As of last month, a total of $72,000 in overdue fines is owed to libraries in the Columbus-Lowndes County Library System, according to Christy Burks, a library system staff member.

And the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library has recruited the help of a collection agency to encourage customers with overdue materials to return them to the library.

"The library will pass the cost of this service on to each customer whose account will be handled by the collection agency," said Columbus-Lowndes Public Library Director Alice Shands.

The new policy went into effect last week at the main branch of the library in Columbus, as well as public libraries in Artesia, Crawford and Caledonia.

Due to a lack of significant funding for the library, Shands said using the collection agency is the way to go.

"We do not have the money in our budget to buy new books and other materials. We are not the only library system experiencing funding problems," she said.

The library is funded jointly by the city of Columbus, Lowndes County and the state of Mississippi.

Patrons at the library Monday were glad to see the library take stronger moves toward collecting fines and overdue materials.

"It is great to see the community use these (library) services. There needs to be a program in place to take care of overdue fines, and I am glad they are doing something," said Dellroy Whitaker of Columbus.

"I think they need to take an aggressive approach to getting overdue materials," added George Johnson, who also said the library is a valuable asset to the community.

The library still will notify customers if their materials are overdue, and customers will have within a two- to four-week period to respond prior to being turned over to Unique Management Services. The company works with libraries throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

"They specialize in the recovery of overdue materials and have an excellent record of treating customers professionally," Shands said, noting she heard about the agency from another library director in the state.

"The library in Clarksdale has been using this company for years, and they have gotten good results," she said.

Most library items may be renewed in person by bringing the item with their library card to the circulation desk; many checked out items also may be renewed online and by telephone. Additionally, book depositories for returning materials when the library is closed are conveniently located at the front of the library.

Shands said library workers plan to contact patrons through various means, including e-mail.

"We are serious about getting our books and materials back. We want to clear people's records," she said.