Fines are a daily penalty assessed for the late return of library items. Fees are replacement charges assessed for the original purchase price of loss, unreturned, or damaged items.Fees are still included as part of our return policy.
Patrons will be receiving a few courtesy notifications regarding their overdue status (see notification timeline for details). Reminding people of due dates and consequences of not returning materials is the most effective way to encourage timely returns.
Patrons won't be charged overdue fines for late returns. However, if the item is not returned within 14 days of the due date, it will be considered lost and you will be charged for the original purchase price of the item.
If the item is NOT ON HOLD for another patron, the library will automatically renew the item for an additional three weeks. If there is a HOLD on the material, it cannot be auto-renewed and must be returned to the library ASAP. To find out if an item is eligible for renewal you can log on to your account http://alameda.polarislibrary.com/polaris/, click on “items out” and look under the “Renewals Left” column. If you need assistance renewing your account contact the library at 510-747-7777.
If an item is not returned within 28 days past the due date, the library card account is subject to the Lost Materials Policy.
Generally, items long overdue are removed from the system after 1 year on Lost or Missing status. If patron returns a long overdue item then we can continue to accept it as long as the item has not been deleted from the catalog. When the item is returned the original price of the item and the book processing fee is waived.
If a patron finds a lost book that has already been paid for, we will refund the original cost of the book as long as it is within one year of payment. Patrons must provide receipt of payment.
When an item is on hold for a patron, the item is not renewable. We are emphasizing the timely return of materials by increasing the number of email notifications we provide patrons. If patrons have materials that are more than 28 days overdue they are subject to the Library policy for Lost Materials.