Keywords: loan rules, fines, billing, grace period, billing fee, loan period, renewals, collecting fees, policies
Here is a short list of common OhioLINK policies that EVERY library should be following. If you are making exceptions to these policies, for whatever reason, you are in violation of the Memorandum of Understanding. Exception requests need the approval of the Intercampus Services Committee.
Loan rules:
Books (any items mapped to OhioLINK type 200): the first loan period is three weeks. Up to 6 renewals of 21 days each for most patrons on non-media or 42 days each for faculty as long as no holds have been placed on the item.
Renewals can be made within 7 days of the book being due.
Media (any items mapped to OhioLINK type 208): the loan period is 7 days. Three renewals are permitted.
Fines:
The patron's home library will keep the monies collected for all late fees and replacement and processing costs. Institutions may use their own local charges for OhioLINK items. In place of locally defined charges, institutions may instead follow traditional OhioLINK charge structure. Under the traditional OhioLINK structure, patrons will be charged late fees at the rate of $.50 per day ($2.00 per day for failure to return a recalled item promptly). The maximum overdue fine per item is $15.00. The patron's home library will be responsible for notifying its patrons of overdue materials and fees accrued. A lost book replacement charge of $75.00 will be billed to the patron who does not return an OhioLINK loan 30 days after the due date. A $50.00 processing fee (which includes the $15 late fee plus a $35 billing fee) will also be included on these lost book invoices. Only the replacement fee is canceled when the item is returned.
Patrons can replace lost OhioLINK books with an item of the same edition. The borrowing library should offer that replacement to the lending library. If lending doesn’t accept it, the borrowing library can choose to add it to their collection.
