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Category General Regulations
Type Regulation
Approved by Council
Date Regulation Took Effect 1 January 2013
Last approved revision 8 August 2018
Sponsor Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic)
Responsible officer University Librarian

Content

  1. 1. Title, Approval and Commencement and Revocation

    1. These regulations are the Library Regulations 2012.
    2. These regulations were approved by the University Council at its meeting of 14 August 2012 pursuant to clause 3.3 of the Administration Statute 2011.
    3. These regulations apply, and the former Library Regulations are revoked, with effect from 1 January 2013.
  2. Application of Regulations

    1. These regulations apply to the Library of the University in Dunedin, which includes the Central, Health Sciences, Hocken, Robertson, Sir Robert Stout Law, and Science Libraries, and any collection of material belonging to the Library which is housed in any other part of the University.
    2. 'Material' in these regulations includes all printed, manuscript, pictorial, archival, audio-visual, microform and electronic resources provided by the Library.
    3. University email accounts will be used for communication with library patrons who hold such accounts and all such communications sent shall be presumed to have been received by their addressees.
  3. Admission to Library

    1. Admission to the Library and to the use of its material is conditional upon the observance of these regulations and of such directions as may from time to time be given by the University Librarian.
  4. Eligibility

    1. The following shall be eligible to use the Library for reading, reference, and borrowing
      1. students enrolled at the University;
      2. staff and approved academic visitors;
      3. members of the University Council;
      4. graduates and retired staff of the University;
      5. members of associated organisations where there is a written memorandum of understanding relating to Library use between the University and the organisation.
    2. Members of the general public may register as Hocken Library users.
    3. Members of the general public may use the Library for reading and reference only. Where licences permit, public access to electronic resources is provided in the Library.
    4. At times of peak usage, the University Librarian may be required to restrict usage to current students and staff.
  5. Borrowing

    1. A current University of Otago ID card is required to borrow any material from the Library. Entitlement to use the University Library as a result of an official agreement must be supported by presentation of a photographic ID card from the home organisation.
    2. No material shall be removed from the Library until its loan has been properly recorded.
    3. Material held in the Library comprises, for the purposes of use and borrowing, the following categories:
      1. 'not for loan' material, which may not be borrowed except with the express permission of the University Librarian;
      2. books from the open access collection;
      3. restricted loan material, including course reserves, theses, journals, audio-visual materials;
      4. material received on interlibrary loan that shall be lent according to the policies of the owning library;
      5. material from the Hocken Collections and Special Collections which shall be used within the Collections' consultation areas.
    4. Books from the open access collection are subject to early recall if requested by another borrower. The loan period for restricted loan materials may be reduced if the material is in demand.
    5. Persons who have borrowed any material may apply for renewal of the loan on the expiry of the permitted period and renewal may be granted if the material is not requested by any other borrower.
    6. At the discretion of the University Librarian, members of the academic staff and doctoral students may borrow books from the open access collection for a period of 12 weeks. Other postgraduate students and final year Honours students may borrow material for a period of 42 days in the first instance. All such material is subject to the early recall provision of regulation 5.4.
    7. It shall be in the power of the University Librarian to limit the period for which certain specified items of material may be taken out of the Library, to restrict the number of items that may be borrowed at any time by any borrower, or to grant special loan privileges to meet unusual circumstances.
    8. Material may not be passed from a borrower to another person including other registered borrowers. The person recorded as the borrower of material shall be held responsible for the return of the material, undamaged, to the Library by the due date.
  6. Fines and Fees

    1. Borrowers who fail to renew or return any borrowed material shall be liable to a fine assessed according to a schedule agreed to by the Library Services Committee.
    2. The fine shall be payable for each day or period (or part day or part period) the material is overdue until it has been checked-in at the Library.
    3. Non-payment of fines totalling more than an amount agreed to by the Library Services Committee will result in suspension of borrowing rights until payment of the full amount is received. A borrower who repeatedly fails to return material by the due date will have borrowing rights suspended. A student who fails to pay outstanding Library fines may have the final award of a qualification for which the student is a candidate withheld by the Council.
    4. Borrowers shall be held responsible for any loss of, or damage to, material while it is on loan to them and shall be required to pay the cost of replacement or repair as determined by the University Librarian, together with an administrative charge. Such loss or damage must be reported immediately to the Library from which it was borrowed.
  7. Conduct

    1. No disruptive behaviour is permitted in the Library. Such behaviour includes conversation that disturbs other Library users and the audible use of noise-generating equipment including cell phones. Cell phones must be muted and be used only for sending and receiving text messages. Subject to the discretion of the University Librarian, children may be permitted in the Library provided they are under the care and control of a responsible adult at all times.
    2. Guidelines on eating and drinking in the Library are provided in the Food, Drink and General Conduct Guidelines available on the Library website.
    3. Users of the Hocken Library and Special Collections area of the Library must abide by the particular rules of these collections, available on the Library website.
    4. Study spaces may not be reserved. The Library does not accept responsibility for any personal belongings left in the Library.
    5. Every person who copies material in the Library shall observe the limits required by the current Copyright Act.

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