Borrowing rules and Rules of use of Oulu University Library

Borrowing

• Loan periods are 14-28 days.
• Reference library material is available for overnight and weekend loan.
• Material in the rare books collection is only available for reading room use.
• Publications in the legal deposit archive are available for reading room use in the Pegasus Library.
• Staff of both the University of Oulu, Oulu University of Applied Sciences and other organizations that have a service agreement with Oulu University Library are able to borrow publications in the legal deposit archive for office use.

• Other library users than the students and staff of the University of Oulu and Oulu University of Applied Sciences may have a maximum of 100 items on loan at any given time from Oulu University Library and 25 concurrent interlibrary loans.

Renewal of loans

• Loans can be renewed if there are no pending requests for the publications and the library user’s borrowing rights are not suspended. Borrowers may be charged late fees for loans renewed after their due date.
• For some collections the number of renewals for each item is limited.
• It is the responsibility of the borrower to renew her loans in time. If the self-service renewal on the library website does not function, the loans must be renewed in some other way.

Placing a request

• Library users can place hold requests for items that are on loan and on-shelf requests for items not on loan.
• Requested items will be held in the library until the date given in the hold availability notice. Library users will receive an e-mail notification when an item they have requested is available for pickup in the library.
• Library users can place hold requests and on-shelf requests themselves via the Oula-Finna service, by email, in all the libraries or by phone.

Returns

• Loans must be returned to one of the library units of Oulu University Library by their due date at the latest. On the due date the items must be returned to the library during the opening hours. In addition to the above, more detailed instructions may apply for different collections in different libraries.

Advance notification of approaching due date

• Borrowers are reminded of an approaching due date by an email sent to their address in the library system three days before the due date. The email addresses of the staff of the University of Oulu and Oulu University of Applied Sciences are updated from the respective human resources information systems. Students and other library users must themselves provide their email address to the library.
• The email notification does not exempt the borrower from the responsibility to renew or return her loans in time.
• On the day after the due date borrowers are sent an email request to return the items.
• The library does not send notifications to library users by mail.

Late fees and suspension of borrowing rights

• The library charges late fees for overdue course textbook loans, 1 € / item / day, max. 10 € / item.
• Overdue items borrowed from the reference collection will incur a late fee of 1 € / item / hour after the due time, max. 10 € / item.
• A library user’s borrowing rights will be suspended 14 days after the due date of an unreturned item or if she has accumulated 20 € or more in late fees.
• The maximum late fee is 50 € / each time items are returned.
• If a borrower fails to return her loans, on the 38th day after the due date she will be billed for the unreturned items. The bill consists of the price of the unreturned items, minimum 60 € / publication. 25 € in unpaid handling expenses will be added to the borrower’s library account. If the borrower returns an item after she has been billed for it, the above handling expenses will nevertheless be charged.
• No compensation is due for items returned after the bill has been paid.
• If the borrower returns an item after she has been billed for it, but the bill has not yet been paid, the above handling expenses will nevertheless be charged.

Lost or damaged publications

• The borrower can compensate for a lost or damaged item by purchasing a new copy for the library or by paying the price of the item (minimum 60 €).

Updated 15.3.2022

RULES OF USE OF OULU UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

1. General information

Oulu University Library is a scientific library which is open to all public and which provides the library and information services required for research, teaching and studying to both the University of Oulu and Oulu University of Applied Sciences, as well as to their contracting parties.

2. Access rights

All library users are entitled to use the library’s information resources, facilities and equipment, with the exception of the Oulainen Learning Centre, which only serves the students and staff of Oulu University of Applied Sciences. However, there may be restrictions on the borrowing of library material, remote access to electronic resources and use of computers. Some of the facilities are reserved for the sole use of the students and staff of the University of Oulu and Oulu University of Applied Sciences. Library users must observe these rules of use and other instructions issued by the library. Library users who fail to observe the rules may lose their borrowing rights or other access rights either temporarily or permanently. Restrictions and prohibitions regarding access rights are decided upon by the Director of Libraries. 

3. Opening hours 

Opening hours and changes to them are announced at library service points and on the library website. Opening hours are decided upon by the library’s executive team and temporary closure of library premises by the director of libraries.

