Using the library and library card

Library card and PIN

The first library card and the basic services of the library are free of charge. You can use the library card in all Kirkes libraries, i.e. the libraries of Järvenpää, Kerava, Mäntsälä and Tuusula.

The library card is personal. When you sign your library card, you agree to comply with the library’s terms of use. If you are under the age of 15, you can receive a library card with the written consent of your guardian.

You can get a new library card at the library’s customer service desk. Fill out the library card application form carefully and take it with you to the library. The form can also be filled out at the library. Prepare to prove your identity.

Notify the library immediately if your library card is lost.

Loans

Loans and returns are handled independently even during service hours. All materials can be borrowed using a self-checkout machine. Some console game cases do not have disks inside. You can get the disk at the customer service point.

There are self-checkout machines in the library lobby that can be used to borrow and return material. In addition to this, the library hall and children’s department have self-checkout machines for borrowing. You can also check your contact information and any accrued charges on the self-checkout machines. Follow the on-screen instructions, as the self-checkout machines guide the user in their functions. The staff is also happy to help.

When borrowing material and checking your information, you always need your library card and PIN. If you are borrowing age-restricted material, the machine checks your age. You cannot borrow material with an age restriction above your age.

Loan periods

· 4 weeks: books, audiobooks, CDs and sheet music

· 2 weeks: new release books, magazines, console games, boardgames, exercise equipment, LPs, DVDs and Blu-rays

· 1 week: short-term loans

Returns

Return or renew your loan by the due date. A late fee will be charged for material returned after the due date.

You can return material during the library’s opening hours and in the self-service library. You can also return material to other Kirkes libraries.

The customer is responsible for ensuring that the material is returned on time. The late fee will be charged even if the loan renewal has not been possible due to an internet outage or other technical disruption. The late fee will also be charged even if the due date reminder has not been received.

Renewals

If there are no holds on your loans, you can renew them up to five times. You can renew your loans in the online library, by email, by phone or at the library. Short-term loans and exercise equipment loans cannot be renewed.

Holds

You can place a hold on both material that is on loan and material that is available. You can place holds in the online library or at the library’s customer service desk. You can have a maximum of 50 holds at a time.

Pick up the items on hold independently from the pick-up shelf. You need a pick-up number to pick up your hold item. The number is in the hold pick-up notice sent by the library. The hold pick-up notice is sent out when your hold item is ready for pick-up. If you cannot remember your pick-up number, you can ask the staff for it.

Hold items can also be picked up during self-service hours. A fee of €1.50 will be charged if the item is not picked up.

The hold items must be borrowed using the self-checkout machine. To borrow the item, you need to use the same library card that was used for placing the hold.

Late fees

The late fee accrues on all calendar days after the due date, starting immediately on the calendar day following the due date.

· €0.50/loan/week for each starting week

· short-term loans: €0.50/loan/day for each starting day

· maximum late fee: €4.00/loan

· maximum total of late fees: €40.00/borrower if all the loans are returned or renewed at the same time

· in addition to the late fee, there is an overdue reminder fee of €1.00/reminder

As the customer, you are responsible for returning or renewing your loans by the due date. You will receive the due date on the loan receipt when you borrow an item, or you can check it in the online library. You may also ask for the due date by email or phone. The due date reminder is an additional service and does not remove the customer’s responsibility for returning the loans on time. The late fee will be charged even if the loan renewal has not been possible due to an internet outage or other technical disruption. The late fee will also be charged even if the due date reminder has not been received.

Library rules of use