Do you have any long overdue library items . . . that is, anything you borrowed from the Saugus Public Library that is more than 42 days overdue? Our usual policy is to block (suspend borrowing privileges) for any patron with long overdue items on their account.

However, back in March, 2020, during the early days of the pandemic, when we were not open to the public and not accepting returns (and later, when we were quarantining returned items), we instituted a temporary policy which relaxed this rule. This temporary policy also unblocked borrowers who had been blocked prior to the pandemic.

Starting the week of October 4th, we will resume our old policy and patrons who had been blocked before the pandemic will be sent a reminder bill, with blocks reinstated two weeks later. Patrons whose items became long overdue during the pandemic will be sent an overdue reminder and then blocked and billed two weeks later. This will be done incrementally depending on the date when the item(s) became long overdue. This process will occur over an 11-week period:

Group 1 – Bill items due between February 2020 – June 2020
Group 2 – Bill items due in July 2020
Group 3 – Bill items due in August 2020
Group 4 – Bill items due in September 2020
Group 5 – Bill items due in October 2020 through December 2020
Group 6 – Bill items due in January 2021 through March 2021
Group 7 – Bill items due in April 2021 through June 2021
Group 8 – Bill items due in July 2021
Group 9 – Bill items due in August 2021
Group 10 – Bill items due in September 2021
Group 11 – Bill items due in October 2021 through November 19, 2021

There are currently about 700 items items out on loan from this library that are long overdue. If any of these items are in your possession, now is the time to return them as we will soon be reinstating that rule. As a result, if you still have any library books, DVDs, etc. that are long overdue, you may soon find that you are “blocked” from borrowing any more items.

If you have a long overdue item in your possession, please return it to us. If you are unable to find the long overdue item, please contact us at 781-231-4168 ext. 3102. Don’t lose your borrowing privileges!