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[ideagirl]

Why thank you.
As they say, necessity is the mother of invention.

To see how lawyers actually think is pretty disquieting, though. Please never sue me.

This was a decade before I even started law school, but I see what you mean. Don't you realize that the whole POINT of being a lawyer is to hack the system? As long as you're hacking it for good purposes (i.e., to perpetuate justice, not injustice), no problem...

I won't sue you. Unless you make me. Haha.

[glowdart]

Ok, this is for future reference, and I don't know if this would work in your library, but here's what I once did:
(1) Received a notice from the library that X book was massively overdue, had been declared lost, and they were going to buy a new copy at my expense--for about $150!
(2) After calming down, I gave my copy of the book to a friend of mine who was a student at the same university;
(3) My friend went to the library with the book, grabbed a couple of books she actually needed (they were in a closely related topic to my book) off the shelves, and then went to check them out--all of them, including mine.

Ingenious!

Why thank you.
As they say, necessity is the mother of invention.

Other options:  bring the book back into the library and re-shelve it.  Then, a few days later, file a "missing book" form on it, since clearly you did return it.  They find it on the shelves, and if this is your first offense, all is wiped.

Now, on a cold winter day when the book has been in your car trunk for weeks, do not re-shelve it, come down and ask if they've seen it, and then have them go up to look for it and find a cold book on the shelf.   (Been there, seen that, laughed.)

[orienteer]

you know I think its illegal to deduct money from salaries, or for employers to fine someone for a transgression or bar them from something they need to do for their job. UCU should have a go.

But you know, as a friend of libraries and librarians, I think this kind of fining is counterproductive - I know take out books as a last resort, seeking any online versions of a text first.

[soofry]

We have to pay library fines.  That doesn't seem outrageous to me -- why should faculty be exempt?  We have a six-month check-out period and the books can be renewed once online, for a total of a year before we have to show up with them at the library again.  They can also be recalled, and there are higher fines for bringing back recalled books late.  As someone who's recalled books that were never actually returned, I'm all for fines.

Six months. Lucky you. We have two weeks. Two lousy weeks. That's the LONGEST we can borrow for.  We get fined 25p per day.

I don't mind being fined if someone else needs the book and I'm late returning it. Or I lose it. But why should I be fined if I'm late and no-one else needed the book, and I was using it for the work that the university pays me to do?

How would librarians like it if they got fined for a minor transgression that didn't hurt anyone? Say.... showing up late to work one day?

I have fines on my library record. Nothing much, just a couple of pounds or so. I'm not paying them. They can jolly well sit there and whistle for it.

[misslemon]

Ok, this is for future reference, and I don't know if this would work in your library, but here's what I once did:
(1) Received a notice from the library that X book was massively overdue, had been declared lost, and they were going to buy a new copy at my expense--for about $150!
(2) After calming down, I gave my copy of the book to a friend of mine who was a student at the same university;
(3) My friend went to the library with the book, grabbed a couple of books she actually needed (they were in a closely related topic to my book) off the shelves, and then went to check them out--all of them, including mine.

Nice idea, but unfortunately your personal book would've never been mistaken for a lost library book unless you had somehow managed to steal the exact same barcode and exact same call number sticker of the book that was originally lost and placed them in/on your personal book.  You would've also had to somehow place the library's identification stamp on certain pages.  Upon presentation at the circ desk by your friend, the library would've had no way of determining that the personal, unmarked copy of the book belonged to you unless your friend stated such as a fact at which point the librarian would've immediately recognized what was going on.

While I sympathize with all of you who've had unfortunate library experiences, please keep in mind that it is NOT the librarians who set the fine rates or the policies and procedures for checking out and returning books, it it the university administration that determines such.  I've been a university librarian for 27 years and those who come in with a smile on their face and an apology get their fines wiped right off their record.  Those who come in whinging and whining usually end up paying the fine.

[marigolds]

Ok, this is for future reference, and I don't know if this would work in your library, but here's what I once did:
(1) Received a notice from the library that X book was massively overdue, had been declared lost, and they were going to buy a new copy at my expense--for about $150!
(2) After calming down, I gave my copy of the book to a friend of mine who was a student at the same university;
(3) My friend went to the library with the book, grabbed a couple of books she actually needed (they were in a closely related topic to my book) off the shelves, and then went to check them out--all of them, including mine.

Nice idea, but unfortunately your personal book would've never been mistaken for a lost library book unless you had somehow managed to steal the exact same barcode and exact same call number sticker of the book that was originally lost and placed them in/on your personal book.  You would've also had to somehow place the library's identification stamp on certain pages.  Upon presentation at the circ desk by your friend, the library would've had no way of determining that the personal, unmarked copy of the book belonged to you unless your friend stated such as a fact at which point the librarian would've immediately recognized what was going on.

I think ideagirl actually put the overdue library copy in her friend's stack, not her personal copy. 

[britmom]

Ok, this is for future reference, and I don't know if this would work in your library, but here's what I once did:
(1) Received a notice from the library that X book was massively overdue, had been declared lost, and they were going to buy a new copy at my expense--for about $150!
(2) After calming down, I gave my copy of the book to a friend of mine who was a student at the same university;
(3) My friend went to the library with the book, grabbed a couple of books she actually needed (they were in a closely related topic to my book) off the shelves, and then went to check them out--all of them, including mine.

Nice idea, but unfortunately your personal book would've never been mistaken for a lost library book unless you had somehow managed to steal the exact same barcode and exact same call number sticker of the book that was originally lost and placed them in/on your personal book.  You would've also had to somehow place the library's identification stamp on certain pages.  Upon presentation at the circ desk by your friend, the library would've had no way of determining that the personal, unmarked copy of the book belonged to you unless your friend stated such as a fact at which point the librarian would've immediately recognized what was going on.

While I sympathize with all of you who've had unfortunate library experiences, please keep in mind that it is NOT the librarians who set the fine rates or the policies and procedures for checking out and returning books, it it the university administration that determines such.  I've been a university librarian for 27 years and those who come in with a smile on their face and an apology get their fines wiped right off their record.  Those who come in whinging and whining usually end up paying the fine.

Not where I work! The library admin set the fines - obviously I wasn't referring to those behind the desk as thieving so-and-so's.