Fees

Colorado Library Law (CRS 24-90-1) affirms that it is the policy of the State to promote the establishment and development of publicly-supported free library service to ensure equal access to information. As such, basic library service is available free of charge to all Estes Valley Public Library District (Library) cardholders in good standing.

Fees are imposed for cost recovery purposes. The Director will maintain a schedule for all such fees, specifying the amount and the basis for the fee to be collected. Fee categories are:

• Consumables such as printer paper, photocopies, Makerspace supplies, equipment, and sale of items such as thumb drives.
• Repair expenses such as cleaning costs for meeting room damages, returned checks, and when necessary, collection agency referrals.
• Special Programs initiated by the Library, and at the discretion of the Director:
  • Fundraising to benefit the Library
  • The sale of books by its author as part of a Library program
  • Fee to offset the cost of a specialized program
• Circulating Materials: The Library no longer assesses fine penalties for overdue items. This change was implemented to eliminate barriers, and increase access for Library services and collections. Though there is no longer a grace period, courtesy and overdue notices will be sent to patrons as a reminder to return materials when overdue. Fees will be assessed for the following:
  • Lucky Day Collection Overdues
    The exception to the Library’s Fine Free status for overdue materials is the Lucky Day Collection. This collection circulates popular items during a short checkout periods, in order to maximize the number of patrons who can use the Collection within that timeframe.  A fine will be assessed or each day overdue.
  • Long Overdue, Lost or Damaged Item Replacement
    Fees are imposed when materials are Lost or Damaged. An item will be considered Lost 30 days after it is marked as Overdue.
    When an item is more than 60 days overdue, the patron’s account is referred to Collections.  A fee will be assessed to recoup the Collection agency expense, itself.
    The Library charges to replace material or parts that are lost or damaged, including carrying cases, individual discs, map inserts or similar items. The replacement fee for materials lost or damaged beyond repair shall be the full retail value of the materials, as recorded in the library database.
    Library users may receive an overdue notice for materials they believe have been returned to the Library. Once the Library is notified, the item(s) will be designated as “Claims Returned,” and the cardholder’s account reactivated. Staff and patrons will search for a missing item for a period of 45 days. If the item is not found at the end of 45 days, the cardholder will be responsible for the replacement cost of the item.
    If Lost items are found within 3 months and returned to the Library, the Replacement Fee will be removed from their account or refunded if already paid. A refund check will be issued and mailed to the patron.
  • Special / Interlibrary Loan
    Fees are imposed when interlibrary loan items have charges associated with the loan. The patron must approve any fees specified by the lending library before the item is formally requested. All associated charges must be paid at the time of checkout. The patron is responsible for any overdue, damage, or lost item fees as specified by the Lending Library.

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Suspension of Library Privileges
Library privileges will be suspended when:

• a Library account has more than 3 items overdue
• the total fees on an account equal or exceed $10.00
• If total fees exceed $50, the account may be referred to a collection agency

Restoration of Library Privileges
Library privileges are reinstated when all overdue materials are returned and/or fees have been paid.

At the Discretion of the Library Director, children and adults may volunteer at the Library in lieu of fee payment. Arrangements may be made for non-monetary account restoration by patrons under the age of 18, which may include reading for a set amount of time.

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Please refer to the Finance and Patron Policy sets for more information.

The Estes Valley Library Fee Policy was adopted and approved by the Estes Valley Public Library District Board of Trustees on December 11, 2006, and revised on December 14, 2009, September 17, 2012, December 14, 2015 and March 18, 2019.

John Krueger, President                                                           Beth Ellis, Secretary