[Libs-Or] Discourse around charging for damaged or lost items?

[Kirsten Brodbeck-Kenney]

Here at DPL, we typically charge the actual list price of the item. However, we're very flexible about charges; if an item is something we are unlikely to replace (like an outdated edition), or if it was already in poor condition, we often waive the fee entirely. We're also willing to be flexible on what constitutes "replacement cost," because sometimes the list price of an item (particularly DVDs) is much higher than it would actually cost us to replace it, so when a patron asks about their bill we are often able to reduce it substantially.

We do have default prices set for items that don't have the list price in their record, but I can't recall what they are at the moment. I think it's something like $25 for a hardcover, $15 for a DVD, etc. (We probably share these because I think they're the same for the whole consortium)

I haven't come across much discourse about replacement costs, at least, not to the level that there's been on fines. I've occasionally contemplated whether it might make sense to eliminate replacement fees for certain items that are frequently lost or damaged, like children's board books, but I also know that it's often receiving a bill in the mail for a "lost" item that prompts patrons to go on a hunt for the item and actually bring it back, so I'm not sure I'd want to do away with it entirely.

[dwsquare2]


Kirsten Brodbeck-Kenney
(She/They)
Library Director
__

City of Lincoln City  |  Driftwood Public Library
801 SW Hwy 101  |  Ste 201  |  Lincoln City, OR
P: 541.996.1251
E: kbrodbeck-kenney at lincolncity.org<mailto:kbrodbeck-kenney at lincolncity.org>  | W: Driftwoodlib.org

From: Libs-Or <libs-or-bounces at omls.oregon.gov> On Behalf Of Luke M. Kralik via Libs-Or
Sent: Thursday, December 19, 2024 9:35 AM
To: libs-or at omls.oregon.gov
Subject: [Libs-Or] Discourse around charging for damaged or lost items?


CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders.
Good morning all,
Like many libraries, our library system went fine free a few years ago. There was a lot of professional discussion around this topic, and the reasoning behind the idea was very strong and persuasive. It appeared that as a profession we took a hard look at a long-standing practice, and (largely) decided that it was a barrier to library access that could be removed without compromising our mission to be good stewards of public resources.

With this in the background, our library is in the process of evaluating our policy on charging for damaged or lost items. Like many libraries, we take a sort of "recoup our losses" approach to assessing these charges, and charge what we paid for said item. However, under closer examination, this reasoning falls apart a little.

We do not always use the fees collected to purchase a replacement copy (maybe the book is now out of print, or when we have multiple copies that will probably be winnowed down anyway). Sometimes we are able to purchase a new copy for less than what we originally paid. In any event, there are times where there seems to be a real disconnect between what we charge and our stated motivation of recouping costs.

We are considering adopting a "standard replacement cost" approach (for example $5 for a paperback, $10 for a hardback, $x for a picture book, $y for a DVD...) rather than charging what we originally paid for the item, or negotiating with the patron when they find a less expensive copy than what we have listed in the ILS.

Do any of you have an alternative model in place for assessing these types of charges? Or could you point me to where this issue is being discussed? Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Luke

PS: I don't know if anyone else thinks this is interesting, but if you think of the library as providing access to a collection, as opposed to individual items, it kind of makes sense that the patron is being charged for "degrading the collection" as opposed to "paying for item replacement". This idea is a little half-baked, but is sort of informing our early thoughts on this.

PPS: The reason I made the comparison to "fine free" is that while we need some mechanism for preserving access to the materials, it seems sort of unfair to have a greater penalty for damaging this book in comparison to the penalty charged for damaging this other book. The patron behavior/mistake is the same.


[cid:image002.jpg at 01DB5207.82F62620]

Luke Kralik (he/him) |  Main Library Manager
TILLAMOOK COUNTY  |  Library
1716 3rd Street
Tillamook, OR 97141
Phone  (503) 842-4792 x 1760
luke.kralik at tillamookcounty.gov<mailto:luke.kralik at tillamookcounty.gov>


This e-mail is a public record of Tillamook County and is subject to the State of Oregon Retention Schedule and may be subject to public disclosure under the Oregon Public Records Law. This e-mail, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure, or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please send a reply e-mail to let the sender know of the error and destroy all copies of the original message.

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/libs-or/attachments/20241219/baf105cc/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image003.png
Type: image/png
Size: 4429 bytes
Desc: image003.png
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/libs-or/attachments/20241219/baf105cc/attachment.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image004.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 20800 bytes
Desc: image004.jpg
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/libs-or/attachments/20241219/baf105cc/attachment.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image002.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 4147 bytes
Desc: image002.jpg
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/libs-or/attachments/20241219/baf105cc/attachment-0001.jpg>