Fines & Fees Information

Policy | Fines & Fees | Grace Period | Payment | Notices | Investigation and Appeals

Policy

• Fines are established to enforce the circulation policies of the VCU Libraries, ensuring that all borrowers have an equal opportunity to use the collections.
• Each borrower assumes full responsibility for all materials charged to his or her account and for knowledge of and adherence to library policies concerning loan periods and penalties.
• Borrowing privileges may be suspended until all fines are paid.
• VCU Libraries Fines and Fees
  

Fines and Fees

• Overdue Fines: For details on overdue fines based on your borrower status and material collection, see the Borrowing Privileges Table.
  • For most library materials, overdue fines accrue at $ .25 per day per item.
  • For short loan materials, fines accrue at $1.00 per day.
  • For course reserves and on-site loans, fines accrue at $1.00 per hour.
  • Recalled materials fines are based on the recall due date.
  • The maximum overdue fine per book is $10.00.
    
• Lost Fee:
  • VCU Libraries charges a minimum lost / not returned fee of $90.00 for materials from the collection at James Branch Cabell Library and $160.00 for materials from the collection at Tompkins-McCaw Library for the Health Sciences. Because some items are rare or valuable, VCU Libraries reserves the right to charge a higher fee.
  • When materials are 42 days overdue, the borrower is automatically billed the replacement fee. When the material is returned, the replacement fee is removed, and the patron is responsible for the non-refundable processing fee and maximum overdue fine.
  • VCU Libraries does not accept patron-purchased replacement copies of lost materials in lieu of payment of the replacement fee.
  • Interlibrary loan items and items with shorter borrowing periods are considered lost sooner. 
  • Unpaid lost fees may result in a University Hold through VCU Records and Registration. A University Hold blocks registration and the issuance of diplomas and transcripts.
  • Lost fees 90 days past due may also be referred to VCU Collections for State of Virginia Debt Set-Off service against Virginia refunds (such as income tax or car tax refunds) or lottery winnings.
• Damaged Materials Fee:
  • When materials are damaged while checked out, the borrower is billed for the cost of repair.
  • The minimum fee charged for damaged materials is $10.00.
  • Materials that cannot be repaired are billed a lost fee.
  • All damaged materials remain the property of VCU Libraries.
  • If materials are already damaged, alert a library staff member before checking them out.

Payment

• Payment can be made in cash, check (payable to VCU Libraries), RamBucks, or credit/debit card (American Express, Discover Card, MasterCard, or Visa). Counter or starter checks are not accepted.
• Payments are accepted at Cabell Library's Circulation & Information Services or Tompkins-McCaw Library's Service Desk. See the Circulation Services for contact information.
• Payments may be made by credit/debit card over the phone by calling Circulation & Information Services at Cabell Library (804 828-1111) or Tompkins-McCaw Library's Service Desk (804 828-0636).

Notices

• Courtesy notices are emailed to your VCU email account 3 days prior to material due dates.
• Lost notices are sent to your campus address or US Postal Service address.
• VCU Libraries is not responsible for failure to receive notices because of absence, address change, or lapses of mail services. VCU Libraries will make a reasonable attempt to determine the correct address if a notice is returned. However, it is the borrower's responsibility to make certain that the VCU has current address information.
  • Change of addresses for VCU borrowers:
    • E-mail@VCU: see "Mail" link within your service group
    • Mailing address and phone: update your VCU personal information through one of the links below:
      • VCU eServices / Personal Information / Update Addesses and Phones. See link from my VCU portal.
      • Students:  in-person or in writing through VCU Records & Registration.
      • Faculty and staff: VCU eServices (above) or see your department fiscal administrator.
      • Students who work for VCU must update both registration and employee addresses; employee address information takes precedence within the library information system.
  • Change of address for Non-VCU Borrowers:
  • Contact Circulation Services.
  • Friends of the Library contact VCU Libraries' Development Office

Investigations and Appeals

Processes have been established to provide library borrowers with a forum in which to appeal library charges when loan, fine or fee problems cannot be resolved by any other means. All legitimate objections related to library charges will be considered.

Circulation blocks may be overridden and VCU Records and Registration University Holds may be lifted during a Library Investigation or Appeal.

Circumstances that do not constitute a legitimate basis for appeal include:

• Lack of knowledge of library policy
• Lack of understanding of library policy
• Inability to pay fines and charges
• Failure to receive an overdue notice
• Unwillingness to take responsibility for materials loaned to a third party, for example, loaning materials charged to you to a classmate, family member, faculty member, etc.
  

Appeals must be filed within 45 days from the date of the fine assessment or due date.

Decisions are based on the patron's statement, evidence presented by the Libraries, the patron's record and history of previous appeals, the total amount of the fees in question, and any other relevant information. Appeals are reviewed monthly by the Access Services Work Group. Decisions are final and binding on both the borrower and the VCU Libraries.

A decision will be made as to whether to:

• require full payment of all charges,
• reduce the charges, or
• waive all charges.
  

Investigation requests may be made via the Library Investigation Request online form, or by contacting Circulation and Information Services.