7.2 - Claims Returned & Lost Items
Introduction:
All Libraries are responsible for the returning and receiving of items lent on Intra-Library Loan between libraries.
The Recipient Library of the ILL transaction is
responsible for ensuring items lent to its patrons are returned to the lending
library within a timely manner.
ILL Items that Patrons claim to have returned, or which
are marked as Lost, must be followed up by both the owning and lending library
according to the procedures in this document.
When a
Patron claims to have returned an intra-library loan item (an item which has been requested
from another Library), the following procedures must be followed:
Recipient
Library
Staff of the recipient/patron’s Library should
look for the item on the shelf immediately, at the branch to which the patron
claimed the item was returned.
If the item is not found, ask the patron to check at home again for the item.
If the item is found by the patron discharge it
and clear any fines owed.
If the item is not found, the item should be
set to Claims Returned on the patron’s record. using the Claims Returned
wizard. The date assigned to Claimed Returned items should always be the
original due date of the loan.
Staff should inform their Library’s ILLO, who
then must contact the ILLO of that Library service.
Lending
Library
The ILLO of the Owning Library needs to
facilitate a search for the item at their Library Service.
If the item is found it should be discharged immediately and any fines associated with the item cleared. The Recipient Library needs to be informed and the patron record updated and fines cancelled.
If
Unresolved
If the item is not located at the end of the Libraries Claims Returned period (generally 3 months), the
resolution with the patron is determined by the internal process of the
Recipient Library Service (e.g. whether patron is billed by using the Mark Item
Lost wizard or Assumed Lost report, statutory declaration is used, or whether
item is set to Missing).
The ILLO of the Lending Library service shall
be informed of the progress of the search. If the item is not returned to the
lending library after 3 months and it is evident that the item has become lost
in the transaction, the Recipient Library should have procedures in place to mark the item as Lost, at which point the procedures outlined below in 7.2.2 will take place.
Any intra-library loan items lost by patrons (i.e. set to LOST-ASSUM by the Assumed Lost report, or LOST-CLAIM by the Mark Item Lost wizard) will automatically have the Billing Library changed from the checkout Library to the item Library by a nightly report (Custom Edit Bill Library/lveditbill).
Any Lost bills for intra-library loans, therefore, once paid, will be automatically included in the One Card Bill Payments report, and therefore added/deducted from each Library’s annual Libraries Victoria membership fee. See section 5.7.5 – Paying Bills at any Shared Resources Library
As a result, there is no need to manually invoice libraries for the replacement cost of items lost by their borrowers.