1. Fines

Individual institutions no longer keep track of Summit fines. There will be no annual accounting reconciliation or re-apportioning of money. This includes overdue fines for items eventually billed as lost.

2. Fees

Fees will be counted for all items declared as lost and items irreparably damaged. We continue to use the single standard replacement fee and administrative fee (service charge).

3. Waiving and refunding fees

Annual Account Reconciliation (AAR) includes all items lost or irreparably damaged. Individual member institutions may have various local policies on waiving patron fines or fees or refunding money, entirely, or for materials returned within a certain time period. The Consortium’s agreements do not supersede those local policies, nor do the local policies impact AAR for inter-institution reimbursement.

4. Damaged materials

Unless an item is irreparably damaged, it will be repaired at the owning site, without special accounting or attempt to recover cost of repair from borrowing institution (patron site).

5. Replacement copy

A replacement copy may be supplied in lieu of paying Replacement Charge, on an individual, case-by-case basis, and only with explicit approval of the Owning Site.

6. Annual Account Reconciliation (AAR)

Items lost and irreparably damaged are the only items for which members keep records and submit information for AAR. The accounting period begins in the spring, allowing several months to wrap-up notices and billings and process items returned late before the reimbursement process begins. The AAR process takes place over the summer: members report information to Alliance staff; Alliance compiles records, posts information and coordinates reimbursement.

7. Items already billed

When an item is returned after it has been billed, regardless of whether the patron paid fees or the institution refunded fees, the item is returned to the owning institution.

8. Responsibility for items loaned through Summit

Owning Site is responsible for the item until it is checked in at Borrowing Site.

Borrowing Site is responsible until it has been returned and checked in at the Owning Site (i.e. while it is checked in at the Borrowing Institution, on the hold shelf, checked out to patron, checked in from patron, and in transit during return to Owning Site).

Institutions may seek reimbursement from patrons or courier as appropriate. Note that courier claims are made by the Owning Site, so the institutions may need to coordinate reimbursement internally.

9. Visiting Patrons

Under the current work-around arrangement, the patron is “adopted” by Institution B, which now takes on the responsibilities and risks of that patron. It is important for Institution B to check credentials before authorizing the patron. The student is not enrolled at B, but does have a direct library and financial relationship with B.

As a visiting patron at Institution B,

• for on-site borrowing, the patron is subject to Instn B local fines and fees, and
• for Summit-borrowed items delivered for them to pick up at B, the patron is subject to the Summit fees, billed by and owed to B.