Students perception of library fines: the case of Islamia College of Science & Commerce Library

Annals of Library and Information Studies Vol. 5, September 211, pp. 2-2 Students perception of library fines: the case of Islamia College of Science & Commerce Library Mohammad Hanief Bhat Senior Librarian, Islamia College of Science & Commerce, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India, Email: mhanief3@yahoo.co.in Explores the students perception of library fines, borrowing privileges and lending periods in an Indian academic library and seeks to discover the extent to which borrowers are satisfied towards these aspects. The questionnaire method was used to collect data from 29 respondents. The findings of the study reveal that majority of the borrowers are satisfied with the borrowing privileges, lending periods and the fine amounts. The majority of the respondents feel that library fines encourage users to return the borrowed items on time. Most of the students favoured discontinuation of fines, besides consulting them about the amount to be fixed as fine. Majority of students prefer keeping books beyond due date and paying fine later. No significant differences were found between genders and faculties (Science and Commerce & Management) with respect to their perception of library fines. The paper makes recommendations which can help libraries to devise policies regarding library fines. Introduction The imposition of fines in academic libraries for overdue items is a global phenomenon and penalties for overdue materials have been levied by libraries for centuries 1. Besides fines, librarians have resorted to short-term, charitable, and legal means to resolve the mounting problems associated with overdues. In their quest to retrieve overdue materials, librarians confront delinquent borrowers by sending staff to private homes, filing criminal charges or claims in small courts, engaging credit collection agencies, sending overdue notices, conducting fine free amnesty days for return of all overdue materials, and offering rewards for returning books 2. Librarians have long assumed that imposing a fine on borrowers who keep books for more than their prescribed period will prompt those borrowers to bring the books back on time. Bringing books back on time is a concept central to library functions-a book not in active use should be on shelf in its proper location so that browsers, or focused users, can find it 3. Fine amounts can be levied per day beyond the due date, especially in cases of materials borrowed from open access collections, or can be on an hourly basis, especially with respect to materials from restricted loan collections, such as reserved materials 4. For a very long time, this common practice has been an issue of discussion and controversy. Fines are thought by many to deter patrons from keeping materials too long. However, others believe that there is little persuasive evidence that fines are more effective at minimizing overdues than are reminder notices. Further, some critics contend charging fines as unethical especially in public or school libraries 5. The present study endeavours to ascertain the attitude of student users of Islamia College of Science & Commerce, Srinagar (India) towards the borrowing privileges, lending period and overdue fines, as there is no evidence of research on this problem in India hitherto. As a result, the perception of student community towards borrowing privileges, lending periods and overdue fines in Indian academic libraries is not fully understood. The research will help libraries to devise policies regarding library fines in India and abroad. About ICSC Established in 1 by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir as an autonomous educational institution of higher learning, the Islamia College of Science & Commerce, Srinagar (ICSC) has a collection of,1 volumes and current periodical subscriptions. As of May 21, the library had 493 registered student readers, comprising 4 (4 percent) commerce & management faculty students,

22 ANN. LIB. INF. STU., SEPTEMBER 211 and 122 (2 percent) science faculty students, studying for Bachelor s and Master s courses (B.Sc, B.Com, BBA, BCA and MBA). Of the 493 students 392 (9. percent) are males and 12 (2.32 percent) are females. Presently the students of 1 st and 2 nd year (B.Sc & B.Com) are allowed to borrow three books at a time where as the students of final year B.Sc, B.Com, BBA and BCA are allowed to borrow four books at a time. The MBA students are allowed to borrow seven books at a time. The users are allowed to retain books for a period of 15 days and thereafter the library charges Rs.5 per day per book from the student borrowers. The renewals are allowed only on those books which are not in demand. Review of literature Withholding library materials