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Changes to Library Fines and Fees

Effective April 1, 2008
Book Fines: 50 cents per day per item to a maximum of $50.00 per item
Media Fines: $2 a day with a maximum of $50.00 per item.
Overdue Recalled Item Fines: $4.00 per day, per item; continues to $50.00 maximum per item
Reserve Fines:
- 1 Hour, 2 Hour, 3 Hour, and 7 Hour Reserves: $3.00 each hour per item; Maximum $50.00 per item
- 1 Day, 2 Day, 3 Day, and 7 Day Reserves: $5.00 per day per item; Maximum $50.00 per item
Lost Books: $100.00 replacement fee, $35.00 processing fee
Lost CDs: $100.00 replacement fee, $35.00 processing fee
Lost DVDs: $150.00 replacement fee, $35.00 processing fee

Comments (2)

John Smith:

Is this an April Fools joke?

Just curious, because I would have thought there would be a much larger effort to publicize this. These fines are doubling. I think it's a pretty big deal, so I have a couple of questions. How much will I get charged if I have books that were due on March 27th, but I don't turn them in until April 3rd? Will I get charged the new rate on overdue books that I renewed online last year, if I return them now? Has the "grace period" of 1 dollar doubled as well?

Thanks for making this such a prominent post on your website and sending emails and everything. What is this fee increase going towards anyway? I thought I understood why library fines were charged: if you didn't do it, people wouldn't bring back their books on time. I didn't realize it was a major part of your budget. Do you really need the money that bad?

Gosh, for the well-being of the library, I hope people don't start bringing their books back on time.

LaTanya West:

We appreciate your concerns. The decision to change library fines and fees was not taken lightly. After an approval process that included the Library Policy Committee (LPC) and campus administration, it was decided that these changes were necessary. The LPC has student representation from both the undergraduate and graduate constituencies and was given an opportunity to voice student concerns about the changes.

The sole impetus for adjusting library fines and fees is to enable the library to pay student workers a better starting wage and offset the cost of the mandatory minimum wage increase slated for July 2008. Although it would have been ideal to fund these items in a different way, due to current Maryland institution budget constraints there were no other feasible alternatives other than cutting services at the library (i.e. closing earlier, purchasing less material).

In response to your questions about specific fine scenarios, please direct any individual inquiries about your library account to the Circulation Department at circlib@lists.umbc.edu.

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