HIT: Overdue Charges at MS

[Karen <kknitig@swbell.net>]

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I was asked to post a HIT on the responses to my question.  You all
helped me devise a policy that I think will work for my school.  THANK
YOU all very much for your help and for the words of encouragement on my
new job.  I especially liked the suggestion about using ziploc baggies
to protect periodicals being checked out.   I will probably have more
questions for you all in the near future!

Can you get a coin-op copier for your library?  I have one that charges
a nickel a copy and the students use it all the time.  The copier did
not cost me anything.  I called the company the school has its contract
with and they were willing to place the copier in the library at no cost
if they received the proceeds from the copies.  They also provide the
paper.

I don't charge for late books simply because the students will refuse to
bring them back if they have to pay fines.  We do issue detentions for
books that are overdue more than two weeks.  When the students do not
come to the detention (which they rarely do), it becomes an office
referral.  The office then tells the student that if they return the
book, their detention will be canceled.  Works like a charm in most
cases.

I charge 5 cents each school day for overdue books and magazines. I do
circulate magazines, but I limit them to 2 magazines at a time, and they
can keep them for only one week. We put the magazines into zip lock bags
to protect them. It a book is lost, we charge the replacement cost. If a
magazine is lost, we charge $4.00. If a book is damaged, but it can
still circulate, we come up with a subjective amount that seems to equal
the damage. This doesn't happen too often, though.  Usually when a book
is damaged, it is no longer in good enough condition to circulate, so
the student ends up paying the replacement cost. I do not allow
reference books to circulate. Hope this helps!

I've tried a lot of different approaches to this. What is working best
for us is:
I do not charge for overdue books until the end of the 9-weeks term, at
which time I give them a few days warning that fines are about to begin
and all books need to be in.  We then charge 10 cents per day, but have
the added incentive of their parents hearing about it at conference, or
holding grade cards, etc.  I charge a flat $15.00 for all hardback
books, and $5 for paperbacks, but they can bring 2 acceptable paperbacks
for the one lost
in that case.   I check out magazines and reference books for 2 days
with 10 cents fine for
overdues.  Also, if they have an overdue of any sort, they can not check
out magazines or videos.(We have videos for checkout on weekends)

I don't charge for overdue books. The goal is to get the book back.
When you charge and the book is late the students never have any money
with them so...they don't bring it back until another time(even later).
For damaged books I charge what I feel it will cost to repair the
book,for lost books they pay the cost to replace that book.  Reference
materials (not encyclopedia) can be checked out overnight only. I don't
allow magazines to leave the library. Hope this helps. Have a great
year!

seen schools charge $5 for a pbk and $10 for a hardcover. We all have
seen $36 paperbacks and $10 hardcovers. I keep a Follett catalog as my
guide and charge replacement cost. Builds responsibility. My own child
had to pay for a $20. book. I made her pay for it on her own. Never lost
another one! :-)

I have been at a middle school for 16 years.  I charge 2 cents a day -
computer computes - but then I usually round it off and don't charge
much more than a quarter a month per book - even that can add up
sometimes.  I check out magazines overnight, but they are not on the
computer - they just sign them out.  If they don't return promptly -
then they can't check out again for awhile. Good luck

I am beginning the year as a new middle school media specialist coming
from an elementary library that did not charge for overdues. Our
district policy for middle school is to charge 10 cents a day, excluding
days out sick and weekends. I decided to check with our public library
to see what their policy was. It is 10 cents a day for adults, five
cents for youth. My personal opinion is to be consistent with the public
library, for an authentic experience. However, I also believe that this
is the first exposure for taking responsibility for their books, and I
would have preferred to charge five cents in middle school and ten cents
in high school.

I have been a librarian for 26 years (12 at an elementary school and 14
at the middle school-grades 5-8).  I charge five cents a day for overdue
books excluding holidays, weekends and days absent.  Maximum fine per
item is $2.00. We're automated and I have a 1 day grace before the fine
is charged.  I usually have two or three fine-free weeks during the
school year.  However, they are random and follow no pattern from year
to year. Students  who have overdue books cannot check out material
until book is returned.
Students who owe fines may check out material.  The month of May,
students with fines may not check out books.  I generally collect from
those who owe fines.  Students who lose a book must pay the current
replacement price or $10.00 if it is an older book and no price can be
found.  Students may keep library material for ten school days and may
recheck it once.  I generally print overdue lists once a week and
teachers help with reminding students who owe fines or have overdue
material.  I do check out reference material - this includes
encyclopedias and dictionaries - for overnight use.  Reference material
is to be returned by 8:00 am on the day due.  Overdue fine is ten cents
per day on reference.  Students may recheck reference material one
time.  My rationale behind
checking out reference is that some students in my school do not have
encyclopedias at home (or internet access) and this way they can do
research assignments.  In my years, only one volume of an encyclopedia
set has been "lost" by a student. Hope this helps and good luck on your
new position.

