Borrower Policies
Fines, Fees, and Notices
Revised May 2019
Late Charges
Boyd County Public Library does not charge late fees for overdue items.
Lost Items
The patron is responsible for all materials borrowed on his or her card. The charge for lost materials is the list price as recorded in the item record. When a patron has a “lost” item, full payment of the lost item is required to restore borrowing privileges.
Refunds for materials may be made until the record is purged from the library’s catalog.
Damaged Items
Patrons are not charged for the normal wear and tear of materials. If an item has been damaged due to misuse or neglect, the following charges may be assessed:
- Minor damage that can be repaired: $2 per damaged part
- Damaged/torn plastic book cover
- Damaged/torn paper dust jacket
- Damaged/torn jacket for AV material (e.g. DVD, music CD, video game, audiobook, Checkout Your Community)
- Missing barcode
- Material that is no longer usable: full price
- Water damage (more than 1/3 of the item)
- Stained pages (more than a few)
- Marked pages (e.g. pen/crayon – more than a few)
- Evidence of bed bugs in books and/or cases (e.g. blood stains, dead bugs)
- Non-repairable damage if the material is still usable: no charge (examples: minor water damage, pen/pencil/crayon marks on a few pages that does not interfere with text/illustrations)
Damaged items that must be withdrawn will be held for 30 days in the event that the patron wants to see the item. If a patron pays for an item in full, the item becomes the property of the patron. Items that are wet (more than damp) when returned or anything with evidence of bed bugs will be disposed of immediately after being withdrawn.
Replacement packaging
- The charges for replacement of missing or damaged cases, packages, bags, and cables/cords are set to cover the average cost of such items. The Library will absorb differences in the cost of replacing such materials due to the difficulty of addressing most individual situations. The following charges apply:
- Book with media or software bag $3
- Checkout Your Community Case $2
- Cord or cable $10
- Individual case sleeves $1 each
- Multi-disc CD case for audiobooks $10
- Multiple disc DVD or Game case $3
- Music CD case $2
- Single disc DVD or Game case $2
Circulating damaged materials
Damages to items that will continue to circulate should be noted and dated on the item and in the item record.
Damaged items found on the shelf should not be checked out if repair or replacement is required. If a patron presents a damaged item for check out, staff will attempt to find a different copy for check out. If a different copy cannot be found, a note will be placed in the item record so that it will be repaired or removed from circulation when returned.
Replacement items
On a case by case basis, patrons may be allowed to replace lost or damaged items in lieu of payment. Decisions about replacement items will be made at the discretion of the Public Services Manager.
Damage to patron’s equipment
The Library accepts no responsibility for damage that might be incurred by the use of items borrowed from its collection. The Library does not accept responsibility for damage to hardware or software as a result of downloading electronic materials.
Claims Returned
The status of an item on a patron’s record may be changed to “claims returned” when the patron believes that an item checked out on his or her account has been returned to the library.
Excessive “claims returned” will cause an account to be restricted.
Claimed Never Had
The status of an item may be changed to “claimed never had” if the patron feels strongly that he or she never borrowed the item from the library. Patrons are not charged replacement costs for items that are “claimed never had.”
Excessive “claims never had” will cause an account to be restricted.
Notices
The Library will notify patrons of overdue materials. Patrons may choose one of three notification methods: text, email, or postal mail. All patrons receive a mailed bill (regardless of notification method chosen) for materials that are 30 days overdue.
The following schedule will be used for notifying patrons of overdue materials:
|
Number of days overdue |
Type of Notification |
|
1 |
Overdue notice |
|
30 |
Billing notice |
|
60 |
Referral to Credit Reporting Agency |
Illness, Acts of God, or stolen materials
Patrons who are unable to return materials to the library due to illness or other emergency may have charges waived or due dates extended at the discretion of the Public Services Manager.
Patrons who are unable to return materials due to Acts of God may have charges waived or due dates extended by the Public Services Manager.
Patrons whose library materials are stolen must provide a copy of the police report stating that library materials were included in the theft. Charges will be waived by the Public Services Manager.
Bankruptcies
When the library receives official court notification that a patron has filed for bankruptcy, the library will suspend any attempts to collect the debt. Upon discharge of the debt, the library will waive all charges (including any charges for unreturned/lost items and the credit reporting agency service fee) on the patron’s account. The charges for dependents of the patron may also be waived upon the patron’s request. The Library’s business office will keep certain documentation regarding the bankruptcy filing and discharge. A notation will also be added to the patron record to indicate that charges have been waived.
Credit Reporting Agency
Revised May 2019
The Library employs a credit reporting agency for the return of long overdue materials or for the collection of uncollected charges of more than $25. Certain adult borrower types and all juvenile borrowers are excluded from credit reporting.
The Library’s automation system works in coordination with the credit reporting agency to generate the report of patrons who meet the following criteria:
- Patrons with materials that have been overdue for more than 60 days;
- Patrons with charges greater than or equal to $25 who have not resolved their accounts in the past 60 days.
Patron Accounts Sent to Credit Reporting Agency
Patrons who have been reported to the credit reporting agency will be charged a $10 fee in addition to any other charges on their account. This fee is used to recoup the library’s costs for the credit reporting agency’s services.
The report to the credit reporting agency will include the patron’s contact information, the amount that is charged to the account, and the reason for the charge. Records of borrowed materials are not provided to the agency.