Inside Iowa State

Jan. 18, 2008

Library updates circulation policies

by Paula Van Brocklin

A two-fold desire to serve patrons better and mirror the practices of other university libraries prompted Iowa State University Library officials to update several circulation policies. The changes, effective Jan. 1, are based on survey responses and informal comments from students, faculty and staff.

The revisions pertain to loan periods, renewal options and overdue fines. The Library Advisory Committee, which assists the library dean with budgetary, operational and service issues, reviewed and approved all changes. Here's a summary of the revisions:

Online renewal is now available for short-term and extended loans, except for popular DVD and VHS titles. This service is available through the "My Account" feature of the online library catalog (www.lib.iastate.edu:81/ipac20/ipac.jsp?profile=parks). Users are limited to three consecutive online renewals for all items.

The standard loan period increased from two to four weeks. This policy applies to undergraduates and all others who previously received two-week loans. All books continue to be eligible for recall after two weeks.

Grace periods are discontinued. The new online renewal policy and longer standard loan period replace the need for grace periods.

The annual fee for a library visitor card increased from $4 to $5 for those with regent institution affiliation, and from $10 to $20 for all others.

Fines, fees

Overdue fines and processing/billing fees increased as follows:

• The daily overdue fine for standard loans, including leisure books, increased from 25 cents to 50 cents, and the maximum fine from $5 to $10.
• The hourly overdue fine for course reserve material increased from $1 to $2, and the maximum fine from $20 to $40.
• The daily overdue fine for a recalled item increased from $1 to $4, and the maximum fine from $10 to $40.
• The fee for charging overdue fines to university bills increased from $2 to $3 per item.
• The replacement fee for out-of-print material considered "lost" increased from $50 to $70, plus the overdue fine and a processing fee.

For more information about these policy changes, go to www.lib.iastate.edu and click on Your Library - Newsletter, or contact David Gregory, associate dean for research and access, at 4-0447 or dgregory@iastate.edu.

Changes to the library's circulation policy -- including longer loan periods and higher fines and fees -- went into effect Jan. 1.