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Library rules

The OUTI Libraries are the libraries of Hailuoto, Ii, Kempele, Kuusamo, Liminka, Lumijoki, Muhos, Oulu, Pudasjärvi, Pyhäjoki, Raahe, Siikajoki, Taivalkoski, Tyrnävä, Utajärvi and Vaala. The OUTI Libraries have a shared customer and material database and library system.

OUTI Libraries' Rules and Regulations (pdf)

OUTI-kirjastojen käyttösäännöt (pdf)

Användningsregler i OUTI-biblioteken (pdf)

Library card

As a member of OUTI Libraries, you can access the library services in your home municipality and all the other OUTI Libraries. You can get an OUTI library card in any OUTI Library. If you are under 15 years of age, you must bring a written and signed permission of a parent or guardian. A parent or guardian is responsible for the loans of a customer who is under the age of 18 years.

Printable registration form (pdf). You can print out the form and fill it in before coming to the library. The forms are also available at the library.

The library card is personal. The card owner is responsible for all the materials borrowed with their card as well as for the use of the customer ID and PIN.

If you lose your library card, notify the library. The lost card will be blocked, and you can unblock your card by proving your identity at the library. You can also get a new card to replace the lost card. In this case, your old library card number, i.e., customer ID will be also invalidated.

The right to borrow materials with a library card is valid for a period of five years. When the period of validity ends, the contact details of the customer will be checked, and the card will be reactivated. Insufficient customer information may also cause the loss of library privileges.

If the library card is replaced with a new one, eLibrary loans and holds do not automatically pass over to the new card. Loans and reservations are transferred by the library staff, so please contact your library if you need to transfer eLibrary information.

If you get a new library card to replace a previous one, the old card can still be seen on your OUTI Web Library account on the library cards page. You can remove your old card by selecting ‘Disconnect Library Card’.

You can also connect other library cards to your account by adding the library card number and PIN to the Library Cards page on Your Account. After connecting, you can view and renew all the loans as well as place items on hold on all the connected library cards. You can also name the connected cards to make using them easier.

PIN

A four-digit PIN connected to the library card is needed when using many of the library services. Using the library card number and PIN, you can log in to self-service libraries and eLibrary services offering electronic materials, such as e-books, and you can book library spaces, premises and appliances for use. It is also required on some of the self-service stations when borrowing items.

If you enter an incorrect PIN six times in a row, you will not be able to log in until you acquire a new PIN.

If you have added an e-mail address to your contact details, you can order a new PIN to your e-mail from the OUTI Web Library. Use the ‘Forgot your PIN?’ link available in the login window.

You can also apply for a new PIN in person at the library. Please bring your library card with you. You cannot receive a PIN by phone, email or the web library customer service chat.

Finna account

Finna account will expire if you have not logged in to the OUTI Web Library or other Finna services for a year. Favourites and saved searches will be deleted when a Finna account expires. Loans, reservations and personal information will not be deleted. Finna will send you a notification message before account expires. Finna account can be activated by logging in with your old login information to the OUTI Web Library or some other Finna service.

Authorization

Another person can use the library on behalf of another person, such as pick up holds or pay fines and fees. The library requires the use of an authorization letter. The person who uses the library on behalf of someone else will present the library card and the letter of authorization to the staff. The authorization letter is for one-time use only and it must show the date and what it is for (for example borrowing material, picking up a hold or paying library fees). When using the library on behalf of someone else, you must be able to prove your identity.

If you are picking up holds on behalf of someone else, a copy of the pick-up notification is a valid alternative to an authorization letter.

Form for a letter of authorization (pdf)

A blank form for the authorization letter can be also obtained from the library customer service. The authorization letter can also be informal if printing the form is not possible. For more information about the using a letter of authorization, contact your library.

Borrowing, renewals and returns

In the OUTI Web Library, you can search and place holds, i.e., reserve material, renew your loans, check your own personal information such as contact details, and pay library fees through online banking. To log in to the web library, you need a PIN which you can get from any of the OUTI Libraries.

You can have up to 100 loans and up to 100 reservations at any given time. You can have up to four video game on loan at the same time. Loan restrictions of eLibrary materials depend on the service.

General loan period: 28 days
DVDs and Blu-rays: 14 days
Video games: 14 days
Short loans: 14 days
Objects (depending on the material): 1–28 days
eLibrary materials (depending on the service): 1-28 days

The library complies with the age limits for films and games and does not lend materials for customers who are too young. For more information about the age limits for games and movies, visit www.ikarajat.fi (in Finnish).

You can renew your loans if there are no reservations. A loan can be renewed up to seven times in a row. You can renew your loans using the OUTI Web Library, on-site at the library or by phone.

You are responsible for renewing or repaying your loans on time. If a loan is overdue, the library will send two return requests. You can return the loans free of charge to any OUTI Library. The loan period expires on the last return date at the closing time of the library.

