Library to begin alerting patrons of impending due dates

Never return your library books on time? The Princeton University Library is about to introduce a program that may help forgetful patrons avoid overdue fees.

Within a few days, the library system will begin issuing e-mail warning notices for books five days before their due date.

Trevor Dawes, director of circulation services at Firestone Library, said the library system had tried to implement a notification system several years ago, but he explained that "there were some bugs in the system, and it wasn't working as well as we would have liked it to work."

After a recent software upgrade was installed, the library decided to attempt the program again and test its effectiveness before implementing it on a broad scale, Dawes said.

Campus libraries currently fine students for overdue books at a rate of 25 cents per day for non-reserve books and higher rates for books on reserve.

Dawes said he hopes that the new system will better encourage students to return materials on time, noting that it "could potentially save students money, assuming they respond and return books before the day [they're due]."

USG President Josh Weinstein '09 said he is optimistic about the success of the new notification system. "This service is definitely a step forward. It's easy to get lost with all the different deadlines - coursework, extracurricular, jobs, etc. - [and] having a friendly reminder will be really helpful," Weinstein said in an e-mail.

"Major thanks to [Senior Policy Advisor] Rita Saltz and Trevor Dawes - this has been something students have been suggesting to me for a long time, and once we contacted them they were able to move the project along very quickly," Weinstein added.

Several students interviewed said they thought the new system will be beneficial.

"I think it'll help. Four weeks is a long time to remember to hand return books, and that's the minimum," Daneeka Abellard '11 said in an e-mail. "Some things don't need to be returned until the end of the semester or the school year. I personally think I'd need a reminder."

Chris Baldassano '09, an engineer who said he doesn't borrow many books from the library, noted that the policy would be beneficial for his roommates because "they'll be taking out several books for their theses ... and might not realize certain books are overdue ... especially because certain books can be taken out for so long."

In addition to the new warning, the library system will continue to send e-mails to patrons a day after books are due. A hard-copy notification of overdue books will only be sent to those who do not have University e-mail addresses, such as those library users who have purchased borrowing privileges.