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Posted: Wednesday, 26 December 2007 12:08PM

Haven't Paid Library Fines - You Better Pay Up

CHICAGO (WBBM) -- If you haven't paid off your library fines or have a book or DVD that needs to be returned, you may want to listen up.

WBBM Jennifer O'Neill reports.

More than two dozen area library systems are now using an Indiana-based collection agency to round-up late fines and missing materials, and for some patrons - it could hurt their credit.

Some of the local libraries that use Unique Management Services include Arlington Heights, Elmhurst, Niles and Oak Park.

Spokesman Kenes (key-nes) Bowling says they usually only go after patrons who have racked up a balance of 25- dollars or more - and only after the library has made attempts to recover their losses.

He says they don't report a patron to a credit agency until they've tried to contact them for about four months, and once the person pays up - he says there's virtually zero impact on their credit.

An unpaid library obligation on a person's credit report will prevent that person from securing credit because it's an open account, but Bowling says the balances are usually small and should have little to no bearing on their credit.

He says for virtually every library nationwide there's only a very small percentage of people who are non-compliant.

He says most libraries who use their services recover about half of their annual losses.

According to a spokesman at Unique Management Services, here's a list of at least some of the local cities and towns who's libraries use their services:

Algonquin Area Public Library District

Arlington Heights Memorial Library

Asher Library of The Spertus Institute of Jewish

Aurora Public Library

Barrington Area Library

Berwyn Public Library

Bloomingdale Public Library

Bradford/Anderson/Oglesby Public Library

Carol Stream Public Library

Cary Area Public Library District

CCS (Cooperative Computer Services)

Central Citizens Library District

Champaign Public Library

Chicago Ridge Public Library

Chillicothe Public Library District

Cook Memorial Public Library District

Crestwood Public Library District

Crete Public Library District

Crystal Lake Public Library

Decatur Public Library

DeKalb Public Library

Des Plaines Valley Public Library District-Crest Hill

Des Plaines Valley Public Library District-Lockport

Dupage Library System

Elk Grove Village Public Library

Elmhurst Public Library

Evanston Public Library

Fremont Public Library District

Gail Borden Public Library District

Galesburg Public Library

Geneva Public Library District

Glenview Public Library

Glenwood-Lynwood Public Library District

Green Hills Public Library District

Harvard Diggins Public Library

Homewood Public Library District

Huntley Area Public Library District

Indian Prairie Public Library District

Johnsburg Public Library District

LINC (Lincoln Trail)

Lincoln Library

Lyons Public Library

Marengo Public Library District

Matteson Public Library

McHenry Public Library District

Metropolitan Library System

Mount Prospect Public Library

Naperville Public Libraries

Niles Public Library District

North Suburban Library District

Oak Park Public Library

Palatine Public Library District

Pekin Public Library

Peoria Public Library

Plano Community Library District

Prairie Trails Public Library District

Quincy Public Library

Rockford Public Library

Rock Island Public Library

Round Lake Area Public Library District

Skokie Public Library

St. Charles Public Library

Sugar Grove Public Library District

The Urbana Free Library

Town & Country Public Library District

Vernon Area Public Library District

Warren-Newport Public Library District

Warrenville Public Library District

Washington District Library

Waukegan Public Library

Woodstock Public Library

Zion-Benton Public Library District

Lake County, Indiana

Michigan City, Indiana

LaPorte County, Indiana

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