beyond due dates by the users is a problem faced by libraries all over the world. In 91, Oktore reported that retaining library books beyond due dates was a baffling practice among students. Some research has been done to unveil the reasons behind this tendency. These include forgetfulness, and tendency to personalize library materials, sheer greediness or lack of consideration for others who need the same materials, besides users not finishing with books 9. There is surprisingly little evidence that can guide policy decisions to reduce the probability of overdue materials 1. The various measures that are adopted in libraries for the timely return of the materials include library notices and overdue fines 11. Many librarians claim that fines act as a deterrent and encourage borrowers to return materials promptly and that heavy fines make more of an impact on borrowers than minimal charges 12. Ahiakwo & Obokoh recommend stiff fines to overcome the tendency of late return of library materials. A survey by Barber 14 found that 9.3 percent of respondent libraries charge fine for overdue materials in UK and a majority (94.3 percent) of these favoured carrying on with this existing fine system. In another such survey on circulation and fine policies among medical libraries by Lyons 15 it is found that 1 percent of the institutions surveyed collected fines for overdue books from students, faculty or both. However opinions regarding the effectiveness of fines among librarians differed. Abareh 1 has reported introduction of special fine of NGN 3 for retaining reserve books beyond due date, besides denying the use of reserve materials for a determined period at Abubakar Tawafa Balewa University Library, Bauchi, Nigeria. It is found that some people consider fine a price rather than a penalty,1. However Seteras has reported that the introduction of fines at the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration reduced overdue library books in the institution. A study by Shontz 2 found that besides fines many other factors, such as convenience of renewal and return, conscientiousness and the time when the user had finished the material determine when users return the library materials. On the other hand, the publication of defaulter s names in local newspapers reduced overdue library books in Iowa Public Library 21. Burgin & Hansel 22 found that speedy notification and making last notice a bill for the item had some effect on overdue returns in South Carolina Public Libraries, however they did not find any statistically significant effect of charging fines on overdue returns. Sending reminders on-time significantly increased the rate of return of library books at Islamia College of Science & Commerce, Srinagar (India). Despite a divided opinion over the efficacy of fines on overdue returns among the researchers, the library users consider library fines as a deterrent to overdue library materials. A study by Adomi 24 found that.3 percent of the respondents are of the opinion that overdue fines encourage users to return the library materials on time in Nigerian University s libraries. The same sentiments are of the student borrowers in a New Zealand academic library. The students also favoured the continuation of the library fines 25. In another such study by Ajayi & Okunlola 2 at Hezekiah Oluwasanmi library, it is found that students perceived the increase in fines as a welcome measure, which would make library books readily available and accessible. During the past few years some alternative methods are also being experimented at various institutions to replace the existing fine system and ensure the timely return of overdue library materials. For instance Southampton Solent University does not charge fines but instead uses a penalty points system. After determined penalty points are acquired the students are banned from borrowing items for a specific period. A compromise solution is implemented at Texas A&M University libraries, maintaining fines

BHAT: STUDENTS PERCEPTION OF LIBRARY FINES 221 for some materials but using an inconvenience motivator to prompt timely renewal or return of regular stack materials 2. The other measures include extended loan periods 29 and positive reinforcements 3. Objectives of the study To find the attitude of students towards borrowing privileges, lending periods and library fines; To discover whether or not the fines encourage/compel the users to return the library materials on time; To determine whether or not the level of fine is sufficiently high to compel the users to return the library materials on time; and To ascertain whether or not attitude towards fines vary among male/female and science/ commerce & management students. Methodology The questionnaire survey was conducted during May and June 21 to collect data. To take sample from