If you/ve got any lost library books, now/s the time to find them.
After a new policy goes into effect Aug. 17, students may have less time after the due date to return a book before UF charges them for the cost of a replacement.
Currently, lost books are replaced when librarians get around to buying the new books, said library spokeswoman Barbara Hood.
So some lost books aren/t back on the shelf in a timely manner, which prompted the change, Hood said.
Under the new policy, the library will institute a fixed schedule for book replacement, and as soon as the new book is ordered, the one who checked out the book will be responsible for paying for it, she said.
The new policy states that 21 days after the due date, the library will charge borrowers a $35 processing charge per item for general loans. The next day, the replacement item will be ordered, and the borrower will be responsible for the cost of the new item, in addition to the $35 fee.
The other late fees will remain largely the same. For general loans, it will still cost 25 cents per day after the due date until the maximum overdue fine kicks in after 20 days. That fine, however, will now be $5 instead of $10.
From July 1, 2008 to May 13, the library reported 728 lost books at the Smathers Libraries, which at the time didn/t include the Health Science Center libraries or the law school/s library.
Those books had a combined cost of about $50,000, Hood said.
During the last school year, UF students, faculty and staff checked out almost 220,000 books, she said.
