The Woes of Overdues

We are rapidly approaching the end of the school year, so my attention must turn to those nasty overdue notices. Since we have summer school using this LMC soon after the year's end, it is important to get as many books returned as possible now. Towards that end, we have begun being more vigilant about student overdue books.

1. Any student with an overdue book will be allowed to check out only one additional book for reading until the overdue material is returned.


2. Students who have had materials overdue for more than 2 months will be receiving a letter requesting payment for the material. (We will accept a replacement copy provided it is the same title and in good condition.) No check outs (other than those required for class) will be allowed until the material is either returned or paid for.


3. Overdue notices are being printed on a weekly basis -- every Day 4. Ask your child if he or she has received an overdue note on that day.

Inevitably, someone will claim that they returned the material already or that they never checked it out. Errors do occur, especially when we have multiple people running the circulation desk, so we ask students to check their classroom shelves and at home again. In return, we will check the shelves for the missing material to make sure it has not been re-shelved without being checked in.

If this doesn't solve the dispute, things can get difficult. It is a very rare occurrence that a material gets checked out to the wrong person, so we will often let the overdue ride until the inventory has been completed. Letters and overdue notices will continue to be sent, however, as we struggle to come to some acceptable solution.

There are some parents who become agitated when letters are sent home, and I guess that is understandable; however, trying to retrieve lost or missing materials is simply part of the job. It is not a personal action against anyone and is not intended to be punitive. Those who cannot pay for a replacement can call the LMC and make some other arrangements. The main idea is to teach our students to be responsible for what they borrow. That's a priceless lesson to learn.