Clearing and Collecting Fines
Bierce Library chooses not to collect fines for most overdue library charges. We do collect overdue fines for course reserve, reference, and computer equipment materials. We reserve the ability to collect fines in egregious situations. Sierra, the system Bierce Library uses to facilitate lending and borrowing automatically assigns overdue fines to patron accounts. The Library staff and student workers will clear these fines when items are returned.
How to Clear Overdue Fines
- Open a patron record by scanning their barcode or entering their name in the Check Out (Circulation Desk) function (see how to check out items above)
- Select the FINES tab on the left side of the patron Sierra record. All current fines on a patron record will load in the middle of the screen
- Select the boxes next to individual fines to be cleared
- Select ‘Collect Fines’ or ‘Waive Fines’ and follow the prompts. You may have to enter your Sierra initials and password to complete this function. Student assistants have authorization to ‘Collect Fines’ but not to ‘Waive Fines.’ Please be liberal in clearing fines!
When Not to Clear Fines
- When the patron account has a Staff Block
- When the patron account has a Stat Message that says something like, "see staff" or "Do not clear fines." In these cases, get a staff person
- When the patron has not returned their items with overdue fines. We do not adjust overdue fines until the materials have been returned
- When the fines on a patron account are for REPLACEMENT. These are not overdue fines but billed items. In this case follow the Billed Books instructions