We are a K-8 school.  We allow reference books out overnight only.  We
do not charge late fines, but have not had much trouble with things not
returning.  We are also a Title 1 school, in a rural area.  We have only
400 students total, so I know pretty much everyone on sight.  A gentle
reminder usually jogs their memories enough for them to call a parent to
bring the material in or bring it the next day.  Also, I do give stern
instructions when they check out such material that it is due the next
day, and their privilege to do say may be in jeopardy if they do not
comply.

At our Middle School, we charge 5 cents a day (not including days school
is out) for overdue books.  We do this to provide some incentive for
students to  get their books back so others can use them.  We allow them
to renew their books even if they have forgotten them so they really
have no excuse for a  fine, but we get a lot anyway.  We charge the
full, recorded price for a  books which has been lost or damaged,
because the book will need to be  replaced, and we will probably pay
more now for it instead of less.  If the  student finds the book later,
we give a full refund.  We do not allow the  students to check out
reference books or magazines, we will let them take the book to the
office who will make copies of pages needed for 10 cents each.  The
problem with reference books is so often the bindings simply would not
hold up to being checked out by multiple students.  We have lots of time
during the day when teachers can send students to do research, and we
have a  good collection of Non-fiction books.   I can't help with the
computer question, we have four catalog stations and two internet
stations and all
classes have internet stations.  We also have a 30 computer internet lab
that the teachers can use for classes.  Hope this helps. I'm a MLIS
student now, I hope to be a first year Media Specialist one day, too!

I am a middle school librarian in a rural community where the students'
families have very little money.   In New York State we cannot charge
students for overdue books, so that problem is solved (actually, it
makes it
more likely that students will not return their books on time, but
that's
okay: I just keep nagging them.  Sending them a notice with the price of
the
book usually brings the book back.)

  For lost books, I charge the price of the book.  But often, especially
if the title is not one of particular importance, I allow the student to
replace the book with any book suitable for the library.  This really
helps the student who has no money to pay for a book.  Most  of them
have at least a book they received through a RIF grant.

  My main aim is to get the student's record cleared so he/she can
borrow more books.  I also do not want to create a situation where a
parent pays for an expensive book and then forbids the student to borrow
any more books.  These are not children who are likely to have many
books at home.

  I do allow reference books to circulate overnight.  We also have no
copier in the library, but I often copy articles for students during my
prep period.  I feel that circulating reference books overnight avoids
having pages ripped out of them.  Yes, it is a problem when students
don't return them the next day, but I live with it.

  I rarely charge for damage to books, unless the book is totally
ruined.

  Hope this helps a bit.

We charge 5 cents per day per item that is overdue.  Reference books are
only checked out to teachers for classroom use.

After 30 years(!) in the business I have made up my own rules about
this; I charge theoretically five cents a day for overdue books. In
reality the first day of each month I make up an overdue list, and any
book which was due during the previous month is charged a dollar I allow
4 weeks checkout (teachers' request). Each month a book is
not in is another dollar until the fine reaches 1/2 the cost of the
book. I stop it at that point because I'd rather have the book back than
more money. If books are lost, I never forget and eventually get the
full cost of the book.  As for magazines and reference books, as a rule
I don't allow  checkout -even overnight. I have made exceptions...Good
luck in your
career. It's a good field.

Hi!  I remember being new at a middle school once!  Wish you all the
best!  This is my 10th
year at a middle school, and I love it!

Here's my policy on checkouts:
books:  2 weeks, renew if nobody is waiting for it.
magazines:  1 week, no renewal reference stuff:  overnight, at the end
of the day, return before school
overdue:  no charge, just a reminder to return it the first 2 weeks,
then a detention, then a
phone call home.  That usually gets it back!
lost or damaged:  cost for repair or replacement, both magazines and
books.  If a magazine can be taped back together pretty well, I have the
student do that under my supervision.  If I can't locate the replacement
for the book, I just take a good guess.  Books usually cost 15.00, so I
find a similar title in that price range and charge that!

Good luck this year.  Hope you get enough replies that you can establish
a policy that will
work for you!

I am not in a Title I school, but I do not think that it matters.  When
a
student checks out library materials, they are agreeing to take proper
care
of the book.  If they do not, then they have to pay for the lost book.
In my
opinion, we are training them to be adults.  Adulats have to pay for the

books when the lose them from a public library or for anything they lose
that
is not theirs.  I give students a receipt with the price paid and they
can
reimbursed if they find the book.

As for fines, our elem. libraries are not allowed to, and I know the MS
does
charge something, but I am not sure what.  At my HS we charge 5 cents a
day.
We charge $1 a day for reference to encourage them to bring them back.
But,
$1 would be a bit much for your school.  I always gives deals, also.
Like,
if it is 65 cents, I might just ask for a quarter.  Or, if it is $6.85,
I ask
for  $5.  I don' t want to break their bank, but at the same time I
believe
they have to learn responsibilty and have consequences.

Karen Knitig, LMS/Resource Teacher
Hamilton Middle School
Wichita, KS
kknitig@swbell.net


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