I’m a freshman in Trinity and I have a suggestion for a better way of dealing with overdue books. I’m from Delaware and have used the UD library for the last four years or so. Their system of charging for overdue books makes much more sense than the policy here. I think it is really unfair to charge a dollar a day for each book starting at the first day its overdue. It shows a tremendous lack of understanding on the library’s part. At UD, this is how it works. The books are given a due date. After that, there is a two week grace period in which there is no charge for the books. During this time, the library mails you a warning to remind you of your overdue books. If you return the books during this time, there is no charge. But after the two weeks, it is five dollars a day for each book. That way, the only way you are charged is if you are blatantly irresponsible about returning them. The policy here doesn’t give a grace period, and therefore the library makes a lot of money on charging students who are ridiculously pressured in classes etc. I know that the library does not NEED to make money on overdue charges. It’s just another case of the University milking students’ wallets and I think everyone is tired of that. Give us a little credit. We’re all smart kids. Because we forget to return a book on time b/c of stress fromclasses and deadlines for assignments, the library shouldn’t be so anal in ripping us off. If the University of Delaware can afford to be understanding (and the school only costs 10,000 dollars a year to attend), I think Duke and its 30,000 dollars a year can afford to do the same. Thank you, and please take this into consideration. Jim Higgins
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