FAQ on Automatic Payroll Deduction

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The following questions were compiled from e-mail messages received from faculty and staff about the payroll deduction policy.

1. Why was it necessary to implement payroll deduction? How much money do faculty and staff owe? How much is owed for uncollected fees for replacement of lost items?

We anticipate that payroll deductions for missing materials will be rare because there are other avenues that can be used to avoid ever reaching that point. However, because of our concern about the number of materials unaccounted for by faculty and staff borrowers, and the fact that over the past several years the Libraries have carried several hundred thousand dollars in accounts receivable, we needed a means for retrieving the materials or being compensated for their loss. Payroll deduction was recommended as the means to collect long-term outstanding fees and to prevent our accounts receivables from growing again to such a large amount. University auditors have repeatedly told us that we need to address this issue.

Our primary responsibility to the students, faculty, and staff of the University is to ensure the security and accessibility of our collections. We like to have the materials returned promptly so they can continue to circulate freely. Otherwise, access to research information by faculty and students is compromised and in many cases, materials out of print can no longer be replaced.

To collect outstanding fees and fines from faculty and staff who refuse to respond to bills, payroll deduction was chosen as the most efficient way to manage our accounts receivables. Delinquent fines are collected from students through automatic deductions from their Bursar’s accounts. For faculty and staff, we considered two other alternatives: 1) turn the delinquent accounts over to a collection agency, which has always been an option at Penn State, or 2) prosecute as a summary charge through a district magistrate under Pennsylvania State law (18 PaCSA 6708). Our preference was to keep this within the University, and the faculty also indicated that they prefer this choice.

Our standard policy is to send bills to patrons who owe us fines or fees. We will continue to do this. Approximately 20% of the outstanding fees are owed by faculty and staff. The overwhelming majority of faculty and staff will never have to worry about payroll deduction policy because they are good citizens who take care of their bills. However, some faculty run up accounts in the thousands of dollars, usually because they refuse to return a large number of books for a long period of time.

2. Why do I have to accept this policy if I’m already registered with the Libraries? If a change in policy has occurred, why not just make it?

Since it is a policy being applied to all borrowers, present as well as future, and it involves a possible deduction from salary, the University requires us to obtain consent from currently registered borrowers. Future registrants with the Libraries will automatically agree to payroll deduction upon agreeing to the Libraries’ Lending Policy when they begin their employment with Penn State, or when they register as a borrower for the first time.

3. Was there faculty input into this policy?

Yes. The concept was proposed in 1998, at which time it was discussed by the Faculty Senate Library Committee and presented to the full Faculty Senate as a forensic. Following the discussion at the forensic, the Faculty Senate Library Committee endorsed the policy. Once again at its February 2003 meeting, the University Faculty Senate discussed and endorsed a revised policy, proposed by the 2002-2003 Faculty Senate Library Committee, recommending to the president that it be implemented. Dr. Spanier agreed to the policy on March 31, 2003.

4. How long must a book be overdue before it is declared by the Libraries to be lost?

Overdue books are declared lost 30 days after their due date. Payroll deduction does not occur for another five months, during which time the borrower will have received at least five notices. We generally do not charge overdue fees; we simply bill for the replacement cost of the book plus processing fees at this stage.

5. How do I check my library account to see if I have any overdue books?

To check on the current status of your library account, select "My Library Account" from the options in the gray area at the top of the Libraries home page: www.lias.psu.edu/scripts/patroninfo.exe. Follow the prompts to view your list of books and materials checked out, and any outstanding fines that you may have. You will also be presented with an opportunity to send questions about your account directly to the circulation staff.

6. Is there a maximum amount that can be deducted at any one time?

Yes, the maximum amount that can be payroll deducted for fees at any one time is $200.00, regardless of the size of the debt.

7. How will money be collected from non-University personnel (or from retired faculty who no longer receive a paycheck) who have overdue fees or materials?

They will also be billed. We likely will use a collection agency for severely delinquent borrowers.

8. How will disputed charges be handled? What happens if the "loss" of the book is the Libraries’ fault?

The first step in a disputed charge is to discuss it immediately with your library’s lending services at University Park or your campus. If a satisfactory resolution does not result, the borrower can address his or her complaint to the library’s appeals committee. All campuses have a circulation appeals review committee made up of faculty, staff, and student peers. Appeals are reviewed on a regular and timely basis.