every category of student borrowers (science and commerce & management, male and female, level of course i.e., 1 st year, 2 nd year and final year students) the following statistical formulae is used: z 2 Npq n= where, z N E pq NE 2 +z 2 pq = The probability given under 95.5 percent reliability = The population or universe = Sampling error = Proportion of the total population The value of the proportion of the total population (pq) is obtained from science v/s commerce & management ratio. The 95.5 percent confidence level is pre assigned and a small sampling error (.5) is fixed to ensure optimal sample size. n = = where, z 2 Npq NE 2 +z 2 pq (2) 2 (493) (.4) (.2) (493) (.5) 2 + (2) 2 (.4) (.2) = 29 z = 2, N= 493, E=.5, pq= (.4)(.2) The sample size of different categories is determined by the population allocation method as: n i = n Ni/N where, i= 1, 2, 3, 4. n= 29 (total Sample size) Ni= Total number of students in the Category N= Total population Out of the 29 students, 1 were males and 59 females. The number of science students is and those of commerce & management students being 214. One hundred and thirty six belonged to 1 st year, 3 students belonged to 2 nd year, and students belonged to final year and three were MBA students. Analysis Attitude of students towards library fines The attitude of students towards library fines is presented in Tables 1 and 2. It is evident from the data that majority of the respondents 2 (2. percent) are satisfied with the borrowing privileges. The females seem more satisfied (9. percent) than their male counterparts (1.11 percent), so are science students (.3 percent) to commerce & management students (1.9 percent). Over half of the respondents 154 (53.4 percent) feel that the lending period of 15 days is adequate, compared to 1 (44.9 percent) who feel otherwise. There is a slight variation in the attitude of malefemale (54.11 percent v/s 5. percent), and Science-Commerce & Management (52.3 percent v/s 53. percent) respondents. Of the 29 respondents, 2 (1.3 percent) are satisfied with the amount fixed as library fine. The

222 ANN. LIB. INF. STU., SEPTEMBER 211 Sl. no. Item Table 1 Students perception of library fines (Male/Female) Agree Disagree Undecided No Response Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total 1. The number of books that library allows me to borrow is adequate 2. The lending period of 15 days after which the fine is due is adequate 3. The amount fixed as fine is adequate 4. Library fines compel me to return borrowed materials on time 5. I prefer to keep important books beyond due date and pay fine later. I feel bad when asked to pay fines. Library fines assist libraries in generating funds for the libraries. Library fines should be scrapped 9. Fine is a disciplinary measure intended against library defaulters 1. It is not wrong to ask library staff to forgive fines 11. The library staff should reduce the amount to defaulters when the fine is very high 12. The amount charged as fine should be the same (no matter when one returns an overdue book). Students should be consulted about the amount that should be paid as fine 1 (1.11) 125 (54.11) 1 (9.2) 13 (9.91) 1 (59.91) 1 (4.9) 15 (5.5) 1 (4.43) 3 (.2) (59.5) 13 (9.22) 151 (5.93) (2.25) 4 (9.) 29 (5.) 4 (9.) 42 (1.1) (3.15) 33 (55.93) 31 (53.44) (2.1) 42 (3.) 34 (5.2) 4 (.9) (1.1) 4 (1.35) Note: Figures in parenthesis indicate percentage 2 (2.) 154 (53.4) 2 (1.3) 225 (.12) 2 (.5) 9 (4.) 11 (3.) 125 (44.32) 215 (.33) 1 (59.1) 2 (.9) 1 (4.93) (2.) 4 (2.44) 14 (45.2) 5 (2.) 29 (12.) (33.92) 1 (4.5) 42 (1.34) 9 (3.94) (12.21) 2 (31.3) (15.5) 1 (2.3) 33 (14.2) 4 (.) (4.35) 12 (2.33) 11 (1.4) (33.33) 2 (44.) 12 (2.) (32.2) (.) (3.9) 12 (2.33) (2.1) (.55) 5 (.) 1 (44.9) (2.55) 4 (.) 9 (33.) 4 (4.5) 54 (1.1) (31.2) (9.1) 95 (32.) 4 (1.55) (.) 41 (14.) (.44) 2 (.) (2.59) (.42) 14 (.1) (5.2) 3 (1.15) 4 (2.2) 21 (9.5) 21 (9.) 12 (5.) (.42) (3.4) (.55) 5 (.) (.) (1.1) 2 (3.5) (.) 15 (25.) (3.9) 15 (2.31) 2 (3.3) (11.) (1.1) 3 (5.) (9.5) (2.43) (2.) (.9) 1 (5.3) (4.54) 52 (1.11) 9 (24.4) (12.94) (.95) (.55) (.9) 11 (3.9) 2 2 2 2 4 2 4 4 2 1 3 1 2 12 1 1 2 2 females are more satisfied (9. percent) to their male counterparts (9.2 percent). There is a great deal of difference in the attitudes between the students of Science and Commerce & Management faculties (55.2 percent v/s.1 percent) towards the amount of overdue fine. It is revealed from the data that.12 percent (225) respondents feel that overdue fines compel users to return the borrowed books on time. It is interesting to note that.5 percent (2) respondents prefer to keep important books beyond due date and pay fine later (with a little gender and faculty variation). It noteworthy that more of female respondents (55.93 percent) to male (4.9 percent) feel bad when asked to pay fine. On the whole 4. percent respondents

