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Lost Items and Exceptions
We only apply charges for lost items - known as replacement charges.
If an item is requested by another user and not returned by the new due date, or if you do not return items after graduation or leaving the University, they may be considered lost. To avoid charges, if you have the item, please bring them back as a priority. If you no longer have the item or are not able to return it, please contact us.
When do we mark items as lost?
An item is marked as lost when:
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If an item has been through no fault of your own, please get in contact with us as exceptions (see below) apply.
When an item is requested by another user, you will get an email from us called It’s time to return a Library item. This will provide you with a new due date for your item. In most cases you’ll have 7 days to return an item; if there is more than one request on the item, you’ll have 5 days to return the item. If items are not returned by the new due date, they’ll be overdue and considered lost after 2 days. At this point, you may be liable for charges if we decide we have to replace an item (see our Charges and FAQs here).
If you are graduating or leaving the University, or your external membership is expiring, please bring you books back before your leaving date to avoid any charges.
If an item you believe you have already returned has not been found by Library staff after a thorough set of searches, or by yourself after 7 days, we will mark the item as Lost.
We will be in touch about the next steps which may include a Replacement Charge for the Lost Item.
See below for full information on our Claimed Returned process.
When we mark an item as lost, we will apply a Replacement charge to your account of £50 and consider the item to be lost if it is not returned promptly. Please do not do anything with this charge, as we will be in touch with you if we decide that we have to replace the item.
Exceptions policy
We have an exceptions policy which is designed to take account of specific circumstances and charges will normally be waived in line with the circumstances described below.
If you are unable to return a recalled item due to illness, we can waive any charges when you are well enough to return it.
If you are unable to return items due to a long-term illness or condition, please let us know and we can discuss waiving charges and other ways we can support your use of the Library.
If you are unable to return an item due to the loss of a close friend or family member, we can waive charges when you feel you are able to return it or discuss other ways we can support your use of the Library.
We understand that sometimes there are things that are out of your control that can lead to late returns or losing items.
Instances include but are not limited to; residence fire or ingress water, eviction, fleeing residence due to family or personal circumstances.
If you have lost an item or cannot return a recalled item due to exceptional personal circumstances, please contact us and we can discuss waivers and other ways we can support your use of the Library.
Instances may include but are not limited to theft or forgery.
We may require evidence of a crime number if the charges are substantial.
If you have attempted to return an item via post, and the courier subsequently loses the item, we will waive the charge attached to that item.
In these circumstances, we require proof of postage in the form of a tracking receipt.
Records will be maintained of waivers applied in these circumstances and we may contact users who repeatedly use these exceptions in order to understand how we might support them going forward.
We encourage you to check your emails as we regularly send out reminders for items on loan and lost items. If you think you are not receiving our communications or are having trouble viewing your online account, please get in touch.
We advise that Library items should not be taken out of the UK and encourage you to make arrangements before travelling. Our Postal Loans service allows you to return your books from anywhere in the world and we will pay the cost of postage.
Circumstances not normally accepted
Email and internet issues
We encourage you to check your emails and Library Account often and we regularly send out reminders for items on loan and lost items. If you think you are not receiving our communications or are having trouble viewing your online account, please get in touch.
Because of this, we do not usually allow exceptions in these circumstances:
- Forgetting to check emails and Library Account
- Email reminders not received, where the Library has a record of reminders sent
- Temporary loss of internet access
Away from campus
We advise that Library items should not be taken out of the UK and encourage you to make arrangements before travelling. If you are not in York, and are not able to travel to campus before the due date of recalled items, we also accept returns by post. Please note that to use this method of return, you will need to be able to cover any costs related to the postage.
If you do choose to return an item to us by post, please see our instructions on how to do so and also some tips on how to post cost-effectively.
Any Flexible Loan item can be requested by someone else at any time, so please be prepared to return items so that others can use them.
Because of this, we do not usually allow exceptions in these circumstances:
- Away from campus at a conference or on placement
- Living at a distance
- Going on holiday
- International students at home during vacations
Requiring the item for an assessment, class, task or assignment
Our flexible loans and request system works on the basis of demand. As part of our Library Community, users agree to respond to and action requests to return items and all users have an equal entitlement to request an item that is on loan. We encourage you to check your emails regularly and return items by their new due date.
If you require an item back, you can re-request it once it is returned - this will prompt another user to bring back a copy and may alert us that the item is in high demand when we need to make purchasing decisions for more stock.
Claimed Returned process
If an item is still appearing on your account that you think you have already returned, you must let us know as soon as possible. We will then search for the item at all possible locations for up to 7 days. During this time, we also ask that you complete a thorough search for the item too.
To help us potentially locate the item, please let us know the title, when you believe you returned it, if you returned it by post (please obtain proof of postage receipts), and what location you believe you returned it at.
If the item has not been found after the 7-day search, we will mark the item as Lost and you may be liable to pay a Replacement Charge if we need to purchase another copy.
If you have received a Lost Item notification email or Replacement Charge notification email from us regarding an item you believe you have already returned, please contact us as soon as possible and we will follow the same process as outlined above. We will also pause any purchasing decisions until after the 7-day search period has ended.
Please note that if you have returned an item via post, it may be that we have yet to recieve the item and that is why it has been marked as Lost. For this reason, we advise that you retain proof of postage.