If we make an error, the fee will be cancelled. However, it is very important that people respond to bills, including those they feel are incorrect, as soon as possible so that any issues can be properly resolved in a timely manner. All billing procedures will be placed on hold once an appeal has begun and until the appeal is resolved. Nevertheless, since the payroll deduction process is automated, failure to take immediate action could result in a payroll deduction being completed before it can be postponed by appeal. In that case, it cannot be reversed.

9. Is the Library using a secure server to register acceptance of the policy?

We use a secure server for authentication so the user ID and password are transferred to the authentication program encrypted. After the authentication process completes, and the access ID and password have been processed, the user will see a message that they are transferring to an unsecured server. We DO pass the user's ID to the unsecured server, but we DO NOT transfer the password. We do everything that we can do to protect the user's ID and password.

10. Is there any danger that my acceptance of this policy will open up access to information about my salary?

No. The authentication process is handled outside of the Libraries. We do not have access to your salary information or to your passwords.

11. Problem! Why won’t the system accept my Access Account number?

There could be a variety of reasons. Here are a few hints that might help you.

1. Only registered library users can enter their access account into the system. It will not accept Access Accounts from users not registered with the University Libraries.
2. Make sure that you use your User ID, not your e-mail address. For example, you would use xxx2, not xxx2@psu.edu.
3. Don’t use your e-mail alias. Again, you would use xxx2 instead of your alias, such as johndoe (johndoe@psu.edu).
4. Access accounts and passwords are case-sensitive. Use lower case.
5. You might need to change your password. You can do this online by going to the Accounts page at https://www.work.psu.edu/. Remember that your new password must be alphanumeric.
6. If you’ve been on extended leave or haven’t used your Access Account for a long time, it’s possible that your Access Account password has expired. You should be able to get more detailed information from the Consultation Desks at the Center for Academic Computing (3-2494, 3-1035, accounts@psu.edu.)
7. In most cases, your Access Account is the same User ID and password that you use to access the University’s e-mail system.
8. Forget your Access Account? Stop by a circulation service desk and a staff member will help you authenticate using your last name and social security number.

12. What are the "additional fees" that are mentioned in the Lending Services Code?

This statement was added at the request of University Payroll because they want to reserve the right to charge a fee for the payroll deduction process in the future.

13. Why isn’t there any way to opt out of the automatic deduction, other than to give up borrowing privileges?

It’s a policy that applies equitably to everyone. It’s somewhat analogous to agreeing to pay a parking fee. For example, in order to maintain the privilege of parking, University Park faculty and staff had to initial a statement agreeing to have parking fees deducted from their paychecks. Also, faculty and staff who accept University Purchasing cards agreed to payroll deduction for certain infringements of the usage policy.

Suspension of borrowing privileges (including interlibrary loan) for overdue materials has always been a policy that everyone agrees to when first registering with the Libraries as a borrower. Beyond this, we do not deny access to any Libraries information resources, including access to our online databases and use of books and other materials in the Libraries.

14. What steps do the Libraries take to ensure that faculty and staff are properly credited when they return materials that have been charged out to them? How do the Libraries check for lost books?

There are several checks and balances to ensure that patrons are not charged for returned materials. Once you return an item to any Penn State University Libraries location it is discharged from your record and routed to its home library location. Check your personal account online (as described in item #5 above) to ensure that books have been properly discharged. If you return a book at a service desk you may request a receipt as well.

If you receive a notice or a bill that you believe to be in error, please notify the circulation staff immediately. You can submit a "claims returned" form if you remember returning the book and believe that we are billing you by mistake. We make every attempt to prevent patrons from being charged with overdue materials incorrectly, but if it happens, we will take steps to verify and correct billing errors.

15. How will new employees "accept" this policy?

New employees will agree to this policy and others when they start their employment at Penn State.

16. What happens if my account is delinquent for an exceptional circumstance, such as a serious illness or because I’ve been out of the country for an extended period?

Let us know about exceptional circumstances as soon as possible. We manage circulation by using a computerized system, which will automatically generate fees if we do not intervene. If you plan to take a trip or leave the country, you should return your materials before you leave, or supply a temporary address where you can be reached. Fines will accrue while you are gone, and of course, there is a chance that someone else will need those materials while you are away.

 

The Pennsylvania State University ©2003
Last updated 1/10/06
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