[Publib] Repeat Offenders

Tue Oct 2 18:12:04 EDT 2007

I would be wary of setting such an extreme policy based on a few bad
apples.  I realize these kinds of people are very irritating to deal
with, but aren't they a very small percentage of the total?   I think
too often we get bugged when people take advantage of the great deal
they get from the library and want to set up punitive practices to
prevent this from ever happening again.  I have been guilty of at least
thinking about doing that myself.   But in the long run it just makes us
look kind of petty, I think, and can backfire on otherwise good patrons.

Other than for bankruptcy, which people can only declare infrequently
(and with more difficulty now than before), people do have to pay down
their debt and pay a collection fee to reestablish their good standing
with the library, right?   This is costing them big time, I would
assume, once you add up the cost of the book(s), the fines, the
processing fee, the Unique fee, and the annoyance of being dunned by the
collection agency.  That kind of seems like enough punishment to me!
And especially why punish family members who may be as annoyed with
their family deadbeat as you are?   

I would definitely not do the cash deposit thing.   You are not a
bookstore!   It would be a pain in the neck from an accounting and cash
handling standpoint, it seems to me.   Plus if they really are repeat
offenders who are just going to keep the book, you are out the revenue
from the fines and processing fees that you could collect if they went
to collection.... 

If you are in relatively small community where you know your patrons,
does personal contact with them across the circ desk work at all in
terms of shaming them into following the rules or reminding them that
last time it cost them x dollars to get back in your good graces?

Carolyn

Carolyn Rawles-Heiser
Library Director
Corvallis--Benton County Public Library
645 NW Monroe Ave.
Corvallis, OR  97330

-----Original Message-----
From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org
[mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Judy Bennett
Sent: Tuesday, October 02, 2007 2:01 PM
To: publib at webjunction.org
Subject: [Publib] Repeat Offenders

What do you do with those library users who have been referred to a
collection agency multiple times?  (We use Unique Management.)  We have
several instances in which a user has been referred, either returns the
items and pays the fines or pays for the "lost" materials and then
checks out again, only to be reported to debt collect once more.  We
currently have at least one instance with a 3-time repeater (2005, 2006
& 2007).  The 2005 items were returned and fines paid.  The user
declared bankruptcy in 2006 and we were unable to collect.  Now 3 of the
4 family members are in debt collect status.

My Board would like to have a policy which addresses those who go to
debt collect multiple times. Several suggestions that have been made
include:
    1.  When a person's status goes to debt collect the 2nd time all
family members have suspended borrowing privileges for a certain time
length (1 year? 2 years?)  Why all family members?  Because it has been
our experience on numerous occasions that when one family member is in
debt collect status he/she uses another family member's card, the same
thing happens again, and the cycle continues with the loss rate
mounting.  This suspension would only be for borrowing privileges; all
family members could use the library, the public PCs and the databases
(available in-library and at-home).
    2.  When a person's status goes to debt collect the 2nd time
restrict all family members to 2 or 3 items (or 2 or 3 books only -- no
non-print media is another variation of the suggestion) for a period of
1 year or 2 years, possibly.
    3.  The 3rd time a library user goes to debt collect status the
borrowing privileges would be suspended or revoked for a longer time
period for all family members.  5 years? Permanently?
    4.  Or another suggestion -- after the 3rd instance -- the only way
the individual or any family members could borrow items would be to pay
for the items -- in cash -- prior to checkout.  When the items are
returned, the cash would be returned.

These are some of the ideas that Board and staff have suggested.  What
does your library do?  What do you recommend?  If you have a policy
regarding "repeat offenders" would you please share it?

My thanks in advance for your help.  I would often be floundering
without the advice I glean from Publibers!

Judy

--
Judy K. Bennett
Director
Derby Public Library
611 N Mulberry, Suite 200
Derby KS 67037
316-788-0760 (phone)
316-788-7313 (fax)
judy at derbylibrary.com

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