Contact librarybilling@smith.edu with any questions about library fines.

Regular Loans

• An overdue notice is sent to the borrower when an item is one day overdue - see Notices & Bills below.
• A second overdue notice is sent two weeks later if the item has not been renewed or returned.
• If an item is not returned or renewed within 28 days of its due date, the borrower is billed for the cost of the item and a $25 processing fee. The average bill is $85 per item, but may be higher in some rare cases when the item is more expensive to replace.
• If the billed item is returned or renewed, charges are cleared.
• Refunds will not be issued for items that must be replaced immediately due to high demand or that are returned more than 2 years after the original billing date.

Recalled Items

• Items recalled by another patron must be returned by the date specified on the recall notice, not by the original due date.
• The fine for items not returned by the recall return date is $2 a day per item.

Reserve Items

• Consult Course Reserves for loan policies for Reserves.
• The fine for overdue reserve items is $2 per hour, or partial hour, for each item.
• If a reserve item is not returned within 24 hours after it is due, the patron is billed for the cost of the item, a $30 overdue fine.
• Smith students who repeatedly return reserve materials late may be reported to the Honor Board.

Equipment Items

• The fine for overdue loaner laptops is $5 per hour, or partial hour.
• If a loaner laptop is not returned within 24 hours after it is due, the patron is billed for the cost of the item, a $50 overdue fine, and a $10 billing fee.
• For lost specialized equipment (ukuleles or equipment peripherals), the patron is billed for the cost of the item and a $10 billing fee.
• Smith students who repeatedly return equipment materials late may be reported to the Honor Board.

Notices & Bills

• All library notices are routinely sent by email.
• Patrons must notify the libraries of changes in email, campus or U.S. mail addresses.

Damaged Items

When an item is damaged beyond normal wear and tear, the library will evaluate the condition and bill the patron to cover repair (whenever possible) or replacement of the item.