Keywords: loan rules, fines, billing, grace period, billing fee, loan period, renewals, collecting fees, policies
Here is a short list of common OhioLINK policies that EVERY library should be following. If you are making exceptions to these policies, for whatever reason, you are in violation of the Memorandum of Understanding. Exception requests need the approval of the Intercampus Services Committee.
Loan rules:
Books (any items mapped to OhioLINK type 200): the first loan period is three weeks. Additional renewals (up to 6) can be made as long as there are not holds on the book by the owning library.
Renewals can be made within 7 days of the book being due.
Media (any items mapped to OhioLINK type 208): the loan period is 7 days. Three renewals are permitted.
Fines:
For books (OhioLINK type 200), there is a 7 day grace period before fines begin, but on day number 8, the fines are 50 cents per day and retroactively accumulate from day one (i.e. if you don't return it until after the grace period, you still will pay a fine for each of the first 7 days). Although the maximum fine is $15.00, if you return the book after the billing notice goes out (30 days overdue), you pay an extra billing fee of $35.00.
Media has the same fine structure with no grace period.
Bills: Items are billed after 30 days of being overdue. The patron is charged with a $75.00 replacement fee (the same for everything no matter what it is), a $15.00 fine, and a $35.00 billing fee. They are also blocked from doing further requesting from OhioLINK at this time. If they return the item, the $75.00 is waived and the patron pays the fine and the billing fee (for a total of $50.00). This charge was created to cut back on the abuse of patrons keeping OhioLINK books for excessive periods of time.
Fines and bills are to be assessed to all users of OhioLINK material including faculty. Individual libraries have the right to adjust fines or billing charges for individual patrons as the need arises but in general, these charges should be assessed and collected.
Anita
OhioLINK
rev. 9/2014
