While most people return their library books on time, there is a small percentage that returns them late -- or do not return them at all. However, according to Head of Resource Delivery Services Matt Shreffler, this percentage has stayed consistent in recent years.
For undergrads, 19 percent of all items are overdue compared to grads with seven percent, faculty with two percent, and patrons with 10 percent, according to Shreffler. "This could just be a day or two late," he said about overdue books. A trust is in place between the library and the student rather than an economical issue.
"When a book is not returned, it's more of a broken agreement than money at that time. We agree to lend for free and the students agree to return on time to allow access by other users. An overdue fine is generated when the item is returned, and that is a representation of the agreement, the fact that staff time was used to try to get the book back, and that the library was no longer able to offer that book to another user," Shreffler said.
He also mentioned that money from paid fines gets used for services in the library as a perk for students such as new books or supplies.
A student may lose library privileges for a brief amount of time if their fines exceed $10 and a book is considered lost if it has been missing for more than 50 days. A billing statement would be billed or their transcript blocked, according to Shreffler.
"Some of the values of the University Libraries include providing excellent service, providing reasonable resources, and managing resources as well," Shreffler said.
