Cumberland County Library System

Lost, Claimed Returned, and Damaged Materials

(Creation & revision: 1/27/97; 8/18/97, 9/21/98; 3/15/2010; 11/18/2013; 5/21/2018; 4/21/25)

Lost Materials

(Creation & revision: 1/27/97; 8/18/97; 9/21/98; 1/24/2000; 12/15/08; 3/15/2010; 11/18/2013; 5/21/2018; 3/6/25)

If an item is reported lost or ages to lost in circulation, the card holder is charged for the original list price of the item, plus a $5 processing fee per item.

Lost item charges and any fines or fees associated with the materials may be paid at any CCLS library.  Lost item payments  must be forwarded to the owning library.

After a patron has reported losing an item and has paid for the item, refunds are generally not provided if the item is later found.  The patron has paid for the item and now owns it. Lost items may not be replaced by materials donated by the customer; exceptions may be made by the owning library..

STAR patrons are generally not charged for lost items.  STAR facilities are generally not charged for lost items from deposit collections.

Claimed Returned

(Creation & revision: 1/27/97; 8/18/97; 9/21/98; 1/24/2000; 2/15/2010; 11/18/2013; 5/21/2018; 4/21/25)

If an item is claimed returned by the borrower and the library has no record of its return, the item’s status is changed to “Claimed Returned.”  This alerts all Cumberland County libraries to search for the item.  If the item is found in the library’s possession, customers will not be charged late fees.

If the item is not found in either the library’s possession or the customer’s possession, the customer is charged for the original list price of the item, plus a $5 processing fee.  If the item is not located two months after the due date and payment has not been made, the customer’s account may be referred to a collection agency. 

Once payment is made, refunds are not usually made. 

STAR patrons are generally not charged for claimed returned items. STAR facilities are generally not charged for claimed returned items from deposit collections.

Damaged Materials

(Creation & revision: 1/27/97; 8/18/97; 5/18/98; 9/21/98; 9/20/99; 1/24/2000; /26/2001; 3/15/2010; 5/21/2018; 4/21/25)

Charges for damaged library materials are determined on a case-by-case basis. Items deemed damaged beyond repair by the owning library may be treated as Lost Materials.

The library is not responsible for any damage to audio or video players, which may result from the use of library materials.

Damaged material fees may be paid at any CCLS library.

STAR patrons are generally not charged for damaged items.  STAR facilities are generally not charged for damaged items from deposit collections.

Policy Notice

This policy is subject to change at any time without notice.  Updates to the policy may be obtained from the Library System.