LTE Internal Document
It is the primary purpose of Colorado Springs School District 11 school libraries to teach information
literacy, provide access to materials and information, teach a love of learning, and create lifelong
readers and learners. Secondary to this purpose is to take opportunities to teach students responsibility
towards our materials.
In an effort to create consistency between our schools, for the sake of both the students and our library
collections, your Library Fine Committee has the following recommendations and expectations, while
respecting that your staff may make refinements to these suggestions.
Recommendations and Expectations
1. We EXPECT that LTEs and LTTs will show professional courtesy when a student arrives at their
school with books outstanding to another D11 location. Please make every effort to recover the
books the student has overdue to the other site. If requested, assist the loaning school by
clearing a child’s record in a reasonable amount of time. We need to assume good intent on the
part of fellow librarians. They will know the student and any extenuating circumstances.
2. When using our ILL system, we expect that borrowing libraries are respectful of due dates for
borrowed materials, and the care that is taken of borrowed books. Please be courteous and
thoughtful when borrowing books, and teach students to do the same.
3. We propose that K-2 can check out one book for one week. Third through fifth grades may
check out two books for two weeks. Secondary schools will be able to check out 4 books for two
weeks.
(The settings within Destiny require that records be set up PreK-2, 3-5, and 6-12. These settings
can vary by school. Call Amanda or Lori for a settings change for your school.
4. We recommend that each year you have a conversation each year with teachers and staff to
inform them what your policies are in regard to overdue/lost books. We recommend that you
make an effort to communicate this same information to parents—whether through library
orientation, a letter home, a book mark given to a child, or at Back-to-School Night or Parent
Teacher conferences.
5. In ES, we strongly recommend that after a book has been lost or overdue for two months, the
student is allowed to check out a book again, but is required to keep the book at school until the
lost book is returned or payment is received. During the time a student cannot check out books,
an alternative could be a basket of older or discarded books or magazines for those students to
use without regard for the return of the book. Another alternative would be to promote eBooks
with these students. This is a consequence that still promotes our mission of allowing children to
read, but keeps them from full check out privileges.
6. For MS and HS, we recommend that staff provide clear overdue/lost materials procedures that
are written, communicated and available for students, staff and parents.
7. Although there are guidelines in place, when library staff is working with a family or student to
replace a book, we encourage you to take circumstances into account. Encourage your students
to talk to you so that they feel you are willing to work with them.
8. Upon request, Parents/Guardians can have an account created to check out books. This will
prevent parent’s overdues from affecting student accounts. Contact Lori or Amanda to set this
account up.
9. We expect that LTEs and LTTs will provide notes into Destiny on a child’s record. These notes
should not to be titles with replacement costs owed, but rather notes on the history of the child.
Things like “Emma lost 3 books in 2014” are enough information to remind you (or the new
library) in the fall of a student’s checkout patterns. These will carry over from year to year,
except when going from Elementary to Secondary, when they will be deleted by Destiny.
Instructions to include notes will be on the LTT/LTE page.
10. We recommend that at the end of each school year, you run a report to show your principal the
number and cost of items that are marked lost.
11. Books that are marked “Lost” and have been paid for but are later found, can be refunded to
the patron in the following ways:
If a check has been written to pay for the book, the parent/patron must provide a copy of the
cancelled check OR wait 45 days from the date of deposit before receiving a refund. The
school should ensure the check is NOT listed as a NSF in their 19011 account.
If the book has been paid for in cash, the parent or patron needs to bring in the receipt proving
payment, and then the school can choose to write a check pending the principal’s approval and
signature.
If your school does not have a checkbook, you will need to work with the staff assistant in
charge of finances to have a check request sent to Accounts Payable. Accounts Payable will
refund the amount with proof of payment.
If the amount is over $300, the staff assistant in charge of finances will need to follow the
district refund procedure for a large amount.