Library Loses Late Fee, Helps Reduce Theft

Students no longer have to worry about a late book costing them money.

The library has changed its policy concerning late fees by removing them entirely. Public services librarian, Graham Sherriff, feels that this has played a part in reducing the number of books not returned.

"It wasn't intended to be a security measure, it was meant just to make our lives easier. Last summer we scrapped fines for late books. That has a security dimension to it," said Sherriff.  "A lot of times the reason why books disappear off the shelf is because people don't want to check them out officially so they can hold onto them longer and they're not going to get into trouble for having them for a long period of time. Now, as long as we get the book back, there is no fine."

The elimination of late fees and the installation of the magnetized gates is a product of a string of book thefts like those experienced by the library in 1978. The Critic reported that 559 books had been stolen from the library's collection of 55,000 books, within a year's time, in 1978. Changes in library policy and security have been implemented since then.

According to Library director, Garet Nelson, the security gate at the front door was installed in the early 1990s. The security gate at the door to the advising center was installed around 2006, and cost $10,000. The storage cabinet for DVD's costs about $800 each.

 "That is a very effective system, but it's not 100% water tight," said Sherriff about the gates. He explained that the alarm can also be triggered by cell phones, belts, and other unknown objects.

 "That's an issue for us. Because it's so sensitive, rather than worry about it not catching things, we're worried about it catching too much. We want people coming into the library to feel comfortable here and not feel like they're being monitored," Sherriff said.

The system works by inserting a magnetic strip, difficult to remove, into each book. If the magnet is still charged when a person takes it through the gate, the alarm will sound. There have been a few instances of students attempting to remove the strips.

Other than the gates, the only other option would be to install cameras. Members of the library staff, however, are not fond of the idea.

"The library is supposed to be a place where everyone can come in and use materials confidentially with privacy. We've talked about it, but we would have to be experiencing serious patterns of theft," said Sherriff.

Despite the installation of the magnetized gate, the library still experiences a loss of materials as some items are returned damaged or not returned at all.

"Things walk all the time in very small numbers," said Sherriff about the library's current problem with theft. "Being a library, we operate mostly on a system of trust. We don't monitor all the areas at all times. It's not possible to monitor each and every item. There's a large amount of trust between those who run the library and those who use it."

Recently, the library has experienced a loss in materials other than books.

"Magazines and journals seem to be the most common item being taken or found with pages ripped out. We have had paintings and DVD's stolen and come up missing," said Nelson, through an email interview.

The library's collection has nearly doubled in the past 34 years, with the addition of books along with DVD's and other electronics. The library replaces about 40 to 60 books per year.

"We have almost 100,000 volumes on the shelf and that's just the books. That's not including periodicals, CD's, and DVD's," said Sherriff.

Not only has the library's collection grown, but the cost of books has also increased. In 1978, it was reported that the average cost to replace a book was $16. Between 1975 and 2002 there was a 40% increase in the cost of mass market paperbacks and for academic books, the cost may be more.

"The ball park cost to the library, due to theft, would be about $800 to $1000 per year. That includes all missing books," said Nelson.

The cost of academic books varies based on the type of book. Typically, they run within $40 to $50, but the range is anywhere from $20 to $150 for a recently published academic book.

"I image it has something to do with how much people want the item, how much people want to hold onto something. For magazines and newspapers, they're not as desirable, whereas books have more value, even if it's not financial value. Maybe it is sentimental value," said Sherriff.

If a student decides to drop out of the college, but still has books, the library only has one course of action.

"In that case, we operate like healthcare; we keep just keep calling and hope that someone will feel guilty enough to bring them back," he said.