Lost library book

PROCEDURES FOR ELEMENTARY LIBRARIES

Elementary Lost Book Procedures: Throughout the year, guardians should communicate when they are aware a book is lost. Guardians may choose to let their child continue to bring home books, once they acknowledge they know it is lost. Guardians may communicate that they choose to wait until May to pay. If they choose this, students may continue to check out. Lost books should be paid by the end of the academic school year. Teacher Librarians may choose to start marking books lost with fines showing payable with the District's "Online Payments" in May. Guardians may request to pay lost book fines sooner. Book fines should be paid by the last student day of school. If a book was paid for, and you later find the book, you may choose to keep the book or return it/donate it to the library. Refunds will not be issued.

Can I donate a different copy of the lost book to the library? No. Lost book fines are actually the cost of exact replacement to our library. This includes the library binding, barcodes, spine labels, tape, and protectors our libraries use so that books may be shared out many times to many users. For this reason, our replacement costs may be more than a book at a local store or online.

What is the fine for late books? There are no late fines at the elementary level for late books which are returned in good condition within the same academic school year. However, if a family already paid the replacement costs for a lost book, no refunds will be issued. For this reason, some families may choose to wait until May to pay for misplaced books. In order for a child to continue checking out books, guardians must contact the library notifying staff of the lost book and request to allow the student to continue checkout.

What if my child has an overdue book the day of checkout? Students are verbally told at the time of checkout whether or not they have an overdue book at home. Since elementary libraries do not issue late fines, students may instead be told they can't check out until they bring the book back or have guardians acknowledge it is lost. Returning a book on time teaches responsibility and is respectful to others who are waiting for the book. Students will be told to bring late books the next day to check out at that time. Students may check out at anytime, even if it is not their normal day. They should communicate to the classroom teacher that they need to return and get a book. If guardians feel the book is truly lost, they should communicate this to the library. If guardians feel the book has indeed been returned and there has been an error, they should communicate this to the library so that staff can start investigating the possible locations. We do not search for every overdue book until guardians communicate they believe the book has been returned.

My child said he/she turned it into the classroom bucket. Why am I getting an overdue notice? We have no way of knowing what books are in the classroom. A book is not considered returned until it is placed in the library drop box and scanned in by our system. If you believe a book is in your child's classroom, please notify the classroom teacher that your child needs to return a book.

How will I know if my child did not turn in his/her book? All libraries send home notices. Some libraries issue paper notices. In most cases, overdue notices are sent out in an automated email notice. Emails are sent to the primary email listed in Infinite Campus. If your email address is not up to date, you may miss out on important notices. If you need these notices to be sent to a different email address, then you need to update your primary email with the secretary of the school or on Infinite Campus. Please do not respond to these emails unless you have a specific question or want to know a price for book replacement. Notices are simply a reminder. If you know the location of your child's books and plan on returning them in good condition, please do not respond to the automated email to state this.

My child was gone at the time of checkout. Now I am getting an overdue notice and my child needs a new book. What do we do? If a child misses checkout for any reason, they should bring their book back as soon as they can. Please notify your classroom teacher that your child needs a time to return, renew, or get a new book. If your child goes any length of time without a book, please ask your classroom teacher. Our library is always open to students, even when it is not their specific day.

What if a book is damaged? Please do not return damaged books to the drop box. Spills can leak onto other books and some books could possibly be repaired before damage worsens. For these reasons, please hand damaged books to the libary staff and report the damage. Please do not try to repair the damage yourself. Libraries all have special cleaners and tapes meant specifically for our libary books. If a book is able to be saved and repaired, you may not have to pay a replacement fee. If the book poses a health hazard such as mold from water damage or cannot be saved, you will most likely need to pay replacment costs. Your librarian will decide this. Replacement fees can be paid with the District's "Online Payments."