Help, I'm Lost!!!!

How many times has this happened to you? You're diligently searching the library's catalogue trying to find that score you need for your lesson tomorrow, and you see the words, 'Item Lost.' What does this mean? Well, most simply: The item you want is not here. This does not necessarily mean that it is gone for good, or actually, physically lost (it probably isn't hiding under a chair or behind a shelf in the library). More likely than not, what you are looking for is just really, really overdue. That being said, if it's something your scholastic and musical future depends upon, come talk to us, and we can place a hold and recall on the item in question. Now, this isn't guaranteed to get the item back, but it has been known to work in the past.

Now, you might ask, what, exactly causes an item to become lost, and what do I do if I have something that has come to be considered lost?

First part first: Our system (the notorious Koha from blogs past) automatically marks items as 'Lost' when they are 45 days overdue. The patron in question may have actually lost or destroyed an item, or they may have forgotten to renew it. Whatever the reason, the item has now entered the wonderful world of 'Lost' which is full of all kinds of exciting and fun things (fines) for the patron to whom it is checked out.

As for the second question, if you find that you (gasp!) have an item that has ventured into 'Lost' territory, fear not, my dear! You will be fed to Sparkles The Troll and his pet unicorn, Fred, who are chained with dental floss outside the back doors of the library. Oh, and don't grovel, you will only make things worse for yourself. Sorry, nice knowing you.

Okay, perhaps not. The reality is far less interesting or grisly. Basically, you get.......Brand......New.......FEES!!! A Lost Item Replacement Fee and a Lost Item Processing Fee, to be exact. The replacement fee varies depending upon what the item in question is. Two of our more popular item types for example are books, which will cost you $38 (default, if we have the purchase price, you will be charged accordingly), and scores, which will run you $25 (also default). The processing fee is a fixed $15. And yes, if you would like to continue to check things out of the library, and/or receive your diploma, you will have to pay these fines.

Before you begin to wonder how many meals you will need to skip in order to pay off the library and prevent us from sending Sparkles and Fred after you, there is hope. Your best course of action would be to return the item that is now oh so overdue. At this point *BOTH* the replacement and processing fees will be forgiven, and you will be assessed a long overdue fee, which is much nicer on the wallet than its two older brothers.

Now, if, perchance, you HAVE actually lost something, you can either pay both the replacement and processing fees, or you can come talk to us about purchasing a replacement copy yourself (which gets the item back on the shelf in a more expeditious manner, and can often be less expensive).

Another instance an item can be marked as 'Lost' is when it is not overdue, but it has been damaged beyond repair by something other than normal wear......say your dog gives it a good chewing, drops it in a mud puddle, then buries it in the back yard (No! Bad Fluffy! No Biscuit!). You would then be responsible for the item's replacement (see previous paragraph).

I hope this helps you better understand the ins and outs of lost, and we will keep Sparkles and Fred securely tethered out back. For now. :)