BHAT: STUDENTS PERCEPTION OF LIBRARY FINES 2 feel bad when asked to pay fine, compared to 4.5 percent who feel otherwise. It is also evident from the data that there is a great deal of difference of opinion between Science and Commerce & Management faculty respondents (1.4 percent v/s 43. percent). It is important to note that 3. percent (11) respondents are of the view that library fines assist Table 2 Students perception of library fines (Science/Commerce & Management) Sl. no. Item Science Agree Disagree Undecided No response Com. & Mgt. Total Science Com. & Mgt. Total Science Com. & Mgt. Total Science Com. & Mgt. Total 1. The number of books that library allows me to borrow is adequate 2. The lending period of 15 days after which the fine is due is adequate 3. The amount fixed as fine is adequate 4. Library fines compel me to return borrowed materials on time 5. I prefer to keep important books beyond due date and pay fine later. I feel bad when asked to pay fines. Library fines assist libraries in generating funds for the libraries. Library fines should be scrapped 9. Fine is a disciplinary measure intended against library defaulters 1. It is not wrong to ask library staff to forgive fines 11. The library staff should reduce the amount to defaulters when the fine is very high 12. The amount charged as fine should be the same (no matter when one returns an overdue book). Students should be consulted about the amount that should be paid as fine 55 (.3) 4 (52.3) 42 (55.2) 5 (5.) 4 (3.15) 4 (1.4) 4 (53.33) (5.) 5 (5.) 41 (53.94) (.4) 52 (.42) 5 (.31) 152 (1.9) 114 (53.) 15 (.1) 1 (9.24) 124 (59.1) 92 (43.) 141 (.5) 9 (42.3) 15 (1.) (1.3) 15 (3.) 5 (3.) 1 (4.11) Note: Figures in parenthesis indicate percentage 2 (2.) 154 (53.4) 2 (1.3) 225 (.12) 2 (.5) 9 (4.) 11 (3.) 125 (44.32) 215 (.33) 1 (59.1) 2 (.9) 1 (4.93) (2.) (9.2) 32 (42.1) 33 (43.42) (25.) 2 (.4) 2 (34.21) (.33) (31.94) (1.52) (35.52) 9 (11.4) (22.) (.1) 43 (2.2) 95 (44.1) 44 (2.5) 21 (9.9) (32.9) 1 (51.42) 41 (.33) 5 (3.95) (9.4) (31.92) 39 (1.22) 1 (2.) 2 (.) 5 (.) 1 (44.9) (2.55) 4 (.) 9 (33.) 4 (4.5) 54 (1.1) (31.2) (9.1) 95 (32.) 4 (1.55) (.) 41 (14.) 1 (.) 4 (5.2) 1 (1.31) (.) (.) 3 (3.94) 22 (29.33) (1.5) 1 (.) (1.52) 1 (1.31) (9.21) 5 (.5) (.1) 3 (1.41) 5 (2.33) (1.4) 1 (.9) 1 (4.) 3 (14.15) 5 (2.) 1 (.91) 15 (.4) 1 (.41) 1 (.54) (2.) (9.5) (2.43) (2.) (.9) 1 (5.3) (4.54) 52 (1.11) 9 (24.4) (12.94) (.95) (.55) (.9) 11 (3.9) 4 2 2 2 2 2 4 4 1 2 3 4 4 12 12 1 1 2 2

224 ANN. LIB. INF. STU., SEPTEMBER 211 libraries in generating funds for the libraries, compared to 1.1 percent (54) who think otherwise, and an equally 1.11 percent (52) are silent on the issue. There is however difference of opinion on the basis of gender and faculty. The male respondents who think that overdue fines assist libraries in generating the funds is 5.5 percent compared to 53.44 percent females. The.5 percent Commerce & Management students and only 53.33 percent of Science students think in the same terms. The number of respondents who feel that library fines should be scrapped is more (44.32 percent) than those who feel that it should be continued (31.2 percent). There is a remarkable gender difference in the opinion of those who feel that it should be scrapped (4.43 percent males v/s 2.1 percent females). However a good number of respondents (24.4 percent) are silent on the issue. It is healthy to note that.33 percent (215) respondents are aware of the fact that overdue fines are a disciplinary measure intended against library defaulters as against 9.1 percent () who believe it is not. There is a little difference of opinion on the issue between males and females (.2 percent v/s 3. percent) and a great deal of difference between Science and Commerce & Management students (5. percent v/s 1. percent). It is evident from the data, 59.1 percent (1) respondents feel that it is not wrong to ask library staff to forgive the overdue fines, with a slight gender variation. The number of respondents who feel otherwise is almost half 32. percent (95). An overwhelming majority of respondents.9 percent (2) are of the opinion that amount to defaulters should be reduced when the overdue is very high, out of which 9.22 percent (13) are males and.9 percent (5) are females. More of the Science students.4 percent to Commerce & Management 3. percent support the argument. It is worthy to note that respondents who would like that the amount charged as fine should be same no matter when one returns the overdue material is 4.93 percent (1) compared to. percent () who would like it to be otherwise. There is a slight variation of opinion on the issue so for as males and females are concerned (5.93 percent v/s 1.1 percent), Science and Commerce & Management users (.425 v/s 3. percent). It is very interesting to note that an overwhelming majority of