Some WALS libraries use the services of Unique Management Services, Inc. (UMS) to do followup with library users who have checked out and not returned material.  The user is referred to the collection agency when the item is 45 days overdue and the amount owed is $25.00 or more.  An additional referral bill of $10 or $15 is created on the user record at that time, depending on the library doing the referral. This additional bill is to cover the $8.95 fee that UMS charges the library for each referral.

A series of reports is used to send user information to the company.  The company does not get a list of what the user has checked out.  UMS uses letters and phone calls to contact users.  The users are told to contact the library to clean up the situation.

If the user does not return material or pay money owed, he/she is NOT referred to a credit reporting firm--but UMS continues to try and collect the money.  Children are reported to Unique Management, but letters are sent to "The parents of".

Not all User Profiles are included in the reports that send information to Unique Management.  The Profiles of Deposit, Homebound, ILL, and Teacher are not sent.

Libraries using UMS for collection agency services:

• Berlin -- $10.00 Referral fee
• Coloma --$10.00 Referral fee
• Menasha --NO Referral fee
• Montello --$10.00 Referral fee
• Neenah --$10.00 Referral fee
• North Fond du Lac --$10.00 Referral fee
• Oshkosh --$15.00 Referral fee
• Ripon --$15.00 Referral fee
• Westfield --$10.00 Referral fee
• Winneconne --$10.00 Referral fee

Note to ILS staff: To ensure that the Referral Fee is attributed to the correct library, you must be logged in as each individual library when scheduling these reports to run.