Library Charges

[jacquicook9]

Hi,

 

Can anyone out there help? I have been charged excessively for book that were previously outstanding. Is ther any way that these charges are illegal?

 

Jacqui:x

[PPMAN159]

Does the libarary not have a schedule of what they are allowed to charge?

 

Suggest that you go and find out or, failing that ,it might be an idea to vist your local Citizens Advice Bureau.

[gyzmo]

In what way is it excessive? How much is the fine and how long have you had the book?

[Rich44]

Norfolk libraries charge 10p for the first 2 days then 50p for the remainder of that week then £2.50 for a month

 

If its something ordered thru the British Library then lost or damaged the charge is £120 (gulp)

 

considering you can have 15 books at once if you allowed them all to go over could cost a pretty penny, might be worth negotiating with them?

 

Its very easy to renew these days our library service you can renew online or on the phone.

 

How many books and how much money are we talking?

 

Oh and I think I read somewhere that they only fine up to the value of each book as well if that helps

[PPMAN159]

Jacqui

 

Are you still there?

[gyzmo]

I think that last point sums it up. If the book is lost / damaged or stolen, then obviously it will need replacing, and they are only charging the value of it.

 

I always thought that fines were simply there as a deterrent, and not as a system of recovering losses (except as mentioned) but I could be wrong.

 

Personally I would pay the fine and try not to forget in future (something I do regularly!)

[Bookworm]

Library charges are deterrents, but they do not come under contract law, like parking fines and other government schemes.

 

Libraries provide knowledge, entertainment, and are an invaluable resource. Even with the deterrent effect, thousands, millions of books go missing every year, costing a fortune to, ultimately, us, the taxpayers.

[calvi36]

Would it not be possible for you to purchase the book that has been lost or damaged and replace it, surely this would cost less than £120?

[gyzmo]

Probably the library must obtain it's resources from specified providers.

 

Rules, regulations and quality standards cannot be gottn in the way of, you know. Even if the alternative is bleedin obvious!

[demon_x_slash]

The British Library is the uber-library. There are books in there that stretch all the way through L-space and then back again round to the end of beyond. It's like the modern day Alexandria (oh, I think of Alexandria sometimes and want to groan with the wretchedness of it all) and the first thing that I would do after winning the lottery would be to organise a two-week camping expedition in its hallowed aisles...grapnels an optional extra.

 

I'm surprised it's as little as £120.

[calvi36]

I have to say it must depend on the title, if it is still in print etc. If it is and it can be purchased then surely then can only claim for the cost of the title and an admin fee, maybe postage in replacing it. If it's not in print then at £120 you are getting off lightly.

[Bookworm]

The British Library is the uber-library. There are books in there that stretch all the way through L-space and then back again round to the end of beyond. It's like the modern day Alexandria (oh, I think of Alexandria sometimes and want to groan with the wretchedness of it all) and the first thing that I would do after winning the lottery would be to organise a two-week camping expedition in its hallowed aisles...grapnels an optional extra.

 

I'm surprised it's as little as £120.

 

If you get a tent big enough, I'll bring the dwarf bread and the banananananas. :grin:

[Batfink]

oook!

[jacquicook9]

Hi,

 

thankyou for your replies,

 

I have been charged £5.00 for each book that I borrowed and £5.00 administration charge also. As I borrowed 8 books this amounts to £80.00. (oh and the books were borrowed from a University Library)

 

Jacqui:(

[meagain]

If you are a student, you should be aware that the University has the right to withhold your degree if monies are outstanding, and if you decide to pursue them for it now they will also have the right to end your registration or refuse to award a degree. If they do decide to refuse an award or boot you out, you will in all likelihood have no recourse whatsoever.

[jacquicook9]

thnak you for your replies regarding Library charges

 

Jacqui

[calvi36]

If you are a student, you should be aware that the University has the right to withhold your degree if monies are outstanding, and if you decide to pursue them for it now they will also have the right to end your registration or refuse to award a degree. If they do decide to refuse an award or boot you out, you will in all likelihood have no recourse whatsoever.

