The purpose of this policy is to establish fees and fines; subject to Board of County Commissioners approval.
Principles
• The overarching value is stewardship of and access to library resources
• We serve the community as a whole; we strive to make limited resources available to all
• Staff and customers alike are stewards of public resources
• Individuals are responsible and accountable for the materials they borrow. When materials are returned late or are lost, they are not available to others
• Fines for overdue material are levied as an incentive for the public to return materials on time
Process
The Library Director reviews the fees and fines schedule every year and may make recommendations for adjustments to the Library Board. The Library Board evaluates recommendations from the Director and, if approved, forwards changes to the Board of County Commissioners for final disposition.
Borrowing Library Material
1. Fines are assessed when materials are kept past their due date; all customers are subject to overdue fines. Exceptions may be made upon the authorization of the Library Director or designee.
2. Fees are assessed for material that is long overdue; a flat rate fee schedule will be used; no refunds will be issued.
3. Borrowing privileges may be restricted according to defined thresholds of outstanding fines and fees:
a) Outstanding charges of $10.00-$49.99. Customer may renew material. Customer is stopped at express checkout and may check out 2 items with 20% payment of charges.
b) Outstanding charges of $50.00 or more: Customer is denied both borrowing privileges and a new HCL card. The customer must reduce his/her outstanding charges to less than $50 (minimum payment is 20% of total balance) before the 2 item limit is restored and/or a new library card can be issued. If payment brings the total amount owed to under $10.00, the customer may check out up to the 100 item limit.
4. HCL customers are not charged for interlibrary loans unless lending institution requires a prepayment; customers are responsible for prepayment fees.
Waiving Fines and Fees
1. Customers are responsible for the library materials checked out on their cards and are expected to return materials in a timely manner. Waiving customer fines and fees requires supervisory approval.
2. Circumstances may warrant the waiving of fines. It is the supervisor’s responsibility to determine if a fine should be waived. Overdue fines will be waived if a customer accrues fines due to hospitalization, imprisonment, eviction, or natural disaster. It is the customer’s responsibility to provide documentation verifying the date and occurrence of the event that warrants waiving the fine(s). This must be presented within 4 weeks of the event.
3. Circumstances may also warrant waiving fees for materials that are not returned. It is the supervisor’s responsibility to determine if a fee should be waived. Fees will be waived if the items are lost or damaged in a fire, natural disaster, or by theft when documented by a police or insurance report.
4. Upon waiving a fine or fee, supervisors must record in the library's computer system that a fine or fee was waived, the location, amount waived, reason for the waiver, and the approving supervisor’s name.
5. Activity will be tracked at the administrative level and reviewed for anomalies.
Meeting Room and Facility Use
Fees assessed for meeting room and facility use are covered by the Meeting Room and Facility Use Policy
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