Guelph student owed $6,600 in library fines

The latest data from Wilfrid Laurier University, the University of Waterloo and the University of Guelph show students collectively owe hundreds of thousands of dollars in library fines, with one Guelph student racking up more than $6,600 in penalties single-handedly.

The numbers were released by the schools after a request made by CBC News.

The University of Waterloo said 5,600 students have incurred a total of about $72,000 in fines in the past 12 months and in the past year, the school has collected about $43,000 dollars on those fines.

Despite the seemingly large figure, the school said unpaid library fines will not prevent students from receiving their degrees or diplomas this year, as has been the school's policy for many years.

Laurier students could collectively owe $50K

It's estimated students at Wilfrid Laurier University have tallied more than $50,000 in late book fees this year, according to the school's chief spokesman, Kevin Crowley.

However, the total amount of library fines students owed to the school so far this year wasn't available due to the fact "the library doesn't normally compute fine totals on a Sept-April basis, and trying to do so is presenting some sort of computer challenge," Crowley wrote in an e-mail to CBC News.

While information on what students owe wasn't available, Laurier does keep a running tally on how much it has collected from late book fees, which stands at $43,954.22 so far this year.

Laurier has also forgiven students for a number of library fines, collectively worth $13,397.55.

Every year, the school also runs a "Food for Fines" amnesty program leading up to the Christmas holidays, where students will be absolved of two dollars in library fines for every food item they donate up to a maximum of $10 per person.

Laurier said it notifies all students who have unpaid late fees on their books well in advance of graduation and advises them they must pay their fines in order to receive their diplomas, however the school is not aware of any students in that position for the current school year.

Since 1996, only 211 Laurier students have yet to pay their fines, and they owe on average $162, according to the school.

Guelph students likely owe the most

Officials with the University of Guelph say figures on library fines haven't been collected this year, but last year students racked up more than $90,550.89 in late fees, with one student owing $6,626 for 62 lost books.

"What likely happened in this case is that the student likely signed out the 62 books at one time and the student neglected to return them," University of Guelph Deputy Chief Librarian Catherine Steeves said Tuesday.

The student eventually found the books and returned them and the fine was reduced to $930, according to Steeves.

"It is still a lot of money, but this is an individual who had 62 books out over a long amount of time, preventing other people from accessing them," she said.

Steeves said while the University of Guelph doesn't run an amnesty program, all of the fines go to a good cause.

"All of the fines that we retrieve are transferred out of the library to Student Financial Services and they fund student bursaries and scholarships, so they actually go back to support access to higher education for students," she said.

The University of Guelph said it has contacted 103 students who owe more than $30 in late library fees this year, but couldn't say how many students wouldn't be getting their diplomas, though according to the school, "the vast majority of them" are resolved before graduation.