Lost or Damaged Materials | MOBIUS Consortium

Loaning or Receiving Damaged Materials

Recording Damage to Materials

There are three checkboxes on the MOBIUS Book Band for noting damage to materials or if there should be accompanying material with an item:

Damage noted on shipment, see notes
Damage noted on arrival, see notes
Book has accompanying material

Lending Library Responsibilities

Before an item is shipped through the courier to another MOBIUS library, any damage to the item should be noted in the 'Damage noted on shipment, see notes' section of the book band.

Borrowing Library Responsibilities

All MOBIUS items received should be inspected and any damage not listed in the 'Damage noted on shipment, see notes' section of the book band, should be noted in the 'Damage noted on arrival, see notes' section. The lending library should be contacted to see if the item should circulate.

Resolving Issues with Lost or Damaged Items

Items can be lost or damaged by a patron, or lost or damaged in shipment between libraries. In general if an item borrowed from a MOBIUS Library is lost or not returned, or is returned damaged, the patron's home library is responsible for collecting any fees and reimbursing the lending library in accordance with the ALA Interlibrary Loan Code which states, “The requesting library is responsible for borrowed material from the time it leaves the supplying library until it has been returned to and received by the supplying library. This includes all material shipped directly to and/or returned by the user. If damage or loss occurs, the requesting library is responsible for compensation or replacement, in accordance with the preference of the supplying library.” Borrowing libraries agree to vigorously pursue getting materials back from their patrons.

Items lost, damaged, or long overdue

If it is between MOBIUS libraries

When a lost, damaged, or long overdue item has been identified the libraries should work together to negotiate the replacement. Acceptance of replacement copies in lieu of payment is always at the discretion of the lending library. Mobius borrowing will be blocked on the patron’s account until the borrowing library collects the replacement.

Patron Blocks - Patron blocks for OpenRS checkouts are determined at the cluster level in the Automatic Patron Blocks Table. All clusters are set to block OpenRS patrons at the 1st Overdue Notice. Patron blocking for the standalone systems are set by the individual libraries and may not block automatically.

Overdue Notices - The library will send an overdue notice(s) and a bill for materials borrowed through the OpenRS system which are not returned to the lending library.

Negotiation of the Lost Book Fee - Each member library is encouraged to resolve billed items as soon as practical, but not later than 12 months from the due date. There is no upward limit for the dollar amount that can be charged for material that is lost or damaged. The borrowing and lending libraries will make every possible attempt to negotiate the lowest actual replacement cost/fee for the lost or damaged item. The replacement costs charged to the borrowing library could include a $25.00 replacement fee in addition to the actual cost of replacing the material, as assessed by the owning library (the owning library may waive the $25.00 replacement fee at their discretion). Refunds will be negotiated between the owning and borrowing library. If further support is needed during the billing process, please reach out to the Mobius office to help adjudicate the matter.

For partners outside of MOBIUS

Partners outside of MOBIUS are Tran-Amigos, MALA, and the Iowa networks of ILA and Rivershare.

For materials lost or damaged involving other partners, you may contact the library directly to resolve the issue. If you need additional assistance, please contact MOBIUS.

Items Lost or Damaged by the Courier

If it is delivered and picked up by STAT

STAT is the courier contracted with MOBIUS for the Missouri libraries, Tulsa City-County, and the Iowa networks of ILA and Rivershare. If it is lost between these libraries where STAT picked up and delivered at both ends then a claim is an option.

If an item is lost or damaged by the courier during shipment, the library receiving the item should notify the lending library. Once notified, the lending library should file a claim with the courier for reimbursement. The courier's insurance covers replacement costs up to $500 per delivery bag. The borrowing library is then responsible for remitting any additional cost beyond what is covered by the courier insurance.

To make a claim e-mail courier@mobiusconsortium.org

Other partners

For outside partners such as TAE or MALA, or any other circumstance where the MOBIUS courier was only doing the delivery or pickup but not both, a claim is not an option. This is because multiple couriers are involved with different levels of liability. In these circumstances the ALA guidelines apply and the borrowing library is responsible.

If you have additional questions or for all courier related issues, send an email to courier@mobiusconsortium.org or call the Help Desk toll-free at 1-877-366-2487. The courier email address is monitored by multiple staff members.