Apologies for cross posting.
Many thanks to everyone who responded to my questions.
Of the 42 colleges that responded, 32 currently block network access to students with overdue resources (some just block in the library, others block college-wide). In most colleges this is done by staff in the library, in a few others it is done by IT staff.
The point at which access is blocked varies considerably. Some colleges block access once a maximum fines limit is reached (10p, 30p, £1, £3, £5). Most block access either once a set time period is reached (1 day overdue, 1 week overdue, 4 weeks overdue) or a particular stage of the overdues procedure is reached (usually the 3rd stage, but a small number wait until the Invoice stage).
All colleges reported improved return rates – either anecdotally or statistically.
29 colleges reported that they could override the access block, but would only do so in an emergency. 1 college has never had cause to override the block. 1 college contacts the IT department who temporarily override the block.
There was much mention of the use of MyPc to manage computer sessions and that it was an easy way to block access to overdue accounts. This could be done manually, or set up to run automatically according to pre-determined criteria.
One college mentioned the use of the Triple A component of MyPc, which allows you to warn students for a period of time when they log in that their resources are overdue. The student can continue to log in and just click ok to that message until they hit the limit of days overdue. Once the limit has been reached, a message appears telling the student to talk to a member of staff. When the student comes to the desk they are warned that they need to return the resources. This dialogue usually results in the return of the resources, but if the items are still overdue at 60 days their access is then blocked.
MyPc is something we are going to investigate further, before we report back to our Finance department. Hopefully it will provide some of the answers we are looking for!
Best wishes,
Louise
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