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Permalink Reply by Abilash Achuthan on December 24, 2016 at 0:40

http://www.lislinks.com/forum/topics/monetary-penalty-and-wide-publ...

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Permalink Reply by Anand Kumar on December 28, 2016 at 1:51

Dear Mr. Achuthan

I am a Library user and have a few questions for you. Will be thankful if you could kindly answer to them.

1. Can a Library raise fines, without any Notification issued to the User who might have unintentionally forgotten to get the books reissued/ return.

2. Can Library raise fines, if the User has never been notified about the rules and regulations, through Library website, hard copy, email or telephonic message.

3. If the Academic Library has approx. 13,000 books (Less than 20,000) and the Institute is totally funded by MHRD, New Delhi, then as per rule 194 of Library Stock Verification, is a Librarian needed to recall all the issued books and physically verify them annually.

Would be grateful for your replies.

Thanks and Regards

Anand Kumar

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Permalink Reply by Munesh Kumar on December 28, 2016 at 2:47

Sorry, I think I am breaking the protocol of communication but, the content raised questions/points are relevant to entire LIS professionals and we must have the answer before anyone ask such any question similar to yours, 

Explanations are as follows,

1. Users must check/know the date till he reserved the right to keep a book. 
2. Rules are made and passed/circulated(may be through traditional or modern media) with content that the following rules are going to be implemented/effective from dated so and so... users are requested to return, renew the books with them.
3. Stock verification means tracking the items may be a book. If a book is issued to a user means library knows where is the book, then there is no need to asking users to return the book.

I am the explanations are up to your marks.

Thank you. 

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Permalink Reply by Abilash Achuthan on December 28, 2016 at 5:50

Dear Mr Anand Kumar,
Thanks for the posting
Once user borrow a library document  he/she is solely responsible for keeping track of library due dates, by checking the due date slip, self-check-out slip, or through user online account, those messages from libraries , like Reminder 1, Reminder 2 etc etc... are courtesy reminders, but user are responsible for paying library fines whether or not they receive a notice.
If user feel that not getting any notification, a inquiry may be placed with the help desk or circulation in-charge at the library.
For stock verification there is no need to recall all issued books, because all reports can be generated through LMS  books issued, shelf, withdrawn, missing, binding, lost etc.

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Permalink Reply by Munesh Kumar on December 25, 2016 at 1:10

Dear Sir,

As per my views, such rules are works with local effects, there is no global rule on fine.

Thank you.

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Permalink Reply by Rajendra Kumar Jena on December 25, 2016 at 18:51

Dear Sir,

As Mr. Munesh mentioned overdue charge system is a local decision. We have also implemented Rs. 2/- for first 15 days and after that Rs. 4/-. All users (student, staff & faculty) should be treated equally. The seniors should follow the rules to make disciplined their student. Fine may be waive off with genuine proof.

Initially we are against this for 2-3 years. We implemented only transaction restrictions. But, found monopoly among the users. They managed borrowing books in the name of their friends. After implementation of fine the system is quite smooth.

thanks,

    

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Permalink Reply by Anand Kumar on December 28, 2016 at 2:00

Dear Mr. Jena

I have read your replies, I am a Library user who is fond of books and hence the Library system.

1. Do you have an upper capping for fines you have mentioned in your email? 

2. Are these fines deducted without any notification, email, sms, etc to Faculty, students?

3. There are number of Academic Libraries in India and Abroad who do not fine the Faculty out of courtesy, since Faculty are the one's who build the Academic Library. Besides,Faculty are the one's who have to read the books and teach it to students. 

 In your Institute did you see a lower turn out of faculty Library users after imposition of fines?

Would be thankful for your kind reply.

My Regards

Anand Kumar

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Permalink Reply by Munesh Kumar on December 28, 2016 at 2:25

Dear Mr. Anand Kumar,

There is a fixed time called 'issue/lending period' if someone keeps the books beyond that then the term fine come in to picture. Users; student, staff, faculty are equal. Library meant to support in reading not taking the privilege of someone's credit. If faculties are building the library then students are building the whole organization. In order of imposing fine rules, the same should start from the faculty, then staff, and then the student. The changes must be accepted and accommodated in the top level first then the lower level (as per the best practices and principles of management).

Thank you. 

