Fines/Fees

Fines/Fees are automatically placed on patron accounts by Alma when a book is Overdue or declared Lost. Overdue fines are laid out in the student manual.

Claims Returned

Often patrons will insist that they have returned something that is still on their account. Make the effort to do a thorough search for the item, but also request that the patron double-check their home/car/study space/etc. Even if the patron thinks they have a clear memory of returning the item, that is often not the case and they will find it days/weeks/months later. In the meantime, be firm on policy, but understanding of their situation. It helps to say you will continue looking for it while they check. Fill out a Search Request form to keep track of who searched for the item and when. This generally occurs 3 times over the course of a month.

Lost Fines

Lost fees appear after a patron has a book that is 90 days overdue. They receive notices that their item is overdue when it first passes the due date and at 30 and 60 days past. At 90 days past they receive notice of the lost item fees that have been placed on their account. The fees break down as follows:

• OVERDUE FINES: Usually $22.50 (where overdue fines cap out), though it may be more if the overdue book was recalled or on reserve, for example.
• REPLACEMENT FEE: $50. This is a base fee for the replacement of any item. Before a patron pays these fees, the music librarian is contacted (often through the PS Manager) to determine if this will cover the replacement cost, or if it should be raised. For most items, $50 is more than adequate.
• PROCESSING FEE: $50. This fee covers the work/cataloging and supplies that go into preparing an item to be added to the collection.

Fine Removal

Fines at Mendel may be removed for several reasons.

OVERDUE FINES may be removed if the fines were accrued due to a library mistake (for example: if an item was improperly charged or discharged). They may also be removed due to extreme patron circumstance or “a good reason” (for example: a family death, extreme sickness). This is obviously at the discretion of the PS Manager. For the most part – overdue fines are not removed.

LOST FEES may be removed if the patron returns the item (though the overdue fines then remain). Any items that were lost since we transitioned to Alma should automatically be removed when the item is returned and discharged. If the item was lost before we transitioned to Alma, we will likely need to remove the fees manually.

With permission from the Music Librarian, a patron who lost an item may replace it with a NEW, UNMARKED copy of the SAME EDITION, in lieu of the replacement fee. This may allow them to save a little money, especially if the item only costs $20 to replace. In this case, the patron must still pay the overdue fines AND the $50 Processing Fee.

If the patron decides to pay the lost fees in total, Firestone will contact you and/or the Music Librarian to determine if the $50 minimum is adequate. This is the music librarian’s decision, but if it comes through you – it helps to find the item on Amazon, Sheet Music Plus, or from the publisher to make a price recommendation for the librarian to approve.

How to Remove Fines

1. Open the patron’s account in Manage Patron Services.
2. In the Patron Services window, click the link showing their balance ($) to access the fees attached to that patron.
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   2. Here you can see a list of the current fees (or history of fees). You can also see which item the fees are associated with, etc.
   3. ONLY TOUCH FEES FOR MENDEL ITEMS. Mendel is not authorized to forgive fines/fees for items that belong to Firestone or other branches.
      1. NOTE: When it comes to lost items being replaced – Firestone takes care of this. However, if the patron returns the item to Mendel (instead of replacing), then Mendel removes it, but only the replacement/processing fees. Not the overdue fines.
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   4. Select only the fines you wish to remove. You can also search for items using the search box above the fees list. Then select Waive Selected on the right below the balances.
   5. When the Waiving Fine/Fee screen opens:
      1. Choose a “Waiving Reason”. This will often be “Lost item was found” for older fines/fees.
      2. Add a note in the “Comment” box with the date and your initials. You might also specify a reason not covered in the drop-down. For example:
         On a lost item: Item returned 6-16-16 jm
         On overdue fees: Item not discharged properly. 6-16-16 jm
      3. Click WAIVE and the fines will be removed.
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