New Lost and Found Procedures

More background information, as well as suggestions for handling problems, regarding the new lost and found 'locked box' at Gerstein library:

Campus wide Lost and Found is a service of Facilities and Services (caretaking) not the Library. The situation here now is no different than if a student lost, or thinks they lost something in a classroom, sports facility, or elsewhere on campus.

With regard to Facilities and Services, they do not have the staffing to allow daily trips to the Library, nor can they be expected to make a special trip every time someone calls. 

Consequently, staff needs to be careful about managing expectations regarding the service.  If someone approaches you saying they “may have lost something in the Library” please respond with  “no matter where on campus you lost “x” it will end up at the Lost and Found office on McCall Street”. We do not have access to the box but whatever is in it is taken to the McCall Street address once a week.  

If on the other hand they say “I discovered when I went out to my car that I left my keys at a carrel and someone sitting nearby said they put them in the lost and found box”, it would be worth calling to see if the supervisor can come up to open the box.  It should be understood, however, that if the supervisor is not in, if it is outside the hours they are available or that they just can’t manage it, that there is no recourse but to wait until the contents of the box reach McCall Street.  The number to contact is 416-978-6252 at all times for Lost and Found.

It has also been pointed out that on the Lost and Found website (http://www.fs.utoronto.ca/caretaking/lost.htm)  people are told they can check the lost and found office in the building.  This may be true of a number of buildings on campus but is not true of ours as we do not have such an office here.

One exception to all of the above is with regard to TCards.  TCards are actually the property of the TCard office and any cards handed in will continue to be sent to the TCard office as in the past.

Feb. 13, 2013

Gerstein Lost and Found Procedures

This is a copy of the procedures sent out by Renata on January 22, 2013.

Gerstein Lost and Found Procedures

Date: January 21, 2013

1.0       Policy

This policy is to ensure unclaimed materials found in the University of Toronto Library (UTL) are handled securely and accountably according to University’s Facilities and Service’s Caretaking protocol on Lost and Found.

2.0              Purpose

2.1              To declare that UTL is not at all responsible nor liable for any lost materials in its

            libraries.

2.2              The sole responsibility for processing lost and found materials is with  Caretaking,

            Facilities and Services.

2.3           The Library and its staff will endeavor to assist library patrons in finding their lost

           materials by directing them accordingly.

To this end, the following procedure is established outlining the responsibilities of each party involved:

3.0       Procedures

3.1       Library Staff

3.1.1    When a patron attempts to hand in a found article in the library, the library staff

will immediately instruct the bearer to deposit the article in the lost and found box by the Loan Services Desk.

3.1.2    Articles will be removed from the box on Fridays only. Articles in each case will only be available for pick-up at the Lost & Found Office after 2:00 pm on the day of pick-up, or later.

3.1.3    Library staff will direct claimants of lost item(s) to call the University’s

Caretaking, Lost and Found Office at 416-978-6252 or

direct them to 256 McCaul St. - 3rd Floor - ring the "Lost & Found" buzzer.

McCaul St runs south from College St. East of King's College Rd.

3.1.4    If a patron claims a lost wallet, passport, or any governmental issued photoID, i.e. driver’s license, health card, citizen’s card, instruct the patron to call Campus

Police at 416-978-2323.

Exception:      All TCards found and returned to the library are handled internally.

Library staff must take these cards and follow their library protocol for ensuring they are immediately returned to the TCard Office.

3.1.5    Oversized articles will be placed adjacent to or atop the Lost and Found box.

3.1.6    Articles that are abruptly left at any service desk must be immediately placed in or

            on the Lost and Found box.

3.1.7    Library staff must avoid handling or taking possession of any found articles.

3.2       Caretaking

3.2.1    Caretaking Services are responsible for the collection and disposal of Lost &

Found articles from all buildings on the St. George Campus.

3.2.3    The Caretaking’s Lost and Found website provides the following instructions on

how a claimant may find their belongings;

a)         Clothing, books, binders, umbrellas:

- check by the Lost and Found box (applies only to Robarts and Gerstein

  Libraries)

- check at the caretaker's office in the building where the article was lost      

- if the article is not there, check with the main Caretaking Service Office.

b)         Cell phones, wallets, computers, bicycles, jewelry:

- check with the main Caretaking Service Office or Campus Police.

3.3.      Campus Police

3.3.1    At their discretion, Campus Police may attempt to retrieve lost articles from the

Lost and Found box for a claimant should the lost article be a government issued

photoID.

3.3.2    Campus Police may contact a Caretaking supervisor to assist with finding and retrieving the lost article from the Lost and Found box in the library.

3.4       Library Patrol

3.4.1    As with Library staff, a Library Patrol will direct claimants of lost item(s) to call

the University’s Caretaking, Lost and Found Office at 416-978-6252 or

direct them to 256 McCaul St. - 3rd Floor - ring the "Lost & Found" buzzer.

McCaul St runs south from College St. East of King's College Rd.

3.4.2   If a patron claims a lost wallet, passport, or any governmental issued photoID, i.e., driver’s license, health card, citizenship card, instruct the patron to call Campus Police at 416-978-2323.

3.4.3    Given the opportunity, a Library Patrol will extend this service to a claimant by making the appropriate phone calls to either Caretaking or Campus Police.