Library user regulations

Municipalities have a right to draw up rules regarding the use of their libraries. The right is based on the law concerning public libraries (1492/2016 § 14) 

Lumme libraries 

Lumme libraries include the public libraries of Enonkoski, Hirvensalmi, Joroinen, Juva, Mikkeli, Mäntyharju, Pertunmaa, Pieksämäki, Puumala, Rantasalmi, Savonlinna, and Varkaus. The library services in Hirvensalmi, Pertunmaa, and Puumala are provided as purchased services from the City of Mikkeli (Mikkeli Regional Library). Lumme libraries have a shared customer register and library system that enables customers to use the services of all the libraries in the network with one card. 

Lumme libraries are open to everyone, and their collections are freely accessible to all. 

Our user regulations promote the comfort, order, and safety of the libraries. You can obtain the user regulations from the libraries or read them online at lumme.finna.fi. 

Different guidelines and rules apply to the use of library spaces and equipment, which can be found on the individual library websites. Additionally, opening hours and some fees and compensations are specific to each municipality and are available as a separate attachment or/and can be found on the library websites. 

Customer register 

You have the right to check the information on you that has been entered in the library’s customer register, after proving your identity with a valid ID-card with a photograph, driver’s licence or passport. The guarantor has the right to check the information concerning the institution or community or the person under 15 years of age. The privacy policy is available for viewing at the libraries and on the website https://lumme.finna.fi

Right to use library services 

You can obtain a library card from the library’s customer service desk by presenting an identification document with a photo and your personal identification number (henkilötunnus), along with providing your address in Finland. The first library card is free of charge. 

When you register as a customer of Lumme libraries, you commit to following the current user regulations and loan periods. Registration is a part of the agreement made with the municipality or city. Your copy of the agreement is your library card. 

For individuals under 15 years old, parental or another guarantor’s consent is required. Daycare centers, schools, other institutions, or organizations can get a library card with a written consent of an adult acting as a guarantor.  

The guarantor is responsible for the material which has been borrowed with the library card of an institution or organization. 

The customer or the organization’s representative is responsible for borrowed materials using the library card, as well as renewing loans and returning items. The guarantor (parent or guardian) is accountable for loans made by individuals under 15 years old. Individuals with borrowing restrictions due to billing or collection issues cannot act as guarantors. 

As a library user or a representative of your organization, you are responsible for ensuring that your contact information is accurate. You can update your contact details through the online library or by visiting the library in person. Changes in your name can only be made in person at the library by presenting identification with the new name. 

In case your library card is lost, please report it immediately to the library. You are responsible for any borrowed materials before reporting the loss. We periodically verify the validity of customer accounts every 10 years. 

Please note that we do not take responsibility for the use of open guest networks (WLAN) or any potential damage caused by equipment used within the library or borrowed from the library. 

Borrowing and returning 

You need a valid library card to borrow material. We follow the age limits for games and movies. The loan period for the material is 1-28 days depending on the material. Some materials may have different loan periods or practices (such as items). 

Individual customers can have up to 100 loans at a time, of which DVD and Bluray discs up to 20 pieces and children’s console games five pieces and adult console games five pieces. 

Renew or return the material by the due date at the latest. The loan period expires at the end of the library’s opening hours on the due date and in the online library at the change of the day. You can renew your loans eight (8) times, unless there are reservations placed on them. 

You can get a reminder of your loans due date by email 1-7 days before the due date. You can also get loan and return receipts by email. 

Return the loan by the due date, even if you have not received a reminder at the end of the loan period by email. Libraries cannot influence disruptions in data communication. Therefore, these disruptions do not reduce any fees. 

You can return and renew your loans at any Lumme library. You can also renew your loans by phone or online library. You cannot renew your loans if they have a reservation or if you have so many fees that you are banned from borrowing. 

You can also return material during self-service hours using the self-service machines in those libraries where self-service and / or self-service time is in use. If the library has a return slot, you can return your loans to it at your own risk. We record the loans returned to the return slot as returned on the library’s next opening day. 

When renewing loans in the online library, always check that the loans show a new due date. Late fees start to accrue after the due date shown in the loan information. If the new due date is not saved, contact the library. 

PIN-code 

You need a PIN code in the following situations: 

  • When viewing or renewing your loans or reserving materials in the Lumme online library. 
  • When using a self-service library. 
  • When accessing services that require authentication (such as e-magazines and e-books). 
  • You can obtain your PIN code personally from any Lumme library or from the online library if your customer information includes an up-to-date email address. 
  • Please note that the PIN code is not provided via email or over the phone. It’s essential to retrieve it in person. 

