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1.4. How to Address Lost or Damaged Materials

Last Updated 09/25/2024

How to Address Lost or Damaged Materials

This instructional document is intended to answer a number of questions related to lost or damaged materials, fines and fees collection, etc., compiled from the Cardinal resource sharing community with the assistance of the User Experience Committee.

A basic summary of the policies derived from these questions and answers is outlined below, with more specific questions and answers detailing various circumstances or scenarios following after.

Policies

• Do not send damaged materials.
• Do not mark other libraries' materials "Damaged," "Missing," or "Lost," without first consulting the owning library.
• Reach out to owning libraries prior to assessing fees for damaged or lost materials.
• Document damage with a damage slip and/or item alert.
• Lost or Damaged fees assessed at a library not your own may not be voided or waived.
• Always assess materials for damage.
• Generally speaking, you should not attempt to repair another library's damaged item.

When is an item too damaged to send?

• Ask yourself, “Would I check out an item in this condition to myself?” or “Would I feel comfortable checking out an item in this condition to one of my own patrons?”  Think about how you would feel if you received an item in this condition.
• If an item is damaged enough that you feel it should be weeded from the collection, it is damaged enough to not send out via resource sharing (and you should probably go ahead and weed it).
• Examples of damage that should prevent you from sending it:
1. Visible bugs
2. Mold
3. Stains/water damage (some water damage may be acceptable, but if the damage is extensive and/or makes the text difficult to read, do not send it; if you do send it, include a note [either a resource sharing damage slip and/or an item checkin/checkout note in the catalog])
4. Excessively written in (if a patron has written extensively in one of your books and you know who it is, you should seriously consider charging the patron for the book)
5. Bad smell
6. Broken binding
7. Pages falling out/torn/loose (if it needs rubber bands to stay together, do not send it)
8. Broken or heavily scratched discs
• When it comes time to return an item, if you have to place it in a plastic bag due to extensive water damage (that is, the item is still damp or wet), do not send it.  Instead, contact the owning library, as they will likely want you to just discard it.
• If an item is returned by your patron with extensive damage like the examples described above, it is always good practice to contact the owning library, as they may want you to just go ahead and discard the item instead of sending it back.

Examples of Damage

Wet or moldy materials

Materials damaged by food or chemicals or that have an oily or sticky residue

Materials missing pages or covers

Materials containing marking by pencil, ink, or highlighter marker

Materials showing tears, cuts, graffiti, or other unusual damage

Materials showing insect or animal damage

Heavily scratched or broken discs

What do you do when an item you received through resource sharing arrives damaged?

• Ask yourself, “Would I check out an item in this condition to myself?” or “Would I feel comfortable checking out an item in this condition to one of my own patrons?”  Think about how you would feel if you received an item in this condition.
  • If you answered yes to these questions, place a resource sharing damage slip (which can be found here in the Knowledge Book) in the item noting that the item was received damaged and your patron is not responsible for the damage.  Instruct your patron to keep the slip with the item and to return both.  When returned, send the item back to the owning library with the slip included.
  • If you answered no to these questions, place a resource sharing damage slip in the item noting that the item was received damaged and return the item with the slip to the owning library, and
    • Re-target the hold for your patron, or
    • If it is the only copy in the catalog, you may want to discuss with your patron whether or not they still would like to check it out in its damaged state.  If they do not, consider purchasing a copy for your own library if it is easily obtainable or requesting it through interlibrary loan if your library offers that service.
    • If the item was received from a non-owning library due to an opportunistic capture, follow the steps outlined above as normal, but it is recommended that you also reach out to the owning library to explain the situation.  It is better to let the owning library investigate and resolve the matter with the previous circulating library than for you to try and work as a “go-between” for the other libraries.
• In the case of a movie or audiobook with multiple discs and one or more of those discs are missing, you may call the owning library’s contact to see about locating the missing disc, or return the item to the owning library with a resource sharing damage slip and re-target the hold for the patron.

How do you document damage?