respondents across the board (with slight gender and faculty variation) 2. percent () believe that the students should be consulted about the amount that should be fixed as library fine. Family income and retention of books beyond due date Table 3 depicts the relation between family income and retention of books beyond due date. Majority of the respondents who prefer to keep the books beyond due date and pay fine later belonged to lowest annual income group of < Rs 1 Lakh (.34 percent). The remaining respondents belonged to these income groups (1-2 Lakh 14.53 percent, 2-3 Lakh 3.4 percent, 3-5 Lakh.39 percent, >5 Lakh 5. percent. Test of Significance The t-test was carried out to find out any significant difference by gender and faculty with respect to students perception of library fines at.5 level of significance. As is evident from Table 4, no significant differences were found between male and female students as the observed t of 1.2 is lower than the critical value of 1.9. Similarly, no significant Table 3 Relation between Family income and retention of books beyond due date Annual family income (Group) No. of respondents retaining books beyond due date (N=2) < Rs 1 Lakh 121 (.34) Rs 1-2 Lakh 25 (14.53) Rs 2-3 Lakh (3.4) Rs 3-5 Lakh 11 (.39) > Rs 5 lakh 9 (5.) Note: Figures in parenthesis indicate percentage

BHAT: STUDENTS PERCEPTION OF LIBRARY FINES 225 difference were found between the Commerce & Management and Science students, as the observed value of 1.2 is less than the critical value of 1.9. However, a mean difference of 1.53 is observed between the two faculties (Table5). Discussion Keeping in view the availability of books in the library, the students of 1 st and 2 nd year (B.Sc & B.Com) are allowed to borrow three books at a time where as the students of Final year (B.Sc & B.Com), BBA and BCA are allowed to borrow four books at a time. The MBA students are allowed to borrow seven books at a time. Just a small portion of respondents are not satisfied with the borrowing privileges. Some of the unsatisfied borrowers have demanded the limit to be raised to eight books in their remarks. Shontz 31 maintains that period for which users can retain the library materials is the best compromise between the current user s convenience and future user s needs. It has been found that loan period for monographs is usually two weeks 32. Pertinently the users are allowed to retain books for a period of 15 days at ICSC library and the renewals (unlimited) are allowed only on those books which are not in demand. The students in their remarks have expressed the desire of 3 days loan period, and in some cases a full academic session. However it is not possible for the library having limited copies of various book titles, to extend the lending periods beyond 15 days. Most of the respondents are satisfied with the amount fixed as library fine. Presently the library charges Rs.5 per day per book from the student borrowers. An increase in overdue fines is perceived a welcome step by students as it makes library materials readily available and accessible 33. The basic purpose of enforcing the overdue fines is to encourage the library users to return the borrowed books on time, so that the same are issued to other users in queue. As it is not possible for ICSC library (with no specific formula used to procure multiple copies of the text books) to have a copy of the book for each user, the only way out is to circulate the available stock to as many users as possible. This seems to be working as a small portion of respondents are not convinced that the overdue fines compel users to return the borrowed materials on time. There is a little difference of opinion between males & females/science and Commerce & Management students. The finding is in accordance with the earlier studies by Adomi 34 and Anderson 35 who found that overdue fines encourage users to return the borrowed items on time. The majority of the respondents prefer to keep important books beyond due date and pay fine later, as it is found that fine is considered by some people a price rather than a penalty, 3.The overdue fine of Rs.5 per day per book is a meager amount. It seems that some of the students who can afford, willingly pay the fine and keep the books beyond due date, as many librarians claim that heavy fines make more of an impact on borrowers than minimal charges 3. However surprisingly most of the respondents who prefer to keep the books beyond due date and pay fine later belonged to lowest family income group. This may be due to the fact that students of high family income may buy the books and therefore there is no need for them to check out the book from the library and no way to retain the library s book beyond due date. Table 4 Gender difference in students perception of library fines Gender No. Mean SD df t-cal Critical Value Male 1 3.9 2.9 Female 59 3.53 3. 2 1.2 1.9 Table 5 Faculty difference in students perception of library fines Faculty No. Mean SD df t-cal Critical Value Com. & Mgt. 214 31.42 2.2 Science 29.9 3.1 2 1.2 1.9

