Exam time!

This is a good cop/bad cop posting (though you may think there's not much good cop content.)

1. To ensure fair and equitable access to Library materials in the run up to exams; from 22nd March 2010 , fines on standard loan and 7-day loan items will increase to €1.20 per day while fines on short loan materials will increase to €3.00 per day. To avoid incurring fines, Library books can be renewed online, at self-issuing stations or by telephoning the relevant library site (contact details are below). Please note that overdue items may not be renewed where a library account has a fine balance exceeding €5.00
I want to, and I think I need to, stress that we do this to attempt to ensure fair and equitable access to library books during the time when there's most demand for them. If you, as a student, are looking for a specific textbook for exam revision, but cannot find it because someone is keeping them past the due date, how would you feel? Doubling fines is an attempt to motivate people to return books on time when they most need to be returned on time. All monies garnered by library fines are reinvested in the library: your 60 cent fine for a book brought back one day late will contribute to purchasing the latest edition of your core textbooks or a new DVD that you will be borrowing one day. It's not like we spend the money on fine wine and expensive chocolates (despite my many requests). If this was an exercise in profiteering, don't you think we'd double the fines for late returns of DVDs?

Here's a article from a library academic journal discussing fines (you can access the link directly on campus). While he mentions the arguments for abolishing fines, I agree, partly, with the author when he says:

it seems to me that they serve a vital function for any library that requires efficient and equitable circulation of stock. It cannot be right that an essentially selfish act on the part of one user or a group of users deprives other users of access to that material.

2. To give you lots of notice: exam results will not be issued to students until all borrowed materials have been returned to the Library and outstanding fines cleared. Outstanding fines can be paid by cash or credit card at any library site. Payment must be received no later than one week prior to the release of exam results. If payment is received after this date then your results will not be issued for a period of up to 24 hours after the release date of results. This period is required to allow the examinations office time to update the relevant files.

3. During the period Monday 22^nd March until Saturday 15^th May, the 3 Libraries will be opened 11.00-17.00 on the following dates:

- Sunday 28^th March 2010

- Friday 2^nd April 2010 (good Friday)

- Sunday 4^th April 2010 (Easter Sunday)

- Monday 5^th April 2010 (Easter Monday)

- Sunday 11^th April 2010

- Sunday 18^th April 2010

- Sunday 25^th April 2010

- Sunday 2^nd May 2010

- Monday 3^rd May 2010 (May bank holiday)

- Sunday 9^th May 2010

So basically, we'll be open 7 days a week from 28/03 to 15/05