Borrowing Regulations

The University of Bergen Library loans books and other materials, in addition to providing access to information in electronic form, for educational and research purposes. The University Library uses email and sms to send messages to users. Breaches of the rules and conditions can lead to suspension of borrowing rights and access to other services.  

Library loan cards  Borrowing of books and other materials requires a library card for the University Library. The library cards work at all university libraries. For students and employees at the University of Bergen, the student/employee ID card functions as a library card. For other users, a valid photo-ID is required for receiving a library card. Your library card is personal. Loss of your library card should be reported to the library as soon as possible. As a library user, you agree to keep your contact details up to date (address, telephone number, and email).  

Library loans  The normal loan period is 4 weeks. If no-one else orders the material, the loan period will be automatically renewed up to the maximum loan period (usually 4 months for students and 6 months for employees). Users must and are responsible for returning materials by the due date. In cases where the user expects to be away for extended periods (e.g. international exchanges), materials should be returned before departure. Sub-loans (loaning material you have borrowed to others) are not permitted.  
Note that for some materials, other rules apply. This includes curriculum literature and various special collections.  

Overdue items and replacement  If borrowed materials are not returned after two reminders have been sent, the user will receive a notice that the item must be replaced, and their library card and borrowing/ordering rights will be suspended. Replacement of an item is the responsibility of the user who borrowed it, and can be done in one of three ways: 1) Return of the original item, 2) Buying a replacement copy for the library, or 3) Payment for the item, which has a minimum cost of 1000 NOK per item (by Vipps or invoice). Users should contact their library to do this and resolve any issues. The deadline for fulfilling the demand for replacement is 10 days from when the replacement claim was sent. Failure to replace the item(s) will result in the claim being transferred to Financial Services at UiB who will send an invoice to the user. If the claim is still not fulfilled, the case will be transferred to Fair Collection (External debt collection agency), and the claim will have to be paid to them.

Lost or damaged materials  Users have a responsibility to replace any borrowed items that become lost or damaged. “Damage” includes but is not limited to underlining, highlighting, writing, or any other defacement of items. Materials which have been reported lost, but are later found, remain the property of the library.  

Printing and photocopying  Photocopiers and printers are operated by using student or employee UiB cards.

Electronic documents  Electronic journals and other electronic documents can be read on all computers linked to the University network.  

Students enrolled in distance learning  See specific rules and conditions for library loans and services for distance learning students. 

Loans from other libraries  The University Library can order literature relevant for studies/research from other libraries for employees and students at UiB. The library which owns the material determines the loan period and conditions for renewing loans.  

Other rules and conditions apply for the Department of Special Collections and the Picture Collection.  

Some services incur a fee.  

An exemption to these rules may be given in special circumstances.