 

 

 

ahhhh the bringer of joyous news ha ha

[meagain]

Had to be done

 

Pay the fines, and make it very clear (at the time and follow it up in writing) that you are paying the "administration charge" under protest. It's easy for them to come up with an excuse to not award a degree. It's rather more difficult for them to justify revoking it in retaliation afterwards.

[dw190]

Had to be done

 

Pay the fines, and make it very clear (at the time and follow it up in writing) that you are paying the "administration charge" under protest. It's easy for them to come up with an excuse to not award a degree. It's rather more difficult for them to justify revoking it in retaliation afterwards.

 

Pay Now Claim Later. Good Idea.

[demon_x_slash]

Yes, I've had to deal with that recently. I needed a book for one of my final essays, kept it past the return date because of this (one week loan, no renew) and then couldn't afford to return it to the library until my loan payment came in, because the fine hiked up so quickly. Normally, I wouldn't have minded, but I knew for a fact that no one else would have needed the particular book, as I had an extension and no one else would have been studying it at that time. I do think that Uni fines should be lower than they are at present, as students have better things to spend the money on (er, like rent and food, little things like that), and I have always been curious about the legality of witholding a degree until fines are paid. If anyone knows the true answer to that, I'd be very grateful to find out.

 

As for the expedition - I've had it planned in my head for years. Chalk marks on the floor may be necessary, I think; if we rope ourselves together and one gets taken (you're bringing up the rear, alright, Batfink?) by ravaging parchment monsters, they'd only drag the rest of us down too.

[Bookworm]

I have always been curious about the legality of witholding a degree until fines are paid

 

How about starting a thread about that in the Student forum, and see what comes up? ;-)

 

As for the expedition - I've had it planned in my head for years. Chalk marks on the floor may be necessary, I think; if we rope ourselves together and one gets taken (you're bringing up the rear, alright, Batfink?) by ravaging parchment monsters, they'd only drag the rest of us down too.

 

More worried about THAT one!

 

 

(That's the .303 Bookworm, btw... The renegade of the family, you might say. )

[demon_x_slash]

Hee, I love the .303 bookworm...and the quantum butterfly...and drop bears...damn, I live on the wrong planet...

[demon_x_slash]

How about starting a thread about that in the Student forum, and see what comes up? ;-)

 

 

I just did

 

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/students/96080-witholding-degree-due-money.html#post888105

[Shoestring]

I am also a frequent user of the library [but student days have long passed me by ] and have ordered books from the British Library with that stiff £120.00 charge for a loss. The book I had from them recently, Fulcanelli's "Dwellings of the Philosophers", could be bought from Amazon for £42.00 for softcover, but hardcover editions are rare and cost £272.00.

 

I imagine these charges are , therefore, a mean average for replacement. Having said that, had I lost a book I would always check Amazon for cost and availability and if the cost was very much less, I would phone the Library up and argue the toss quite strongly -- to the point of refusing to pay an amount higher than like for like replacement value. I would also ask them to advise if the books they have are insured and what the mechanism is to claim insurance for losses? I wonder if the £120.00 figure is the amount the insurance company deduct from any payout?

 

Shoestring

[meagain]

I have always been curious about the legality of witholding a degree until fines are paid.

 

Enrolling at a university does not IMO create a contract, and certainly does not create an obligation to award a degree under any circumstances. They may withhold a degree for any reason whatsoever, including "looking at the VC funny". Stories abound of queues in the library at the end of term as the staff disappear every 5 minutes to empty the till. You could hardly take legal action to force the Board to put letters after your name.

 

Of course, there have to be well-defined procedures and specific circumstances under which a university will consider revoking a degree, which is why I suggest to people that they finish their course first, get the all-important post-nominals, and then claim. Unless they're early on in a very long course, in which case they will suffer anal trauma when the six year limitation period passes.