Leicester’s Ludicrous Library Fines

The University of Leicester has raked in over £175,000 in library fines in the last three years.

A Freedom of Information Request made by The Tab has revealed how much was amassed by the University through the return of overdue books.

While the figures vary from year to year, the average cost to students is £43,825 per annum and can add up to a significant part of the student loan.

The Tab spoke to one student who had racked up over £60 during the Christmas break.

She said: “It’s really silly that students should essentially be punished for doing work during the holidays. If someone recalls a book during the holidays how are you supposed to return it in time if you live quite far away from uni? It would cost a bomb to post books back.”

The current cost of overdue items

With some course texts in such high demand but little quantity in the library, students have made the conscious decision to take the library fine in order to be able to complete their work in time.

One student said: “I’ve had to do it before. I’d rather pay 20p per book to get my essay done than take the penalty for late submission or for not including enough references.”

If in doubt, hoard everything remotely relevant

Tutors on some courses have recognised that there is a problem with the demand for books and assign essays to students taking their modules in a way that means the relevant materials for the assignments should be available and students won’t have to be penalised in either sense.

The breakdown of library fines