Fines and Overdue Materials

To help attain our goal of equal access for all users, we make use of overdue notices and fines. If materials are kept beyond the date due, a total of three courtesy reminders are sent to the borrower indicating the items are overdue. Courtesy overdue notices are sent via email to everyone with a Bucknell email address. Other borrowers receive their notices through campus mail or the Postal Service. Non-receipt of a notice is not cause for waiving fines. Items not returned after the final notice are presumed lost.

Overdue materials are assessed daily fines. In circulation, Bucknell students are charged $0.25 per day for overdue books and $1.00 per day for videos and DVDs. In reserves, overdue fines begin at $2.00/hour with a maximum fine of $30. Community borrowers are charged $1.00 per day for all items. Overdue fines are NOT charged on days the library is closed. However, fines are charged on days the library is open, but classes are not in session (e.g. Spring Break, Fall Break, certain days over the holiday intersession). The maximum overdue fine on any item in circulation is $15.00. Please do not hesitate to call or email if you have a question about an overdue notice.

Please note that the fine structure for the equipment that can be checked out from the circulation desk is quite different. For more detailed information on this topic, see the Equipment for Checkout page.

Fine notices are also issued as a courtesy to our borrowers and are sent on (or near) the 15th of every month during the school terms. Fines may be paid in person at the Circulation Desk. Borrowers with a Bucknell affiliation who have unpaid library fines are billed monthly through the University's Accounts Receivable Department. Community borrowers are billed directly by the library.

When an item has been overdue for two months, and there has been no response to the overdue notices, it is assumed to be lost. Borrowers are then charged the resulting overdue fines, an additional $20.00 processing fee (for costs associated with the withdrawal and replacement of the material), plus the replacement cost of the item. The replacement cost is based upon the average cost of similar new materials. Charges for a lost item may be paid in person at the Circulation Desk. Borrowers with a Bucknell affiliation who have unpaid library charges will be billed monthly through Accounts Receivable. Community borrowers are billed directly by the library. In order to avoid any misunderstanding regarding lost or overdue items, please contact the circulation staff as soon as you realize that there might be a discrepancy between our records and yours!

Please note that fine notices are for items that have already been returned - we know that they have been returned, but we're letting you know that they were returned late and that there was a late fee associated with the return. The fine notice is not associated with any items that are currently charged to you.

The overdue notice is different, and it is letting you know that there are materials that are currently charged to you that have passed their due date.

Circulation phone number: 577-1882
Circulation email address: circ-dept@bucknell.edu