Unique Bags Another Library Collection Contract

The Sara Hightower Regional Library system, which serves Floyd and Polk counties in northern Georgia, will start using an outside collection agency to collect fines from patrons who owe more than $25 beginning on July 1.

The library chose to go to an outside agency as outstanding fines exceeded $200,000 and as auditors started insisting that libraries throughout the state make more of an effort to collect on delinquent accounts, according to Susan Cooley, Sara Hightower Regional Library director.

“We had been going to people’s homes [to attempt to make collection], but that isn’t very safe,” Cooley said.

The library chose Unique Management Services, Jeffersonville, Ind., because several other Georgia libraries are benefiting from the firm’s services and the library had a good previous business relationship with the firm, Cooley said.

Unique works with more than 850 libraries throughout the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom, according to its Web site.

The library system had used Unique Management in the early 1990s, but the transient nature of the local population made it difficult to track down delinquent patrons, so the outside collection efforts weren’t very successful, Cooley explained. More success is expected now due to the presence of the Internet, Cooley said. However, she didn’t have any projection for expected recoveries.

An additional $10 fee will be charged to a patron’s balance, which will go to Unique Management.

Patrons can expect a statement in the mail and phone calls. The library will still send patrons notification and inform them of overdue charges and collect charges from fines.