Reservations 

You can reserve material through our online library or at any Lumme library. When you make a reservation, choose which library you will pick up the material from. 

We will transport the material you have reserved to your chosen pick-up point from the Lumme library where the material was first available. Reserving and transporting is free of charge. 

When the material you have reserved has arrived at the library and you can pick it up, you will receive a notification by email, text message or letter. You can choose how you receive the notification. 

If you do not pick up your reservation on time, a fee will be charged. Notify the library if you cannot pick up your reservation before the last pick-up day. The staff can then cancel your reservation and no fee will be charged. 

Many libraries have self-service pick-up for reservations. When you pick up reservations from the self-service shelf, you need a reservation identifier. The reservation identifier is a number series that is generated automatically, or a nickname that you choose yourself. You can find your reservation on the reservation shelf with the help of the identifier. You can request a change of identifier in the online library or at the library customer service. 

The library may also have material that cannot be reserved, such as quick loans and some items. Some items and games also have restrictions on transport. The restrictions are shown in the Lumme online library in the material information. 

You can order an item as an interlibrary loan from elsewhere in Finland or abroad, if the item is not in the collections of any Lumme library. This service is subject to a charge. 

Fees and Compensation 

The use of library materials, borrowing, reservations, as well as guidance and assistance in libraries are free of charge. Home service is also free of charge in libraries where it can be arranged. The fees charged by the library are available as a separate attachment or/and can be found on the library websites. 

A fee is charged for unclaimed reservations. 

A late fee is charged for material that you return or renew after the due date. The late fee accumulates for each calendar day after the due date up to a maximum amount. The late fee is also charged if renewing loans was unsuccessful due to technical disruptions in the online library. 

The library is not responsible for the delivery of notifications.  

Only a reminder letter fee is charged for children’s and young adult materials. 

For overdue material, we send the first reminder by email 7 days after the due date to customers whose information includes an email address. The second reminder is sent 14 days after the due date by mail, and the invoice is sent no earlier than 56 days after the due date. 

You must return overdue material to the library and pay any accumulated fees. If the material is lost or damaged, you must compensate it. You will receive instructions for compensating the material from the library. Parents or other responsible individuals are accountable for material borrowed with a library card by individuals under 15 years old. For material borrowed with a community card, the organization is responsible. 

If you do not return or replace the borrowed material, the municipality will send the invoices to collections. This applies to children’s or young adult materials as well as material borrowed by individuals under 15 years old. Collection procedures may vary across different municipalities. 

For up-to-date fee information, refer to the payment appendix in the usage rules specific to each municipality and the respective library websites. 

Self-Service Libraries 

A self-service library refers to a library where you can independently access library outside regular service hours. The opening hours of self-service libraries vary by municipality, and each municipality may have specific rules for self-service usage. 

If you have a Lumme library card along with its associated four-digit PIN code, you also have access to self-service libraries. The PIN code is the same one used for the online library. For Suomenniemi library, self-service access needs to be separately activated at the library due to different door technology.  

Parents should familiarize themselves with the library premises and safety before allowing children to use the facilities independently. 

During self-service hours, you can enter the library by logging in with your own Lumme library card and PIN code. Logging in electronically unlocks the door. Always use your own card to log in. The exception is small children accompanied by parents, as well as class visits and reading groups.  

Do not allow other individuals to enter using your card. If you cause disturbances or misuse the facilities, you may face usage restrictions or be held liable for compensation. We monitor the safety of self-service libraries through access control and recorded camera surveillance. 

Loss of usage rights 

Libraries are public places as referred to in the Public Order Act (612/2003), and so this Act applies to disturbing the operations of or endangering the safety of libraries.  

Library users must not cause disturbance to other library users or library personnel when visiting the library, and must not lessen the pleasantness or safety of the library, for example by making noise or behaving in a threatening or aggressive way. The library staff has the right to remove a disruptive person from the library. 

The municipality can remove the right of a user to use the services of a certain library for a fixed period if the user has repeatedly and significantly disturbed the activities of the library, endangered its safety, or damaged the property of the library. The maximum duration of such a ban is 30 days. 

Before such a ban can be imposed on a user, the customer must be heard on the matter and an official decision must be made on it so that the customer will have the statutory right to appeal against the decision in accordance with the Local Government Act (410/2015).The prohibition is always issued in writing.  

User regulations approved by

Head of Library Services

Pia Kontio Feb 24th 2024