In 2020, following a nationwide movement, the Homer Public Library eliminated late fees to help keep library materials circulating throughout the community as much as possible. Under that policy, library patrons remained able to use their account for “several weeks” after items they had checked out became overdue.
Starting Sept. 29, library card accounts with overdue items will be suspended immediately until the items are returned or paid for.
This policy change, which was discussed and endorsed by the Library Advisory Board during their Aug. 19 regular meeting, is enacted “in the interest of ensuring that all patrons have access to library materials.” The move was also approved by the Homer City Council in a resolution passed Sept. 8.
Library director Dave Berry, in an email to Homer News Monday, said that the new policy is an effort to further streamline the library’s circulation.
Previously, HPL policies for overdue items stated that patrons who do not return overdue library materials after receiving two notices will have their accounts blocked until the materials were returned or compensated for. The changed policy now reads, “Patrons are responsible for returning items by the specified due date. An account that has items in overdue status will be blocked automatically until those items are returned or paid for.”
“It used to be that items had to be renewed manually when they reached their due dates, and patrons would start getting nagging emails every two weeks whenever they had items overdue,” Berry wrote. “The overdue policy was essentially a continuation of that process — after several emails, patrons would start receiving notices in the mail, and then finally their account would be suspended.”
The library’s renewal process was automated in 2023, which Berry said saved a lot of work for both patrons and staff. Now, items only become overdue if someone has had it checked out for three complete circulation periods — about six weeks, with one circulation period being two weeks — or if other factors blocked the automatic renewal.
As of Sept. 29, library accounts will be suspended immediately whenever anything on the account becomes overdue. Berry wrote in an Aug. 20 memorandum to the council that the automatic account block can be implemented directly through the library’s catalog software, eliminating the need for intervention by library staff. He added that it “may also cut down on the number of overdue notices we mail out.”
On Monday, he wrote that library staff will still work with patrons to retrieve items and unblock accounts as soon as possible. Accounts will automatically be unblocked as soon as there are no overdue items remaining. Patrons with suspended accounts will still be able check their account status and see items they have checked out, what the due dates are, “and so on.” They will be restricted from using their library cards for further activities until the account is unblocked.
Patrons are also encouraged to contact library staff for account assistance.
Find Resolution 25-076 and supplemental materials in full online at www.cityofhomer-ak.gov/citycouncil/city-council-regular-meeting-344. For questions regarding the updated overdue policy, contact the Homer Public Library at 907-235-3180 or circ@ci.homer.ak.us.
