Wednesday Hint 3/25/09

How much does it cost?

If a patron has lost an item or knows it is damaged, they may ask you how much it costs.

If the item has not yet billed, please do not disclose a cost. Inform the patron that our billing clerk will determine the current replacement cost; all prices need to be verified.

If the item has been billed, it will be listed under Fines as REPLACEMENT or LOST. You can give them that billed amount. (If they didn’t receive a bill, you may want to check their address and email address.)

If the item has been billed, another option, if the item is owned by APL, is for the patron to purchase an exact, new replacement. Provide the patron with a standard book or music number to facilitate this. (It is important, in this case as well, to wait until the item has billed to provide the patron with an idea of how much a new replacement will cost. A standard book number may not tell you if a book was hardcover or paperback or trade paperback, but the cost will be very revealing.)

If the item is owned by another library, offer to call the owning library to see if replacing the item is an option. We will get back to the patron with the owning library’s reply.