Circulation Practices, May 2004 (v.7, n.3)
The FY2004 Annual Report Information Survey included a section of the Additional Information Survey (AIS) on public library circulation practices. The AIS asked questions about fines, standard loan and grace periods, renewals, overdue notification, and charges for out-of-state residents. Three hundred and sixty four (98.4%) of the three hundred and seventy public libraries in Massachusetts completed and returned the AIS.
Overdue Fines
294 (81%) of 363 libraries reported charging overdue fines. For those libraries that charged fines, rates varied based on the type of media borrowed.
| Overdue Rates (per day) | Books-Children's (260 responses) |
Books-Adult (263 responses) |
Videos (288 responses) |
Audios (264 responses) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most frequent response and % responding | $.05 (53%) | $.10 (49%) | $1.00 (66%) | $.10 (47%) |
| Second (and third) most frequent response and % responding | $.10 (37%) | $.05 (44%) | $.05 (8.7%) $2.00 (7.6%) |
$.05 (41%) |
| Range of responses | $.01-$1.00 | $.02-$1.00 | $.02-$2.00 (one outlier- $10.00) |
$.02-$1.00 |
Maximum Fines
Approximately 65% of the Commonwealth's public libraries reported maximum fines for books and audios. 70% reported maximum fines for videos.
| Maximum Fines | Books-Children's (243 responses) |
Books-Adult (247 responses) |
Videos (288 responses) |
Audios (264 responses) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most frequent response and % responding | $3.00 (31%) | $3.00 (28%) | $5.00 (35%) | $3.00 (25%) |
| Second most frequent response and % responding | $2.00 (27%) | $2.00 (25%) | $10.00 (26%) | $2.00 (22%) |
| Third most frequest response and % responding | $5.00 (16%) | $5.00 (19%) | $2.00 (8%) | $5.00 (18%) |
| Range of responses | $.01-$10.00 | $.10-$10.00 | $.50-$30.00 | $.50-$25.00 |
Grace Periods
37% of public libraries reported offering grace periods before fines were imposed for books and audios. 24% offered grace periods for videos.
| Grace Period (# of days) | Books-Children's (138 responses) |
Books-Adult (138 responses) |
Videos (89 responses) |
Audios (131 responses) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most frequent response and % responding | 1 (40%) | 1 (40%) | 1 (64%) | 1 (40%) |
| Second most frequent response and % responding | 3 (27%) | 3 (27%) | 3 (12%) | 3 (26%) |
| Range of responses | 1-30 (one outlier-90) |
1-30 (one outlier-90) |
1-30 | 1-30 (one outlier-90) |
Renewals
Of the 358 libraries that responded to the question about renewals, 356 libraries (99%) reported they renew adult books, 355 (99%) reported they renew children's books, and 347 (97%) renew audios. 256 libraries (72%) reported allowing video renewal.
| Renewals | Books-Children's | Books-Adult | Videos | Audios |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (% of libraries responding) | Yes (99%) | Yes (99%) | Yes (72%) | Yes (97%) |
| (% of libraries responding) | No (1%) | No (1%) | No (28%) | No (3%) |
Overdue notification
354 (98%) of the 362 libraries that responded to the question about notifying their patrons about overdue materials indicated they notify borrowers either by phone, mail or e-mail.
Charges to Out-of-State Residents
Most public libraries in Massachusetts (294, or 82% of the 357 libraries that responded to this question) reported that they do not charge residents of other states to borrow materials from their libraries. 63 libraries (18%) reported charging residents of other states for borrowing privileges.
Prepared by James Lonergan, State Aid Specialist