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Permalink Reply by Anand Kumar on December 28, 2016 at 4:31

 Dear Mr. Munesh Kumar

 In the last two decades, I have seen that Academic Libraries are facility centers specially for the Faculty. Who by their research interest/ potential make a Library that wins their Univ/ College a higher rank. These Libraries do not remain Public Libraries by nature, where a common User platform is used for the faculty. 

As I have seen in the USA and in several of our IITs Libraries in honor of the Faculty research interest stay away from fining them, of course, but do help and remind them about returning the books at a regular intervals by emails. 

This is done purely to safeguard their research aptitude that serves the nation, their Univ/Colleges/Institutes and have been found to be in the best interest of the students first. If a teacher does not read well because of dear sums be slapped as fines. They make a poor use of the Library, buy their own books if they can afford, or teach from old books and as an outcome Students suffer the most as they need good teachers to teach them what is in the books in the Library- final result of fining Faculty is even the students also leave the Library forever!

I am sharing here just my experience and all that I have seen in the academic Libraries

 I do highly appreciate your initiative in replying to my queries. It helps.

 Many Thanks

My Best Regards

 AK 

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Permalink Reply by Munesh Kumar on December 28, 2016 at 21:18

Thanks for appreciation Mr. Anand Kumar

There are different sentiments towards an approach or interest. A book belongs to library but first and foremost is the property of institute, each is one having is the equal right, as laws says. I don't understand what logic are being applied to behind considering the library as a part of facility. I am totally not in favor of this.

I am sorry to mention that your observations or opinions are weired which are opposite of mine. Library is meant to get the knowledge without any monopoly or autonomy.

Thanks.

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Permalink Reply by Anand Kumar on December 29, 2016 at 1:54

 Dear Mr. Munesh Kumar

I did not even give an opinion. If I stated Academic Libraries as Facility centers, the reason was the experience. When a Faculty is absorbed into these positions they are allured by the possibility of making the Libraries of their interest.

Teachers in honorable Institutions are given a huge sum of Rs. 50,000 in India and even more in the US to buy books that should primarily serve their research interests. These books are later donated to the Library

Of course, like every Library User, they issue books for limited period and reissue and return regularly with reminders. life of a researcher/ scholar/ scientist is not an easy one. Mr. Abraham Lincoln forgot his son in dark cold snowy night thinking about US election system. Albert Einstein forgot his dying wife while theorizing. These people working entire nights do deserve a kindness of at least not being fined by the Library of their creation and that when they forget their family for work, what is a Library book for them. They are bound to forget it!.

Anyway, I have learnt that slapping fines is not a Library Law. Punishment is a prerogative of the courts of Law in India. None of us have any rights to punish and teach rule in a way that is more damaging to the larger interest of the society.

However, I do firmly believe that Library fines structure must be such that the book comes back to the Library keeping the Law of Library protected- that books are for everyone. At the same time, it should be Talibanic for any system to go on fining for any length of time without any notices or upper capping on fines etc. There could be better ways other than fining to bring the books back to the Library. Money is future and blood of any family. Like the human body we do get cuts out of our mistakes but do not keeping bleeding to death, after a little oozing the body clots. Fines in terms of money must operate in the same way. 

Please do not take anything in a personal way. I enjoyed being a part of the Library professionals. As a teacher, I have grown in Libraries and am only learning by being among you all.

Through dialogue Knowledge becomes clearer. Thanks for building such a dialogue.

My Good Regards

AK

 

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Permalink Reply by Rajendra Kumar Jena on January 3, 2017 at 19:37

Dear Mr. Anand kumar,
Sorry for late respond.
1. We do not have capping system. We regularly send alert mail to user and wait for three months. After 90 days we issued recovery notice with an intimation to the head of the institution. The user can give lost information to stop fine and submit undertaking to follow the recovery process.
2. We send alert mail 3 days before the material overdue and overdue mail everyday. Same time try to contact the user in his/her mobile or any possible mode.
3.This is absolutely true. But, at the same time the rule makers has to follow the rules first and act like a role model for our students. Exception is considered for all on the basis of genuine reason. In most of the higher education institutions the teachers get issued for 3-6 months. I hope this is sufficient.

We did not find much difference after implementation of fine. But our users become disciplined and the list of defaulters reduced by almost 90%. Alert mail is easier in automated library. In case of manual system it is very difficult to maintain.

In my opinion we should promote professionalism in all systems.

regards,

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