no more library fines?

oh whoah! so now i get to hog onto books for as long as I want even beyond the actual return date and all this while not sparing a thought for other library users who urgently need to borrow the loaned books as well.

Brilliant. Just brilliant!

http://www.bbc.com/news/education-29805727

Reply 1

Folion

15

Original post by Maura Kat

oh whoah! so now i get to hog onto books for as long as I want even beyond the actual return date and all this while not sparing a thought for other library users who urgently need to borrow the loaned books as well.

Brilliant. Just brilliant!

http://www.bbc.com/news/education-29805727

But you won't be able to borrow any more books if you don't return it when you're requested to (and people will likely put in requests now). Basically it'll be "I'm alright Jack" for one assignment but you'll be scuppered for all the rest if you don't follow the rules.

Reply 2

The University of Sheffield

11

Original post by Maura Kat

oh whoah! so now i get to hog onto books for as long as I want even beyond the actual return date and all this while not sparing a thought for other library users who urgently need to borrow the loaned books as well.

Brilliant. Just brilliant!

http://www.bbc.com/news/education-29805727

Hi,

The idea is that you will get to keep your books provided that no one else has requested them. Previously, even if no one had requested your book, you were fined £1 per day if you forgot to renew it. If you had your maximum of 10 books out, this could obviously end up being very costly. Furthermore, it was found that imposing fines didn't actually encourage people to return their books any quicker even if they were requested by someone else - people were quite happy to accept the fine in order to keep the book longer. In that sense, fines weren't actually performing any worthwhile function. The Library feel that blocking your account (i.e. not letting you take out any more books if items that have been requested are not returned) is more a more efficient and effective system.

We have set up a system for you to provide your feedback, so please do feel free to send your comments: http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/library/services/nofines

Regards,

The Student Communications Team

Reply 3

She-Ra

Universities Forum Helper

21

I think this is a good idea - the books that are key to any reading list so will be in demand as they always have been. But those books that students use to "read around the subject" will have more flexibility.

What happens though if the student who receives an email saying the book has been requested by another student. When does this have to returned by and what happens if they don't return it with a certain timeframe? I'm just thinking if they only have one key deadline they won't be fussed about not being able to take out other books.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 4

teamonkey

1

I fail to see how this is a fairer system than the old one. Students should take responsibility for returning books and be penalised if they are not returned on time. After all we are not children.
This new system will be abused, those who know they will keep the book beyond the requested date of return will just make sure that they have stockpiled all of the books that they need before being barred from taking any more books out.

Reply 5

The University of Sheffield

11

Original post by teamonkey

I fail to see how this is a fairer system than the old one. Students should take responsibility for returning books and be penalised if they are not returned on time. After all we are not children.
This new system will be abused, those who know they will keep the book beyond the requested date of return will just make sure that they have stockpiled all of the books that they need before being barred from taking any more books out.

Hi teamonkey,

If you want to give the Library your feedback, you can do so on this webpage: http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/library/services/nofines

The new system is based on the goodwill of students, to a certain extent. We all know how frustrating it is to have requested a book and it not be returned by the current borrower, sometimes until after we no longer need it. The hope is that students will bear this in mind when it comes to returning books, and not want to inflict those frustrations on others. It's a sort of "treat others like you would want to be treated yourself" situation.

Account blocking is seen to be a more effective deterrent than fines given that it threatens your ability to complete your studies successfully, rather than just your bank balance. The Library found that a lot of students were more than happy to pay a fine in order to keep their books for longer - requested books weren't being returned, and as a result the fine system was seen as ineffectual. This is why they have decided to bring in this change, rather than simply continuing with a fining system wasn't working.

Kind regards,

The Student Communications Team at the University of Sheffield

Reply 6

teamonkey

1

A book I have requested has been overdue since 19/11. It seems that this new initiative based on goodwill really isn't working as I've never had to wait this long for a book to be returned before.

Original post by The University of Sheffield

Hi teamonkey,

If you want to give the Library your feedback, you can do so on this webpage: http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/library/services/nofines

The new system is based on the goodwill of students, to a certain extent. We all know how frustrating it is to have requested a book and it not be returned by the current borrower, sometimes until after we no longer need it. The hope is that students will bear this in mind when it comes to returning books, and not want to inflict those frustrations on others. It's a sort of "treat others like you would want to be treated yourself" situation.

Account blocking is seen to be a more effective deterrent than fines given that it threatens your ability to complete your studies successfully, rather than just your bank balance. The Library found that a lot of students were more than happy to pay a fine in order to keep their books for longer - requested books weren't being returned, and as a result the fine system was seen as ineffectual. This is why they have decided to bring in this change, rather than simply continuing with a fining system wasn't working.

Kind regards,

The Student Communications Team at the University of Sheffield

Reply 7

Mieka

11

People just take out all the books they want at the start of the semester and don't give them back in.

Annoying in a small department where there's only 1-2 copies of the same book and you can't access it for an entire semester.

Reply 8

The University of Sheffield

11

Hi,

If you would like to give feedback about the scheme, please contact the University Library directly. The Library staff don't have access to the Student Room and therefore won't be able to see any of the comments you leave on here.

Kind regards,

Georgie, Student Communications Team at the University of Sheffield

no more library fines?

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