22 ANN. LIB. INF. STU., SEPTEMBER 211 Different aspects of fines have been a matter of investigation for psychologists, as it is being referred to as a century long experiment in behavioural psychology by Caywood 39. Since more of the female students feel bad to their male counterparts when asked to pay fine. Most of the respondents are of the view that library fines assist libraries in generating funds for the libraries. The revenue generated through overdue fine is a meager amount and is not regarded as a source of income by most of the libraries, but as a deterrent to delinquent users to return the borrowed materials on time, although some consider it a source of income 4. The amount generated at ICSC, library through overdue fines is approximately Rs 3,. annually which is deposited in the library local fund to meet some minor expenses. The time spent on fine collection is almost negligible as the library operations are fully computerized at ICSC library. Majority of the students feel that library fines should be scrapped. This is in contrast to study by Anderson 41, who found that users favour the continuation of the library fines. It may not be proper to discard overdue fine as it will encourage users to retain the books beyond due dates, as agreed by the users that it compels them to return books on time. It is due to this reason that an overwhelming majority of libraries still charge fine for overdue materials and also favour carrying on with this existing fine system 42. The main purpose of enforcing fines for overdue materials in libraries is disciplinary and it is quite encouraging that majority of the students are aware of this fact. Majority of respondents (from Science faculty) are of the opinion that amount to defaulters should be reduced when the overdue is very high. This may be due that fact that Science students need more books than their counterparts for their assignments and consequent overdue of books. It has been found that often the students ask library staff at ICSC to reduce the amount citing various reasons like holidays, strikes, ill health etc. However the circulation staff can not reduce the amount as it is beyond their control. Most of the students would like that the amount charged as fine should be same no matter when one returns the books. Going by the students, if such a practice is adopted, it will be very difficult for the library to retrieve the borrowed items on time as delinquent users would know that they will not have to pay more than a fixed amount. Majority of respondents believe that the students should be consulted about the amount that should be fixed as library fine. This is much higher than reported by Adomi 43. Over all no statistically significant differences is found between genders and faculties (Science and Commerce & Management) with respect to their perception of library fines. Conclusion The basic purpose of introducing library fines is to encourage the borrowers to return the library materials on time. While a majority of users agree that fines compel them to return the borrowed library materials on time, the amount of fine is not high enough to serve as an effective deterrent to overdue library materials. The amount of fine should be raised to the extent to which it serves as an effective deterrent to retain overdue library materials. Besides, the amount of fine should be periodically reviewed and the suspension of borrowing privileges should be introduced to ensure the timely return of library materials. The users should also be informed about the purpose of fines, besides informing them about renewals, borrowing rights and lending periods. As the faculty and staff are not liable to pay fines for overdue library materials at ICSC library, their perception of library fines need to be ascertained to identify difference in attitudes among various user groups. Besides it could be explored from the borrowers as to what they think will be more effective deterrent to library over dues than fines. References 1. Ajayi N A and Okunlola A A, Students perception of fine increases for overdue library books in an academic library, Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 3 (4) (25) 1-93. 2. Little P, Managing overdues: facts from four studies, Bottom Line: Managing Library Finances, 2 (2) (93) 22 25. 3. Shontz D, Effect of fines on length of checkout and overdues in a medical library, Bulletin of the Medical Library Association, (1) (99) 2-4. 4. Adomi E E, Attitudes of university library users towards overdue fines in Nigeria, The Bottom Line: Managing Library Finances, 1(1) (23) -24.

