iNick20 OP t1_jdunp89 wrote on March 27, 2023 at 9:48 AM

Reply to comment by Eilayth in What to do if Library book is lost? by iNick20

>I don't know how your library prices this. In my experience, they usually charge the loss, based on the value of the book, not straight up charge you for the book of ebay. They might write the book off and not have it anymore, they might be able to get it from other sources (sometimes printing houses keep extra copies, sometimes the company,...)

What do you mean by charge the loss, based on the value?

Eilayth t1_jduo227 wrote on March 27, 2023 at 9:52 AM

Let's say they paid X for the book. They had extra work with it, to prepare it for library use, so that's an upcharge. It was on offer in the library for people to use for X years, so that's a downcharge. Depending on the state it was in, that might also influence its value. And then they have their own calculations (which I don't know) that calculate the fine. Then based on the popularity of the book, the number of copies they have, its importance to the library etc, they may or may not get a replacement.

So you're paying for the book you lost (and how much it was worth to them), not for its replacement. (So for this book you might pay a 200€ fine, not 1500€ for the ebay replacement)

But again, this is VERY library dependant.