fees and fines paid and informing the patron that if there is no response, the account will be prosecuted in Small Claims Court.
- No Library materials shall be borrowed or renewed for any Library patron identified as being delinquent in returning borrowed Library materials, nor shall a new Library card be issued to a patron being identified as delinquent until all accrued fines and fees have been paid. If overdue materials are identified by the patron as lost, current replacement value of the materials and a processing charge shall be paid by the patron.
- If action in Small Claims Court is required, the amount claimed shall be an amount sufficient to reimburse the County for court costs, the current replacement value of the overdue materials, including processing cost, and all fines accrued.
- Fees and fines for overdue or lost materials shall be:
- a. Print Materials
The overdue fine for books, magazines, maps, comic books, and vertical file materials shall be $.10 per day beginning with the time the Library closes on the date the item is due. The maximum fine for each overdue adult hardback book, map, or vertical file materials shall be $3, and $1 for each children’s, paperback book, magazine, or comic book.
- b. Reference Materials
Reference materials are occasionally loaned based on patron need and the public use of the material at the time of the loan. The overdue fine shall be $5 per day, per item, with a maximum fine of $50 or the replacement cost of the item, whichever is less.
- c. Non-print Materials and Equipment
Overdue fines shall be charged for the late and/or improper return of non-print materials and equipment as follows:
- All electrically operated equipment: $5 for the first hour and $1 per hour thereafter. This fine shall be assessed by the hour or any fraction thereof. There is no grace period. The maximum fine is $25.
- 16-mm films borrowed through the State Library of Florida: $2 per day per item.
- Video cassettes: $1 per item per day. The maximum fine for each item is $10.
- All other materials: $.10 per day per item. The maximum fine for cassette book-bags is $1; the maximum fine for all other non-print materials is $3.
- Charges for Lost or Damaged Materials Library materials reported lost or damaged beyond repair by the borrower shall require a payment of the current replacement value of the item and a processing fee of $5 per hardback book or non-print item; $2 per cataloged paperback book; $1 per uncataloged item; and $1 per comic book or magazine. If the item is found and returned to the Library within one year, in satisfactory condition, with the receipt received at the time of payment for the item, the price paid for the item plus the processing fee shall be refunded to the borrower. Overdue fines are not charged on lost or damaged materials.
|
| 
|