In early 2014, the Office for Fair Trading (now divided into the Competition and Markets Authority and the the Financial Conduct Authority) ruled that:
“graduation should not be withheld on account of non-tuition fee debt, and that such debt should be administered instead through reasonable debt management procedures”
As a result of this ruling, the University is no longer permitted to prevent students from graduating as a result of unpaid non-tuition fee debts, including library fines accrued during their course.
The Bodleian Libraries Circulation Task Force has therefore decided to alter the Libraries’ policy on fines and borrowing in order to prevent students accumulating large amounts of debt, hence avoiding the risk of this debt remaining unpaid when students leave the university, and maintaining the incentive for students to return books on time and encouraging responsible use of borrowing privileges.
The most significant change is as follows:
Previously we would only prevent readers borrowing books from the SSL if their fines exceeded £10 owed to the Social Science Library alone. From Michaelmas Term, i.e. from Sunday 4th October, this limit will apply to accumulated fines across all Bodleian Libraries, i.e. borrowing will be prohibited in libraries where the reader owes no fines if £10 fines are owed to other libraries in the group.
Borrowing privileges at all Bodleian Libraries are withdrawn until the debt is paid off to below £10.
The other key changes in the new fines procedure are:
- Routine reminders of amounts owed and ways to pay will be sent to all debtors in 7th week.
- Finalists will be sent reminders linked to their final exam dates of any outstanding debts or books on loan
- Serious breaches of the borrowing rules will be reported to college authorities, i.e. the College Senior Tutor
Fines on overdue books are intended primarily to ensure that books remain in circulation and available to as many readers as possible. The income helps to support Library resources and services for everyone’s benefit. The level of fines is set by the Curators of the University Libraries, including their student representatives. Most students tell us that they appreciate the role that fines play in keeping books available.
The fine charges remain the same:
- 20p per day for standard loans
- £1 per day for short loans
It remains possible to settle library fines in cash at any circulating library which imposes fines, no matter which library charged the fine. They may also be paid online at http://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/ssl/how/pay-fines-online.