Faculty/Staff fines and fees policy effective 1 July 2003

Due to budget exigencies, the UWM Libraries find it necessary to implement changes to their long-standing scale of service charges. These changes have the concurrence of campus administration and the University Libraries Committee.

  1. For over 12 years the "library fine" charged for a single overdue item has been capped at $10.00. Effective 1 July, 2003, that amount will be raised to $15.00.
  2. The processing fee for items more than 60 days overdue had been $10.00 (unchanged since the late 1970's) and in the past was waived for faculty and staff. Effective 1 July, 2003, the processing fee will be $15.00, and will apply to all faculty, staff and students. This fee is separate from the fine; it is for work done toward trying to recover or replace the missing item, and is therefore not refundable.
  3. UWM faculty and staff have hitherto been exempt from paying overdue fines on books returned late. As of fall semester 2003, faculty and staff will incur the same overdue charge (25 cents per day per item) as other users. There will continue to be a 3-day grace period during which overdue books may be returned without a fine, but on the next day the full fine for those four days ($1.00) is applied, with the charge incrementing by 25 cents per day per item thereafter, up to $15.00.

These changes should not be a heavy burden for the vast majority of faculty and staff, because loan periods for regular faculty and staff are for the academic year (shorter for temporary faculty and staff.) Also, renewing the loan of library materials is very quick and easy now that it can be done online by clicking on "personal record" in PantherCat.

The UWM Libraries regret that these steps have become necessary, but we are striving to reduce the amount of our budget expended on processing overdue and lost books, and thus not available for more productive uses. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding.

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