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  2 0 The Seattle Public Library sent me to collections for $5. This may not explicitly answer your question, but those librarians are serious! lilmonster206 answered in Other Books & Writing about 1 year ago | Report 1 comment by Rev.Enant… 0 0 Really? Wow. What collections agency is actually taking up 5 dollar cases? Rev.Enant commented about 1 year ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  0 0 SPL just raised the rates and lowered the amount of fees you can rack up before you have to pay, so I'm guessing that fines are a revenue source. It does make me feel a little less like a putz when I can't finish a book in several weeks (even after two renewals). keshmeshi answered in Other Books & Writing about 1 year ago | Report 3 comments by Sphinx, keshmeshi, and Rev.Enant… 0 0 Yeah, for me it's often that I'm just not feeling well enough to make it to the library at the right time or that I haven't been checking my online account well enough to be on top of my due dates, but it is really frustrating when there's a book that is just hard to finish, especially because it always seems to be the one that is on hold for someone else and cannot be renewed! I guess I figured that the fines were somewhat of a revenue source, but I'm wondering if all of that money is "profit," per se, or if a significant portion goes toward dealing with extra work produced by late materials. Sphinx commented about 1 year ago | Report 0 0 I would guess that most of the extra work is in the realm of automated computer tracking and such. Unless you're getting mail notifications at home, which I really hope you aren't. Anyone under the age of 70 should be doing email. keshmeshi commented about 1 year ago | Report 0 0 Not a revenue source.... see post Rev.Enant commented about 1 year ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  0 0 Well, sphinxemma, 'common sense' is different for each person. "Common" in the eye of the beholder ;) No, it's not a primary revenue source... the fees are more of a defensive move instead - It's a way to keep books in circulation to more citizens and not have to BUY as many books (or other media) to begin with, which equals a much MUCH bigger savings/revenue than petty little overdue fees. (Maybe think of it like buses: If everyone wanted to ride the bus from start-of-route to the end-of-route, no one inbetween would get to have a seat ever. Late fees are kinda like encouraging you to get off/on at your own damn stop and not use the bus as a sightseeing vehicle, so that the nice pregnant lady might have a chance of sitting down, too). Not to say overdue materials don't add labor to the overall process, because late materials do delay other users, some of whom are waiting to use them as required homework materials, or (arguably more importantly) teachers are waiting to use them as teaching materials. But a trend of late and overlate materials makes the librarians have to buy more materials (supply) to address the system's continued overburdened requests (demand). My source? The librarians were nice about explaining these fees a couple years ago when the new fees/policies were first being considered. aside: I still think the fees for children's books is lame / bogus though... kids aren't financially (or morally) responsible for goofball adult policy and account-balancing issues. ;( Besides, they can't even vote on library or city issues - they certainly shouldn't be any more subject to library collections agencies than they are to income taxes... Rev.Enant answered in Other Books & Writing about 1 year ago | Report 1 comment by Sphinx… 1 0 I get your point about materials for teachers/students, but I sincerely doubt that me keeping a random mystery or Joyce Carol Oates novel for two extra days is really interfering with anyone's education... The main situation in which I see keeping materials slightly past their due date being particularly inconsiderate is when there is a hold on those materials. If someone is waiting on that item, it's a dick move to keep it past the due date. On the subject of children's books, it is also the case that the children aren't the ones paying the fees, either. Unless things have changed significantly since my childhood days at the library, a child cannot get a library card without a supervising adult, who is financially responsible for the account. Sphinx commented about 1 year ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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