In Memory of a Lost Book

In memory of a lost book...

Has a library item gone missing? Don’t panic! Life happens and our friendly staff is happy to help manage the issue.

When a book or other item has been checked out for 30 days or more it will have a maximum $5 late fee, and be designated as "lost". The system adds a lost item fee, which is determined by the cost of the item when it’s added to collection. And a $5 processing fee, to pay for the supplies (bar code, book cover, etc) used to prepare the book for circulation.

If you find the item and return it, the lost item fee and processing fee will automatically be removed. There will still be a late fee that will need to be paid. Late fees are 25¢ per item, per day, which stop accruing at a maximum of $5. 

If the item belongs to another library you’ll need to contact that library to ask about their policy, or you may simply pay the lost fees on the account.

If the item belongs to Palmer Public Library these are the choices:

1. Pay the fees as they appear on the account.
2. Replace the item at your expense and we’ll waive all late fines and replacement fees.
   • Please speak to Palmer Library staff to get the information required to replace it.
   • You may choose to order it online, or shop locally. Many times this option is less costly than paying the replacement cost.
   • You may continue checking out for 30 days while the issue is being resolved.
   • When the replacement book is brought in staff will check the ISBN to make sure it matches.
   • Staff will also check to make sure it isn’t a sample copy. Sample copies are illegal to sell or circulate, though some unethical vendors will sell them to unsuspecting buyers anyway. The best way to deal with this is return the sample copy for a refund and report the seller to the company, usually Amazon.