Re: [LM_NET] Hit: Overdues - There must be a better way, Part 2

[Janice Davies <jgdavies2004@YAHOO.COM>]

Here is the second group of hits about dealing with overdues.
   
  Jan Davies
  Library Media Specialist
  Laurel High School
  Laurel, Maryland
  jgdavies2004@yahoo.com
   
    Joanne -

Last year I   tried something that I think gave me better results.  I cut 

off book checkouts about 2 weeks prior to the end of school (with some 

exceptions for special cases that were in good standing with me).  I 

spend the first week after the cutoff harassing kids about the books and, 

class by class, declaring things lost and sending home letters so that   

the letters were in the mail by the weekend.  Seniors were left out of 

the mix because they need to have their records cleared to get my 

signature on their sign out sheets -- no signature - no graduation tickets!  

 

I was   amazed at the number of "lost" books that turned up in my box or 

in kids hands that last week of school!  The problem with sending 

letters after school is out is that the parents have no clue what to do 

about it!  If the school is closed, how do they return stuff?  Then by the 

start of the next school year they have   forgotten and I have to send 

out yet another round of reminders.  This way they knew that school was 

still open and that they could get the books returned.  It wasn't 

perfect, but it was better than in years past.  

 

After school was out I posted any of the lost books and fines over 

$2.00 to the permanent records in case the kids moved over summer. 

 
  Charlotte -

You are right on target.  For years, I held report cards until books 

were 

returned or replacement fees paid. Amazingly, some parents just didn't 

seem to 

notice that their child had no report card. BUT, this year, the 

students with 

overdue books the last week of school were not allowed to participate 

in field 

day. I had 16 elementary students in the library at 8:30 am on field 

day. By 

9:30 all accounts were cleared.  Books surprisingly appeared from 

bookbags, 

desks, or parents paid the   replacement costs.

I also accept CASH only + $5.00 reshelving and reordering fee.  Our 

bookkeeper 

places the cash in an envelope along with the duplicate Follett receipt 

in the 

school vault. I also keep an Excel spreadsheet of the transaction.   

If the book reappears (and we all know that they do) the envelope is 

returned to 

the student or parent with the entire amount.  I do not subtract the $5 

fee. 

However by October of the next school year all of this "lost/damaged" 

book money 

is used to purchase the replacements.  If books should be found and 

returned 

after this date, the student does not get a refund.
  Shonda -

My suggestion to deal with overdues?  Get your principal on board early 

with

"the plan."  Fining students or putting holds on the records don't 

serious

affect teenagers since many of them aren't threatened by bills that 

they

don't have to pay themselves or when they don't get their report cards.

Instead.....restricting or prohibiting students who have overdues from

participating in fun activities DO have an impact.  Some things to 

restrict

might be:

 

  * dances

  * attendance or participation in pep rallies

  * restrictions from participating in / enrolling in theater, choir,

forensics activities

  * restrictions from / participation in field trips or class projects 

(fun

things)

  * no "free" days (movie days, game days, etc.)

  * no recess (for elementary)

  * no play centers (for elementary)

  * withholding the yearbook (or other ceremonial memorabilia)

  * restriction from attending the prom

  * restriction from participating in graduation ceremonies

 

Ask your principal to help you with this serious problem by eliminating 

the

problem before it becomes a hassle for the administrative offices

(secretary), you...and ultimately, him / her.  The first semester of

restrictions will get students' attention.  Reminders that their 

failure to

"be responsible" will remove the privileges that will be given to those 

who

ARE responsible and return their materials on time.

 

Ask that when books are overdue for more than two weeks that those 

students

names be sent to the principal--- give the students a warning that if 

they

have overdue materials and DO NOT take care of the problem (either by

returning the books or paying for the replacement / or fines) then they   

will

be restricted from participating in....(you fill in the blank).

 

While this might seem a bit harsh, in reality, a lot of time and money 

is

involved in retrieving   materials.  And while some districts can't hold

report cards or transcripts for their students' failure to return 

books,

most districts CAN reprimand students who fail to act

responsibly ---especially if you can work with your principal on the 

this

policy AND write it into your library's collection development policy

(Overdue Materials Section).  Have this policy approved and then 

implement

the plan.

 

Believe me...it works and it creates students who realize that there 

are

consequences for their actions.  When they get to college, they'll 

realize

that they can't enroll in their next semester's courses, receive their

transcripts or have   their grades transferred to other institutions 

until

they become responsible students and take care of business---return 

those

library books and pay those fines!  This is just rehearsal for 

real-life!

Get tough now!

 
  Donna -

Janice, we don't have 2000 students, but perhaps some of this can work 

for you.

 

A week before exams I print overdue lists and GIVE them to all the 

teachers.  It is one massive printing, but it hits ALL the kids in ALL the 

classes. I make sure each teacher gets a copy each morning for a week.  

I note on the report each day the number of pages it has decreased each 

day. 

 

Our students canNOT be exempt from their finals unless all library 

obligations are cleared up.  They flood in to pay and turn in books in 

order to miss their finals.