BHAT: STUDENTS PERCEPTION OF LIBRARY FINES 2 5. Mitchell W B and Smith F W, Using Rewards to Minimize Overdue Book Rates, Journal of Access Services, 3 (1) (2) 4 52.. Okotore K, Misuse of library materials at Oyo State College of Education Library-Ilesa, Nigerian Library and Information Science Review, 9 (1) (91).. Ahiakwo O N and Obokoh N P, Attitudinal dimension in library overdue books among faculty members a case study, Library and Information Science Research, (4) () 293-34.. Zaki H M, Delinquency in Ahmadu Bello University Library, Zaria Journal of Librarinaship, 1 (1-2) (94) 12-9. 9. Alao I A, Students and overdue books in a medical library, Journal of the Medical Library Association, 9 (3) (22) 294-29. 1. Little P, Op. Cit. 11. Leung Y C, Prompt Return by Library Notices, Journal of Access Services, 4 (3 & 4) (2) 3-92. 12. Lyons A G, Circulation policies, overdues, and fines: results of a survey of academic health sciences libraries, Bulletin of the Medical Library Association, 9 (3) (1) 32-329.. Ahiakwo O N and Obokoh N P, Op. Cit. 14. Barber G, Fines: a survey of SCONUL libraries, SCONUL Focus, 35 (25). 59-2. 15. Lyons A G, Op. Cit. 1. Abareh H M, Pathos of circulation librarians: an exploratory study of Abubakar Tawafa Balewa University Library, Bauchi, International Library Movement, (1) (21) 2-4.. Lin C and Yang C C, Fine enough or don t fine at all, Journal of Economic Behavior & Organisation, 59 (2)5-2. 1. Gneezy U and Rustichini A, A fine is a price, The Journal of Legal Studies, 29(1) (2)1-.. Seteras I, Fines for overdue books at the library of the Norwegian School of Economics and Administration: experience after the first year, Synopsis, 2 (5) (9) 292 4. 2. Shontz D, Op. Cit. 21. Hoffman R, Radical overdue technique, Unabashed Librarian, 1 (3) (9). 22. Burgin R and Hansel P, Library overdues: an update, Library & Archival Security, 1 (2) (9) 51-5.. Bhat M H, The impact of on time reminders on defaulters - A case study of Islamia College of Science and Commerce Srinagar, Indian Journal of Library & Information Science, 4 (1) (21) 5-59. 24. Adomi E E, Op. Cit. 25. Anderson C V, Are fines fine? MLIS Dissertation, submitted to the School of Information Management,Victoria University of Wellington. Victoria University of Wellington School of Information Management, (2), Available at: http://library.canterbury.ac.nz/files/news/andersoncinfo5 ResearchReport.pdf (accessed on 3 June 21). 2. Ajayi N A and Okunlola A A, Op. Cit. Barber G, Op. Cit. 2. Mosley P A, Moving away from overdue fines: One Academic Library's New Direction, Journal of Access Services, 2 (1) (24) 11 21. 29. Rupp E, Sweetman K and Perry D, Updating Circulation Policy for the 21st Century, Journal of Access Services, (3) (21) 159 5. 3. Mitchell W B and Smith F W, Op. Cit. 31. Little P, Op. Cit. 32. Lyons A G, Op. Cit. 33. Ajayi N A and Okunlola A A, Op. Cit. 34. Adomi E E, Op. Cit. 35. Anderson C V, Op. Cit.. Lin C and Yang C C, Op. Cit. 3. Gneezy U and Rustichini A, Op. Cit. 3. Lyons A G, Op. Cit. 39. Caywood C, Penny wise, pound foolish, School Library Journal, 44 (94). 4. Adomi E E, Op. Cit. 41. Anderson C V, Op. Cit. 42. Barber G, Op. Cit. 43. Adomi E E, Op. Cit.