Seattle Public Library Limits Loans, Charges for ILL, Adds Fines
Brings relatively generous materials policy closer to that of peer libraries
Norman Oder -- Library Journal, 6/30/2009
- New limit: 50 items
- $5 charge for ILL
- Nonresident card fees rise
Faced with $1 million in service cuts and constraints on its material budget, the Seattle Public Library (SPL) has updated its relatively generous materials loan policy, including implementing fines for overdue children’s materials, “to maximize the circulation of books and materials among all Library card holders and to bring it in line with other library systems.”
While for years any library user could check out 100 items at one time, as of October the limit will be 50. Currently, only 1 percent of borrowers have more than 50 items checked out at one time. Also, a customer will be limited to only 25 holds at any one time—the limit at the neighboring King County Library System (KCLS)—instead of 100. The library said that only 7 percent of borrowers have more than 25 holds but those requests account for over 44 percent of total requests.
Moreover, interlibrary loans (ILL) will no longer be free. Instead, customers will have to pay $5, less than one-quarter of the $20-$30 per transaction cost. Most libraries pass on some or all of the cost to their customers. (KCLS does not charge fees but sometimes passes on a $5–$20 fee from the lending libraries.)
New fines, card fees
SPL also will impose fines for overdue materials designated for children 12 and under, as well as for literacy and ESL materials. Also, an annual nonresident card will cost $85, up from $55, and a three-month visitor card will cost $25, not $15.
SPL last adjusted fees six years ago. SPL noted that changes in nonresident fees bring them in line with the per capita costs for Seattle residents. Nearby systems charge annual nonresident fees that range from $56 to $100, SPL said.
Some dismay
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported that library users were not happy with the changes, telling the board that fees would hurt immigrants who rely on the library and those pursuing continuing education.
