Overdue Fines
The Library is not responsible for notifying borrowers that materials are overdue. Email notices for overdue, lost materials, and recalled materials are sent as a courtesy.
All unpaid library fines are transferred to Financial Services each business day (Monday—Friday) and should be posted to the borrower's account within 48 hours (with the exception of replacement charges for items which are still being searched by library staff).
Fines owed to other libraries cannot be waived. Missouri State Libraries must abide by the policies of the owning libraries of SWAN/MOBIUS/Prospector materials with regards to overdue charges, and replacement of materials.
If you think that the library has made an error that resulted in a financial charge, or if you have a unique situation or extenuating circumstances that made it difficult to return or renew library materials on time, please contact the library Information desk to appeal your charges. Charges may then be upheld, reduced, or waived. The following reasons are NOT generally regarded as valid for cancelling or reducing charges:
- Forgetting or not knowing due dates, amount of fines.
- Disagreeing with fee structure or library policy
- Loaning the item to a third party, or checking material out on their behalf
- Being too busy or out of town
- Claiming that your need was greater than that of another patron's, or that you were not done with an item
- Not receiving or not reading courtesy notices, overdue notices, or other library communications sent to your email address.
- Transportation problems
- Financial problems
If a borrower believes that they have returned material that is being billed as overdue or lost, they should inform the main library Information desk. Library staff will search for the material twice or more, but the material will remain on the borrower’s record until it has been located. If the material is found within the library by library staff, the item (and all charges) will be removed from the borrower’s record. If the material is not found in the library, the borrower will be responsible for the replacement charge. “Lost” materials found by the patron after the initial staff search will retain their processing fee and overdue charge. Items claimed to be found by the borrower within the library must be shown to be sensitized and return date-stamped for any processing fees or overdue charges to be removed.
A borrower may return an item owned by Missouri State Libraries which has been declared "Lost" to the Libraries within one year of its being lost and billed. If the item has not yet been replaced, the Libraries will issue a credit for the replacement cost to the borrower's account via Financial Services. The $10 processing fee and $10 overdue charge are non-refundable. Refunds or credits for SWAN/MOBIUS items that have been lost and billed are subject to the discretion of the owning libraries.
All late fees and lost or damaged book charges are charged only to the borrower. These charges cannot be transferred to a specific university department, unit, or office. Any university department, unit, or office desiring to accept responsibility for a borrower’s library charges must reimburse the borrower directly. Unpaid fines will result in encumbrances being placed on student accounts. We accept BearPass Cards, cash, or paper check for payment of fines.