Lost and Found Property

1. POLICY
   Reasonable efforts will be made to identify and find owners of items lost or abandoned on Library property. The following procedures will be followed to collect, record, and process items deemed as lost and found on Library property.
2. PROCEDURES  
   1.  Items lost and found on Library property will be held at the finding location for a period of approximately thirty (30) days unless the item poses a health hazard, in which case it will be discarded immediately.
      1. Clothing and food storage items, such as reusable beverage containers or lunch boxes, will be discarded at the close of business. Clothing and food storage items should be left where abandoned by a patron unless the placement interferes with business. If this occurs, the items should be moved to another area in the public space until discarded at the close of business.
      2. A log should be kept for all items that will be held at the location.
      3.  An incident report should be written to document any found items valued at $50 or more that will be stored at the location.
   2. After thirty (30) days, items valued under $50 will be discarded. When discarding items, an incident report must be created and explicitly list each discarded item. After thirty (30) days, items valued at $50 or more will be sent to Safety and Protective Services.
   3. Found items of the estimated monetary value of $50 or more, or important documents (i.e. birth certificates, driver’s licenses, etc.), will be retained for an additional period of ninety (90) days by Safety and Protective Services. Such items will be turned over to and held by the Safety and Protective Services Department.
   4. When transferring items to Safety and Protective Services, Branch Managers should complete the following steps:
      1. Contact the Safety and Protective Services Assistant before sending valuables through interoffice mail.
      2. Valuable items should be secured in an interoffice envelope along with an additional incident report describing the items and their transfer date to Safety and Protective Services.
      3. Upon receipt, the Safety and Protective Services Assistant will email the Branch Manager to acknowledge receipt of the item(s).
      4. Property and the incident report will be secured in the Lost and Found cabinet in Safety and Protective Services. Any cash sent to Safety and Protective Services will be turned into Finance. Finance will issue a receipt, which will be held with the incident report in the Lost and Found cabinet.
      5. If items are not claimed within the ninety (90) day period, physical items will be discarded, all cash will be donated to Dayton Metro Library, and important documents will be destroyed.
   5. If the owner is identified, the property may be released to, and signed for, by the owner.

(Policy PS307 - Last reviewed/revised November 5, 2024)