Fees and Charges

The Fees & Charges below apply to all Central Otago District Libraries. These Fees & Charges may be updated in accordance with our Membership Terms and Conditions.

Loans and Charges

Central Otago District Libraries are Fine Free.

Other Charges

*In addition to the cost of the replacement item - see 'Lost and Damaged' items description below

Our Fee Policies

Overdues

We send a reminder email 3 days before an item is due to help you keep track of your check-­outs. If an item falls overdue, notices are sent via email or posted once the item is 1 week overdue. Once an item is 6 weeks overdue it is considered lost and you will be sent an invoice detailing replacement costs, handling fees and accumulated fines.

Renewals

Library members can renew items on the library app or online by logging into My Account using their library card number and PIN. Otherwise you may request to renew items in person, via email or by phoning your local branch. If an item is on hold for another library member, it cannot be renewed. You may renew any item twice. Any renewals to chargeable DVDs will incur additional standard rental fees.

*If you are renewing an item on the Library App; there is sometimes a prompt to pay to renew items. This is a bug and if this happens to you, you can ignore this and accept the message. It will not actually add anything to your account and it will then allow you to renew your items. If you have any concerns, or it looks like you have been charged, feel free to contact the library and your librarian will help resolve the issue.

Placing Holds (Reservations)

• All Central Otago Libraries borrowers can place holds on items free of charge.
• The first available copy in any library in the district will be sent. If the item is available in a full-time branch, normal turnaround is 3-4 days.
• We will email or phone you to let you know that the item has arrived. Once notified, you have 10 days to collect the item.

Interloans

If we do not have the resource you want in our libraries, we can try to obtain or interloan it from another library in New Zealand. There is a minimum charge of $7 - $15 to cover postage and handling. See our Interlibrary Loans page for more information.

Lost, Non-Returned and Damaged Items

If you return an item that is in need of repair there will be a charge of $10 to cover mending costs. This includes replacement CD covers and DVD cases, the mending of books, and replacement of book covers. If the item is so damaged that it needs to be replaced you will be charged the cost of the replacement item plus a $10 dollar processing charge. Lost or Non-Returned items are also charged at the cost of replacement plus a $10 dollar processing charge. Decisions on costs for items over ten years old are made at the discretion of the Collection Manager.

Payment Methods

As of 30 June 2021, we no longer accept cheques in payment of library charges.

Rounding

The library applies Swedish Rounding principles to the rounding of cash transactions. The following rounding principles apply:

• rounding down to the nearest 10 cent value for sales ending in 1c, 2c, 3c, 4c;
• rounding up to the nearest 10 cent value for sales ending in 6c, 7c, 8c, 9c; and
• according to normal rounding rules, values at a 5c interval are rounded up to the nearest 10 cent value

You can view Central Otago District Councils full Fees and Charges here.