Harvard Gazette: Uniform book loan, fines are set

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HARVARD GAZETTE ARCHIVES

Uniform book loan, fines are set

Beginning Jan. 31, uniform policies regarding book loans and overdue book fines will go into effect in all the libraries within Harvard College Library (Cabot, Hilles, Fine Arts, Harvard-Yenching, Lamont, Houghton, Tozzer, Kummel, Loeb Music, Littauer and Widener) based on the recommendations of a task force of the University Library Council and with the support of the FAS Library Committee. This policy change is the result of efforts on part of the University to accommodate growth in the use of library collections by students, faculty, and staff, facilitated by the increasingly interdisciplinary conduct of teaching and research at Harvard.

Speaking on behalf of the Harvard College Library, Jeffrey Horrell, Associate Librarian for Collections, said, "The libraries mission continues to be to ensure that the collections are accessible to our primary users and that access policies meet the needs of multiple users. The new loan periods and fine policies support that goal."

The following are the new book loan and overdue books fine policies:

Book loan periods

Under the new guidelines, there are only two types of loan periods, the 28-day loan, and the extended-loan. Books on extended loan are due back on two dates a year, Sept.10 and Feb. 10.

The following libraries within HCL now offer extended loans to faculty and officers: Fine Arts, Harvard-Yenching, Kummel, Loeb Music, Tozzer and Widener. The 28-day loan is in effect at Cabot, Hilles, and Lamont for all users, since these collections primarily support undergraduates.

The old policies varied among libraries, with different loan periods extended to undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty and officers.

Overdue book fines

Beginning Jan. 31, the daily fines for overdue materials in the Harvard College Library will be 50 cents for books on 28-day loan, a $5 one-time fee per book on extended loan, and $2 on recalled materials, regardless of their original due date, without a grace period.

All borrowers, regardless of University status, are subject to these policies, including University officers and faculty who may not have been fined in the past.