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This reply by Val seems to be reasonable and is very similar to our policy. We wouldn't charge £5 for an ordinary overdue letter, but would for an official invoice. We don't charge fines here, at present, but if we did, I'd include those as well as they are part of the hassle, take time, cost money for stationery & stamps etc. Just because someone pays for a book, I don't see why they should get out of the fines they owe. The extra charges for hassle are important, as is charging the full cost of the book (not list price less discount). When I worked in Public Libraries there was one borrower who requested new books, then "lost" them, and continued to do so as he was only charged replacement cost which was less than he could buy the book for in the shops. In effect, he was using the Public Library as a discount book supplier. I suggest that libraries should have a stated policy on charging, as it might look like discrimination if one person was charged double, but another treble depending on the librarian's mood. When defaulter is a consultant - I find gentle pressure from a consultant colleague may be effective. When defaulter is a junior doctor - we try to grab these people before they move on. If they have not returned items and are still working here, a word with their consultant works wonders. We also take permanent addresses, not just temporary local addresses, for our records so that we can chase them later. If they hope to come back here to work, a letter is often effective, as is asking the consultant to contact them. Before someone says Data Protection to me, our registration forms all have the following statement, signed by the library user: "I agree that, at their discretion, Library staff may reveal to a third party details of items I have borrowed from the Library." Since adding this to the registration form, I've only had one query, and he was happy to sign when I explained it was for recovery of overdue items. When defaulter is a student - this is far more difficult, as I believe only the university/college library, not Trust libraries, are covered by the statement quoted by Malcolm Dobson. Often a threatening letter is enough. If they are still on placement here, we may contact their superviser. Sometimes we contact the University Library or course tutor to see what they can do for us. Sometimes we just have to write it off. The problem with dogs and thumbscrews etc is that you have to have the defaulter nearby. Most problems arise after they have moved away - often halfway across the globe. However, we recently had a book posted back from the Phillipines after a superviser contacted the borrower concerned. Hope this helps Tricia Rey Library Services Manager Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Holtye Road East Grinstead West Sussex RH19 3DZ Tel: 01342 414266 Fax: 01342 414005 Mailto:[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> -----Original Message----- From: Jennings Val (RGZ) [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: 08 June 2005 12:28 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Charging for lost books Full replacement cost plus admin fees & charges eg £5 for every letter and invoice you have had to issue to get this far plus another £x (you decide ) for time "wasted" ordering, processing, recataloguing... Always invoice first, or at least don't necessarily wait to invoice until you've acquired the book (on the grounds you can't afford to replace the book without the cash!). Book out of print? Last known price plus uplift for inflation (so's you can buy something similar) Val Jennings Library Service Manager, Queen Mary's Sidcup NHS Trust Charnley Library, Frognal Centre Frognal Avenue Sidcup Kent DA14 6LT From: Dobson, Malcolm [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: 08 June 2005 12:14 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Charging for lost books Oh. at least. Trebble it, more like. & if I was in a bad mood that day there would be a 10% 'mood' surcharge on top. (if I was in a good mood it would merit a 20% discount, good moods being rarer) -----Original Message----- From: Woodley Zena (RQ8) Mid Essex Hospital [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: 08 June 2005 12:10 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Charging for lost books Coo. Hassle, eh? That would double the price, then... -----Original Message----- From: UK medical/ health care library community / information workers [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Dobson, Malcolm Sent: 08 June 2005 12:09 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [LIS-MEDICAL] Charging for lost books I think there was a discussion about this on lis-medical a while ago (or maybe it was on lis-cilip). When I was an FE librarian we set a standard fee for lost books (as the BL does), which included a theoretical element for the hastle of dealing with it. -----Original Message----- From: Perry Rowena [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: 08 June 2005 11:58 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Charging for lost books What do people do about how much to charge for a lost book? Do you charge full replacement cost? But what if it is out of print or a new edition which you would have bought anyway is now out? Or does it vary as to age of book etc - public libraries used to have some sort of formula which took this into account. Do you pass on discount you should (but might not) get from supplier? Do you invoice before or after replacement copy has been obtained? We don't charge fines if person has lost books (again because when I worked in public libraries we didn't) Thanks in anticipation - replies will be summarised to the list. Rowena Perry Library Manager Health Informatics Shared Services Did you know that your local health library offers Help and advice from skilled staff Journal and book collections - electronic as well as traditional Study space and internet access Training courses and current awareness services Search services and document delivery Check out our intranet site: <http://nww.berkshire.nhs.uk/library> http://nww.berkshire.nhs.uk/library - to find out more about our services and to check our catalogue. 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