Title
Approve Debt Write Off for 2021
Body
WHEREAS, the mission of Saint Paul Public Library is to welcome all people to connect, learn, discover, and grow; and
WHEREAS, the Library’s collection of materials is a shared community resource available to be borrowed by all who have a Saint Paul library card and comply with the Library’s user agreements; and
WHEREAS, borrowers who lose or damage items are assessed fees to cover the cost of those items; and
WHEREAS, the Saint Paul Public Library Agency has adopted a policy on removing uncollectible debts from the Library system to ensure that the Library catalog can remain up to date; and
WHEREAS, the policy acknowledges that the Library makes great efforts to encourage prompt return of materials, and that when telephone, electronic, and mailed reminders are ineffective, that fees greater than $30 are turned over to a material recovery agency; and
WHEREAS, accounts are locked and patron borrowing privileges are suspended when over $10 in charges are accumulated; and
WHEREAS, when material recovery efforts are unsuccessful on the accounts with fees in excess of $30 the staff time required to do any further material recovery would in most cases exceed the amount of debt; and
WHEREAS, debts over $300 that remain after the Library’s material recovery efforts will be entered into the City’s Accounts Receivable system and pursued via the Office of Financial Services’ collection efforts; and
WHEREAS, Library staff will regularly assess the effectiveness of the department’s administrative policies and procedures to ensure free-flowing exchange of ideas, information, and education along with stewardship of our community’s collection of materials; and
WHEREAS, a global pandemic forced City and Library operations to shift dramatically in March 2020; and
WHEREAS, the Saint Paul Public Library staff have reviewed all patron records as of December 31, 2021 and has determined a list of accounts with de...
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