• Use a resource sharing damage slip (linked above)
• As a reminder, do not tape, paper clip or otherwise attach the damage slip to the item.  Inserting the damage slip into the item is best.
• If the item belongs to you, and you are sending it out after assessing some damage (e.g. minor water damage or a torn page), it is recommended you add a checkin/checkout item alert explaining the damage with a date and staff signature/initials so if the damage slip is lost, there will still be a record of the damage.

Should the circulating library mark another library’s (that is, the owning library’s) item “Damaged,” “Missing,” or “Lost”?

• It should first be noted that, depending on a staff member’s permissions, they may not be able to mark another library’s item as “Damaged,” “Missing,” or “Lost,” in which case they should contact the owning library’s points of contact to explain the situation so that the owning library’s staff can mark the item in question as needed.
• Even if a staff member has the necessary permissions, it is still strongly recommended that they reach out to the owning library first to discuss the situation.  In some cases, for example, the owning library may wish to inspect the item themselves first before deciding whether or not they want to mark it “Damaged.”
• It is generally considered best to speak with the owning library first before making a change to one of their items, even if just as a courtesy.  If the staff member at the circulating library has the necessary permissions, the owning library may tell them to go ahead and mark the item, or the owning library may go ahead and do it themselves while corresponding with the circulating library.
  • Important Note:  If the circulating library marks the item “Damaged,” “Missing,” or “Lost,” the library settings of the owning library, not the circulation policies of the circulating library, take precedence.  What does this mean?  To illustrate:

1. Patron A from Library A checks out Item B from Library B at Library A.
2. Library A does not charge late fees (this is a circulation policy), nor does it charge for damaged materials (this is a library setting).
3. Library B charges late fees (circulation policy), and it charges for damaged materials (library setting).
4. Patron A returns Item B late to Library A.  Item B is also damaged.
5. Patron A is not charged any late fees, because Library A’s circulation policy of not charging late fees takes precedence.
6. Library A marks Item B “Damaged.”
7. Patron A is charged for the damage, because Library B’s library setting of charging for damaged materials takes precedence.
• In the above scenario, the staff member at Library A who marked the item “Damaged” will have received a notification asking whether or not to charge the patron (if it had been their own item, they would not have received this notification due to their library setting).  Even though Library A does not charge for damages to their own items, they should still charge the patron for the damage to the other library’s item.
• To help prevent any potential confusion, this is why it is good to contact the owning library first.  The owning library can assess whether or not the item should be marked as “Damaged” and whether or not they want to charge the patron or request a replacement.
• As a reminder, Lost or Damaged fees assessed at a library not your own may not be voided or waived.
• The difference between circulation policies and library settings is explained in greater detail here under “***An Important Note Regarding Circulation Policies vs Library Settings.”

Should the circulating library attempt to repair another library’s (that is, the owning library’s) item?

• Generally speaking, no, but if a DVD or CD needs cleaning, either upon receipt or return, it is acceptable to clean it.  However, it is recommended that you include a note to the owning library that the disc was cleaned.

Should damage fees even be assessed?

• Yes.  Even if an item does not belong to your library, you should treat it as if it did.  However, different libraries may have different standards for what they feel is “damaged enough” to be worth charging the patron.  This is why it is always good to reach out to the owning library first.  This of course may mean that you might not have an answer for your patron immediately, so you will want to explain to them that since the item belongs to another library, it is ultimately up to the owning library whether or not to charge them for it (or to request a replacement copy), and you will let them know once you have spoken with the owning library.

When should you assess fees for damage?

• Whenever an item is returned damaged to your library.  As noted above, it is always good to contact the owning library to determine whether a patron should be charged or if a replacement copy should be provided.
• Remember that you can find guidance on how different libraries would like damaged or lost items handled here, but even if a library has provided instructions, it is always good to contact the library even as just a courtesy.

How should an owning library annotate fees charged to the patron who caused the damage?