 

The teachers are invested in the plan because they don't want to 

produce and grade exams for kids with overdue books and fines.

 

The last couple of days I give what is left of the list to the 

assistant principal, and he calls in the kids with overdues (I let fines go 

when I have to involve the   administration. Books are more important; I'll 

handle fines.) 

 

When exams arrive, any students left will be taking exams.  I send a 

note to each class telling the teacher to send So-and-so to me when the 

exam is finished. The kids straggle in after exams, and we   talk.  

 

This year, for the first time, I got EVERY book back in and all fines 

paid by the last day of school. 

 
  Lynda -
  Jan...I don't know if you legally publicly post a list of overdue 
books/fines...something about FERPA...when I worked in the public libraries, we 
couldn't technically...legally...tell a parent what their underaged student had 
checked out.

We also aren't allowed to hold report cards...but we do hold yearbooks...those 
ferret out more than the report cards did anyway.


  Billie -
  I can empathize with your situation.  You should feel glad though, I only have 
about 400 students in my building and had 116 overdues with a week left in school - 
good job!  
   
  First, I would get rid of overdue fines...what a hassle to deal with!  I think 
research also shows that fines don't improve return rate and even hinder library 
use.  Second, I think posting their names in the main lobby is a major privacy 
violation.  What about students who checked out books about personal issue they 
were dealing with?  
   
  Finally, there are always going to be students who don't return books.  I send 
out a letter to the parents right after school is out and then I just turn the list 
over to the enrollment staff and students have to either return the book or pay for 
it at enrollment.  
   
  I have taken the "fight the battles you can win" attitude and try not to let it 
bother me.  Good luck!
   
  Martin -

Naturally, the students have received several notices from us regarding 

their overdue material or fines.

 

This time of the year the best leverage we is withholding the student's 

yearbook if s/he has not resolved her/his obligations. Fortunately, our 

administration supports this; I know not all do. But it is not just the 

library who benefits from this. Our students must resolve all of their 

obligations, school-wide, to receive their yearbooks. During the last 

week 

or so, my assistant, who is the Empress of Circulation, keeps very good 

records (via Spectrum). In addition, she maintains a current list on 

Excel 

of students with overdues and students with fines. She prints this out, 

tapes it to   the counter for quick reference.

 

The morning of the day yearbooks are distributed, our list of students 

with 

obligations in the library, the coaches' lists. teachers' lists, etc. 

are 

sent to the office. Each box of yearbooks for each homeroom contains 

yearbooks for all students without obligations and a printout listing 

kids 

with problems, and what the problems are. In our case, when students 

pay 

their fines and/or return their books, we give them a receipt saying   

they 

are clear. Students bring this to the office and receive their 

yearbooks. 

The system may be a little unwieldy, but it works for us.

 
  Bob -

I tried something new this year because overdue fines drive me nuts.  I 

am a private school so things are somewhat different then a public 

school.  I charged no overdue fines.  They do however get a series of 3 

overdue notices, each one a little more forceful than the last one.    That 

3d one is a final notice that says they have 1 week to return the 

item(s) and if they don't I will bill them for a lost book (lost bk charge 

is cost of book plus 5.00,  I use the amount I paid when I cataloged the 

book).  So when the parent gets the monthly school bill and sees the 

charge, They all panic and the book comes back. I will refund all but the 

5.00 processing fee and that money goes back into the book budget.

 

Now in a public school setting. You could hold their Yearbook Hostage 

or their reportcard hostage or even send a bill to the parents for the 

unreturned items. You also might try closing the library for checkout 2 

or 3 weeks before school gets out.  I close the library for 2 week 

prior to the end of school.  The classes still come and use us but nothing 

is going out.

 

Good luck on solving this one.  

 
  Paula -
  In the intersest of sanity -- we did away with fines completely... We tried a 
variety of things.
  Perhaps in Maryland you can legally hold report cards but we cannot -(we used to 
until someone challeneged that)
  We then went to a flat .30 fine after 30 days of overdues... -- but students 
could not check out books which infuriated the teachers and then the media 
specialists were accused of not supporting reading -- so many teachers wanted 
classroom libraries.
   We now do not charge fines. 
  If the media specialist wants to - they can use SchoolMessenger to call parents 
(We use Accent) so if you use SchoolMessenger I can send you the directions.
   We can hold their diplomas!!! So before they graduate -- they have to pay -- 
even if it goes back to elementary school (the beauty of automation) --
  The media specialists try to work together and send money to the appropriate 
media center....
   I will tell you -- this whole process has alleviated alot of headaches....
   You may not agree -- we spent several years experimenting and this finally works!
  From Rebecca - One thing I have done is eliminate fines. I only charge if the 
book is
not returned by the end of the year. I still have a lot of work to do
but not what you describe.
    Jan Davies
  Library Media Specialist
  Laurel High School
  Laurel, Maryland
  jgdavies2004@yahoo.com
   



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