4. Borrowing and library card

All library material that is taken out of the library or to the designated storage areas in the library must always be checked out. Library users need a library card for borrowing, renewing and reserving printed items. Students and staff of the University of Oulu and Oulu University of Applied Sciences get a library card through the Tuudo mobile application. Other library users get a library card in the library by presenting photo identification.  Library users under 15 years of age must also provide a letter of commitment undersigned by their legal guardian.

The individual library user records always include the library user’s Finnish personal identity code in its entirety (Personal Data Act 523/99, Section 13 and the Publicity and Data Management instructions of the University of Oulu). The data protection notice is available for viewing on the library website. Library card holders are responsible for notifying the library of any changes to their contact information.

Staff contact information is updated in the library’s user register directly from the human resources information systems of the University of Oulu and Oulu University of Applied Sciences. Students and other library users must themselves notify the library of any changes to their name or address.

The library card is personal. The card holder is responsible for all material borrowed with her card, and upon accepting the card she agrees to comply with the borrowing rules and rules of use of the library.

5. Information resources

The electronic resources purchased by the library are available for use on workstations in the library, pursuant to the applicable license agreements and copyright law. Staff and students of the University of Oulu and Oulu University of Applied Sciences are also granted remote access to the resources purchased by their respective organizations. All users must adhere to the terms and conditions for the use of electronic resources (https://www.oulu.fi/en/university/library/collections/use-electronic-resources) and  the terms of use for ICT services at the University of Oulu (https://ict.oulu.fi/16762).

In addition to this, pursuant to the Act on the Collection and Preservation of Cultural Material (1433/2007) Oulu University Library is entitled to receive copies of almost all printed publications published in Finland and to have access to domestic electronic publications. The obligation to preserve these materials prescribed by the above act and the Copyright Act (404/1961) limit their use (https://libguides.oulu.fi/legaldeposit).

6. Return of loans

Library users must return the items they have borrowed on the due date at the latest. When borrowed items are returned on their due date, they must be brought to the library during library opening hours. If a library user fails to return or renew her loans by their due date, she must pay a late fee that accumulates on a daily basis.

A patron’s borrowing rights will be suspended 14 days after the due date of an unreturned item or if she has accumulated 20 euros or more in late fees.

For more detailed instructions on borrowing see Borrowing instructions on the library website.

7. Fees

The library charges fees for overdue, unreturned, damaged or lost items. Invoiced items are paid by bill. Unpaid bills are collected through recovery proceedings.

The library user is also liable for fees arising from invalid or erroneous e-mail or other address information in the user register or from interruptions in other than the library’s data connections or information systems.

The fees charged by the library are based on the Universities Act (558/2009), the Act on Criteria for Charges Payable to the State (150/1992) and the related Decree (211/92), the Decree on Fees Collected for Services Produced by Universities (1082/2009) issued by the Council of State, and the Act on the Collection of Receivables (513/1999).

8. Interlibrary loan service

The library’s interlibrary loan service makes available to its users material not found in libraries in the Oulu region. Interlibrary loans can be either material that can be borrowed for home reading or reading room use or copies of the original. The library also sends both original items from its own collections and copies of them as interlibrary loans to other libraries. The interlibrary loan service observes the general instructions agreed upon by interlibrary loan libraries and the instructions of the library owning the material. Interlibrary loans are subject to a fee specified in the service price list. A valid library card issued by Oulu University Library is required to use the interlibrary loan service. Library users whose borrowing privileges have been suspended are not able to use the service. Library service price list: https://www.oulu.fi/en/university/library/library-service-price-list

9. Library facilities and equipment

The library provides to its users reading and working areas, group work areas, quiet reading areas and various storage facilities. The group work rooms and most of the workstations are reserved for use by the staff and students of the University of Oulu and/or Oulu University of Applied Sciences. Users log into the workstations with their university account. Some of the workstations are open to all users. The library equipment is meant for information seeking for research and studying purposes, as well as for using library resources and services. The library is not liable for any damage to users caused by library equipment or software. The users are liable for damages caused to library equipment.

Library users must observe the instructions and regulations issued by the University of Oulu. In the quiet working areas all electronic devices must be set to silent mode. Library staff and the university security staff have the right to ask a library user to leave the library premises in case she causes a disturbance in the library or to other library users, and her library privileges can also be suspended either temporarily or permanently.

Updated 12.8.2021