Looks Like Irish Students Being Ripped Off By Huge Library Fines
We all know we have to pay an overdue fine if we bring back a book late but it seems as though Irish colleges have been taking full advantage of students this year.
The Union of Students in Ireland has raised concerns after new figures show almost €500,000 is paid by students each year in Ireland's biggest colleges.
Over the last five years, Ireland's nine largest colleges made students pay €2,786,930 in library fines, and that's including Trinity College, Maynooth University, University College Dublin (UCD), Dublin City University, University of Limerick, University College Cork, NUI Galway, Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) and Waterford Institute of Technology.
Students at Trinity College were the worst off, with €112,111 paid to the university each year.
USI President Annie Hoey told the Herald there should be a cap on fines across the board for college libraries and transparency about the use of funds.
"Library fines as an overall concept are nothing new - you get fines from your local library," Ms Hoey said.
"What we would be concerned about is when a fine moves from being reprimanding for late books and it turns into a substantial cost, which puts a student at a severe disadvantage.
"If it becomes quite apparent that library fines are being simply used as a money-making mechanism, obviously we would have concerns about that.
"I haven't looked at all of them and how much each of them charges and what their different breakdowns are," she added.
The worst part is that if you think you can skip out on paying your fees before you leave college, think again. Colleges around the country will stop you graduating unless you pay. Here's hoping the fees can be reduced.