first steps

After a very exciting meeting today, I have a basic outline of the first steps I am in a position to explore regarding the overdue issue.
I have been examining our overdue notice procedures- currently we send 3 notices. The first is sent a couple of days after items become overdue, however people have come to rely on this as their reminder to return the items since there is two weeks leeway before a fine is added to their record.
The second letter informs them that this fine has gone out and is sent 14 days after due date.
The third notice at 30 days overdue informs borrowers that the item is considered lost and they are up for replacement costs of the item.
I am first looking to bring this down to 2 notices, eliminating the third notice and providing this information in the second letter. I look to at least move the first notice to be sent BEFORE the due date or eliminate it altogether and instill a culture of responsibility in our borrowers where they can keep track of their own loaned items.
I'm yet to work out the details of the education campaign but think it will be a fun exercise.

We are also looking at changes to membership conditions, particularly proof of address steps to prevent large amounts of items being borrowed and never being traceable again. We also want to make sure that new borrowers are made aware of library charges and their responsibilities as a borrower.

Lastly for now, I'm looking to talk to circ staff and get their opinions on how they see the issue, how they deal with customers who are concerned about their overdues, etc. A lot of our branches are run very differently to each other, which can be a very good thing, but it has already caused some issues with consistency in customer relations and guarantee of service. The staff seem to be aware of this themselves and often bring it up when changes are proposed.