InfoLabs Overdue Equipment Policy
Policy Implemented on 1/23/2024
If you require your item for a longer period of time than the initial checkout length, you may be able to renew your checkouts online yourself. Documentation for this is available here.
Please note that sometimes items may be unavailable for renewal, such as reservation checkouts.
In the event you will be unable to return your checkout by the set time, we recommend that you reach out to us via our email, technologycirculation@library.wisc.edu, or our phone number, 608-263-9889, and try to find a way to return the item without having to be overdue.
The primary penalty we apply for overdue equipment is a hold on your WebCheckout account, which blocks you from checking out any equipment from any campus InfoLab until the hold is removed. The hold begins the day when the item(s) is returned or fee paid, not when it is due. Note that these holds only impact access to InfoLab equipment, not to general Library checkouts, such as books or tools. Please note that these holds are placed in the form of $0.00 invoices. If you see an invoice in the billing tab under the patron portal and the charge is $0.00 then it is for overdue equipment. Later replacement charges may be applied to the invoice, but will be waived if the equipment is returned.
Additional penalties, such as replacement fees and registration holds are applied after being overdue for a specified duration and are removed upon return of the item. If you have lost the item the replacement fee must be paid.
Please view our policies below in either table or list format. If you have any questions regarding these policies, or would like to appeal, please contact us at technologycirculation@library.wisc.edu.
Policy Table
|
Length of Overdue |
Accessory Item (chargers, tripods, calculators, adaptors, etc.) |
First-come-first-serve Item (non-reserve cameras, laptops, etc.) |
Reserve Item |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Up to 1 day |
5 Day WebCheckout Hold |
||
|
More than 1 Day |
WebCheckout Hold equivalent to the length of the overdue |
WebCheckout Hold equivalent to the length of the overdue |
10 Day WebCheckout Hold |
|
More than 10 Days |
30 Day WebCheckout Hold Replacement Fee assigned* |
30 Day WebCheckout Hold |
30 Day WebCheckout Hold |
|
More than 20 days |
30 Day WebCheckout Hold Replacement Fee assigned* Hold on your registrar account** |
30 Day WebCheckout Hold Replacement Fee assigned* Hold on your registrar account** |
* The replacement fee will be less than or equal to the cost to replace the item, which is set when the item goes in to circulation. This fee is waived if the item is returned.
** A hold on your registrar account blocks you from registering for classes. Your registration hold will be removed upon return of the item or payment of fee. There is a processing time to removing this hold and may take several business days.
Note: If a checkout has multiple items, or multiple checkouts are overdue at the same time, overdue lengths are calculated per item, then applied sequentially. (i.e. A checkout with a tripod [accessory] and non-reserve camera [First-come-first-serve] that was returned after being overdue for 5 days would result in a 10 day WebCheckout hold [5 days for each item].)
Policy List
- Accessory Item (chargers, tripods, calculators, adaptors, etc.):
- More than 1 day overdue:
- WebCheckout Hold equivalent to the length of the overdue
- More than 10 days overdue:
- Replacement Fee assigned*
- 30 Day WebCheckout Hold
- More than 1 day overdue:
-
First-come-first-serve Item (non-reserve cameras, laptops, etc.):
- More than 1 day overdue:
- WebCheckout Hold equivalent to the length of the overdue
- More than 10 days overdue:
- 30 Day WebCheckout Hold
- More than 20 days overdue:
- Replacement Fee assigned*
- Hold on your registrar account**
- 30 Day WebCheckout Hold
- More than 1 day overdue:
- Reserve Item
- Less than 1 day overdue:
- 5 Day WebCheckout Hold
- More than 1 day overdue:
- 10 Day WebCheckout Hold
- More than 10 days overdue:
- 30 Day WebCheckout Hold
- More than 20 days overdue:
- 30 Day WebCheckout Hold
- Less than 1 day overdue:
* The replacement fee will be less than or equal to the cost to replace the item, which is set when the item goes in to circulation. This fee is waived if the item is returned.
** A hold on your registrar account blocks you from registering for classes. Your registration hold will be removed upon return of the item or payment of fee. There is a processing time to removing this hold and may take several business days.
Note: If a checkout has multiple items, or multiple checkouts are overdue at the same time, overdue lengths are calculated per item, then applied sequentially. (i.e. A checkout with a tripod [accessory] and non-reserve camera [First-come-first-serve] that was returned after being overdue for 5 days would result in a 10 day WebCheckout hold [5 days for each item].)
Every item you check out that is either returned overdue or lost will count towards an overall "Overdue Items Count." If a checkout contains multiple pieces of equipment (such as a camera and a laptop), each piece of equipment will count separately. After a certain number of items overdue has been reached, the following consequences will apply (fees/registrar holds will still apply as listed in the table/list above).
Note that any checkout over four (4) years old will no longer affect this count.
5 Overdue Items: 3 month WebCheckout hold
10 Overdue Items: 6 month WebCheckout hold
12 Overdue Items: Permanent WebCheckout hold until overdue item count goes below 12 (via 4 year roll-off policy) with a 1 year minimum hold.
If you provide your phone number at checkout or have it on record with the university, you may be texted in addition to emailed regarding the status of your overdue checkout.
Note: Managers reserve the right to appropriately adjust penalties or make exceptions for unique situations (no guarantees).