• When you go to mark an item damaged, you will be presented with the following popup window:
  
  

• In the Note field you should leave an explanation for why the fee was charged, and it is recommended that you should include your signature (or initials) along with the date the patron was charged.  (Note that you must select “Misc” under Type in order to be able to click the Submit button.)
  
  

• Once you have done this, you can view the note by selecting the charge under the Bills tab in the patron’s account and then selecting “Full Details” from the Actions dropdown menu:
  
  

• On the next screen, you will be able to see the note:
  
  

• You may also want to leave a Note on the patron account itself so that the explanation is more easily visible to library staff upon bringing up the patron’s account.

Regarding replacement copies:

• The purchase of a replacement copy should be left to the patron, not the library.  Due to the nature of library finances, libraries often cannot use their own funds to purchase materials for other institutions, and they should not be expected to do so.

FAQ

1. If a circulating library does not charge damage fees for its own materials, should they also not charge damage fees for other libraries’ materials?
• No.  While it is acceptable for a circulating library to not charge late fees for a material belonging to another library, an owning library receiving its item somewhat later than intended is not the same as the owning library not being able to have its item returned at all.  The owning library should be able to receive some form of compensation for the lost or damaged item, whether it be a monetary payment or a replacement copy.
• Remember that circulation bills, such as overdue fees, are determined by the circulating library.  Lost or damaged material fees are determined by the owning library.  More information can be found here under “Notes on Billing and Payments.”
2. What if a patron wishes to pay the damage fee at the circulating library (e.g. so they can go ahead and check out more books or place more holds during that same visit)?
• This is their right, and they are allowed to do so, but every attempt should be made first to put them in contact with the owning library so that the owning library may be paid directly instead or otherwise provided with a replacement copy.  Remember that money should not be moving across county lines between different libraries.
• If the patron does pay the damage fee at the circulating library, the owning library should be notified as a courtesy so if they wish to replace the item themselves they can.
3. What if a patron disputes the lost or damage fee?
• They should be referred to the owning library for resolution of their account.  Remember that lost or damage fees from a library that is not your own may not be voided or waived.
4. What if the owning library wishes to inspect a damaged item first before determining whether or not to charge a patron?  Or you have inspected the item and determined that it is damaged, but you are unable to get ahold of a staff member at the owning library while the patron is present at your library?
• First, because this would mean that the patron may be charged at a later time, you should explain this to the patron so that they know you will first have to return the item to the owning library and then staff at the owning library will decide whether or not to charge the patron.
• Second, leave a note on the patron’s account explaining the situation, so other library staff will be aware of the situation should you be unavailable the next time the patron visits your library and finds that they have a charge on their account for a damaged material.  You should leave this note on the patron’s account even if you have spoken with them directly, but you should especially leave this note if you were not able to speak directly with the patron at the time of the item being returned.
5. What if a patron whose home library is another branch in your library system (or whose home library is in another library system entirely) returns a damaged item in your book return, so you are not able to speak with this patron directly?  You have assessed the item but are not sure if the owning library would consider the item damaged enough to charge the patron or request a replacement (or you have contacted the owning library about the item and they would like to inspect it first before making a decision).
• In such a situation, you should send the item back to the owning library with a damage slip explaining the situation, and, because you are unable to explain directly to the patron that they may be charged at a later time for the damaged item, it is recommended that you add a note to the patron’s account describing the situation so that library staff at the patron’s home library will be made aware of the situation and can address the patron directly regarding it (as the patron may also check their account before returning to their home library and see that they have been charged for a damaged item and want to know why).  You may wish to contact the patron’s home library to make them aware of the note beforehand, as well.
• Or, if the owning library decides right then and there to charge the patron without the need to first inspect the item, it is still recommended to leave a note on the patron’s account so staff at the patron’s home library will have the necessary information available to explain to the patron why they are being charged for a damaged item.  It is also recommended that the fee be annotated, as well.  And as in the situation described above, you may wish to reach out directly to the patron’s home library, as well, to explain the situation to them beforehand.