News from Charlton, Massachusetts, where police knock on doors when there are overdue library books, prompted us to look into local libraries' policies.  There are lots of strategies to get books and videos back:

Onondaga County's Public Library system uses a collection agency.  They tell us Unique Management Services, which bills itself as a 'gentle nudge' process,  goes into action after fines reach $50. OCPL charges 25-cents a day on overdues, 10 cents for children's items, and once you hit $50 in overdues, you're also banned from using the internet in libraries, or checking out books..   We're told other area libraries use the national collection agency as well, including Rome and Utica.

In Cazenovia, if you're a week overdue (with a day's grace) you get a phone call, then a follow-up phone call, then two letters before being banned from using the library system.  Director Betsy Kennedy  tells us that 'in 32 years, they've called in the police twice to help.  She says the 'ban' threat usually gets people to pay up.

Other members of the Mid-York Library System (Madison, Oneida, Herkimer Counties) set their own policies.  In Chittenango, for example, where they charge 5 cents a day for overdue books, 50 cents for movies, they start 'dire' actions when the bill runs up th $3.

Oswego's library bills overdues at 10cents a day for books, 50cents for DVDs, and if you hit $5 and are six months overdue you get phone email and letter notices.

All the librarians we spoke with were apologetic in telling us their policies, saying they didn't like to ban or take other actions agains 'delinquent' library users, but they point out that they do it, to keep books and other items on the shelves, for all to use.