Libraries charge late fines to discourage delinquent borrowing behavior which prevents other patrons from accessing material for their academic and research needs. While the Office of Library Services does not set the fee schedule (it merely adheres to it), the libraries have expressed concern that some of the fees escalate too quickly, charging excessively large fines for relatively minor offenses.

OLS suggests the following three options for applying slowly increasing fines with various Items Circulation Statuses:

1. Splitting out charges

   Some CUNY libraries have opted for setting a lower ‘initial’ maximum fine, and then applying a billing charge. The point is to initially charge a low amount and later add an additional amount for billing.

   Example: Setting a maximum fine of $5. If the person continues keep the item past its due date, the item is eventually declared ‘lost’ and lost charges are applied. If the person then returns the item, he or she owes a $5 fine plus an additional non-refundable $20 billing charge.

2. Instituting a grace period

   Setting up grace periods for reserve items is up to each individual library. Because not everything in reserves is a textbook, this option may be more applicable to non-textbook reserves such as leisure reading or children’s books.

   Example: Setting a 6-day grace period and a $20 fine. In this example, a person would not have a fine for the first several days. On day seven, they would owe $20 (an average of just under $3 per day). If the goal is to charge up to $20 but not all at once, this permits a way to spread out the cost, and focus charges on those who are late for a longer length of time. The length of the loan plus the length of the grace period can be adjusted to produce a similar length of loan (without charges) to what was previously used.

3. Identifying non-print materials

   One can charge $1 to $10 for loans lasting one to ten days. Please make sure equipment is not included in this Item Status grouping as the equipment rate would still apply.

The existing CUNY policy for library fines, put in place by the Board of Trustees in Fall 2013, has made it more challenging to produce slowly increasing fines. The options outlined above allow flexibility for circulation staff at each library to produce a more graduated scale of fines with their various Items Circulation Statuses.