You can opt to have reminders of upcoming due dates to your email using the OUTI Web Library. The library is not liable for late returns if the notice is not sent or if the customer does not receive the advance notice.

You can (at your own risk) leave returns to a book drop at libraries that have one. If you return a loan to a book drop after the closing time of the library, your return will be recorded on the next working day.

Reservations

You can place holds, i.e., make reservations in person at the library, by phone or on the OUTI Web Library. Making reservations is free of charge. If a customer fails to pick up their reservation, they must pay a fine of 1 €. Unfulfilled reservations will expire after 3 years of their creation.

There is one single reservation queue for all the OUTI Libraries, which means that the reserved item can be sent from any OUTI Library, not only your own library or the library in your municipality.

You can be notified about your reservation being ready to be picked up either by e-mail, by text message or by letter. You can choose the way to receive the notifications on your OUTI Web Library profile or at the library customer service.

Some OUTI Libraries have a self-service pick-up for reservations. In your pick-up notification you will find a hold identifier that will help you find your items on the reservation shelf in the library. You can change the hold identifier in the OUTI Web Library profile, or at the library customer service. Do not forget to borrow the items when picking them up.

You can freeze, or suspend, your hold for the time being or temporarily without losing your place in the queue. When you freeze a reservation, the material cannot arrive for you to pick up until you reactivate your reservation or the freezing period ends.

Fines and fees

Overdue fine: 0,30€/day/item
Overdue fine for short loans: 0,40€/day/item
Maximum amount of overdue fine / item: 6€
First overdue notice: 1,50€
Second overdue notice: 3€
Fee for uncollected reservation: 1€
Interlibrary loan fee: 1€ + fees billed by the sending library
New library card: 2€
Borrowing privileges suspended if fines exceed 12€
The VAT for library fines is 0 %

Library fees are divided into public and private fees. Public fees include late fees, overdue notices and fees for uncollected reservations. Other fees are private fees. Only public fees may result to the loss of borrowing privileges.

No overdue fines are collected for children’s loans or materials for children and teens. We always charge a fee for sending a return request. You will not be able to borrow or reserve items or renew your loans if you have unpaid fees to the amount of 12 euros or more. An invoice for unreturned materials will be sent two months after the due date. If the invoice is not paid or the materials are not returned, the library will transfer the case to a recovery agency.

If the items you have borrowed get lost or are damaged, you will have to replace the materials or pay a reimbursement fee. Films, digital games, and software cannot be replaced by a new copy.

Accumulated library fees must be paid all at once. Library fees can also be paid through online banking on the OUTI Web Library, on the fines page, when the amount of fees is over 0.65 €.

Changes in contact details

Please notify the library of changes in your address, phone number or e-mail address. You can provide the new information in person at the library, by phone or in the OUTI Web Library. Library employees will update the changes reported in the OUTI Web Library.

Name changes must be notified to the library in person. Please bring an ID under your new name.

Guarantor of a customer under 18 years

The library card of a child under 18 years of age can have two guarantors. A guarantor is the parent or other guardian of the child. Due to data protection, the information on the child’s library card can only be accessed and changed by the child themselves and the guarantors registered in the library system.

If a parent or a guardian wants to change or add a guarantor mentioned on the library card, this can be done by having the original guarantor personally visit the library to announce a future change in guarantor information. After that, the new guarantor can visit the library in person to announce that they are the new guarantor. Updating the guarantor information can also be done with both the old and the new guarantor present.

A PIN can be added to the child’s library card, which makes it easy to manage library matters in the OUTI Web Library. In the web library, you can renew loans, manage reservations, pay fees, and update your personal information such as your address. You can also connect the child’s library card to your own account. Once connected, the card will appear in the OUTI Web Library, on the library cards page. In addition to the child’s library card number, its PIN is required to connect the card. Loans, holds and other information on the attached library card can be managed in the web library in the same way as with your own library card.

Interlibrary loans

If the material you are looking for is not in collections of the OUTI Libraries, the library can order it from elsewhere in Finland or even from abroad. In addition to the delivery fee of 1 €, the sending library can also charge an additional fee.

When submitting an interlibrary loan request, the customer agrees to pay these fees.

If you want to make an interlibrary loan request, please contact your library.

Request an interlibrary loan to Kuusamo City Library (in Finnish)

Request an interlibrary loan to Oulu City Library (in Finnish)

Request an interlibrary loan to Raahe City Library (in Finnish)

Self-service libraries

You can visit the self-service libraries outside the library’s regular opening hours. You can access the library by logging in your library card and PIN.

Self-service Library Rules (pdf)

See the self-service library policies on the libraries’ websites

Hailuoto self-service library (in Finnish)

Ii Main Library and Kuivaniemi self-service library in Ii (in Finnish)

Linnakangas self-service Library in Kempele (in Finnish)

Tietotori self-service Library in Kempele (in Finnish)

Kuusamo self-service library (in Finnish)

Liminka self-service library (in Finnish)

Lumijoki self-service library (in Finnish)

Self-service libraries in Oulu

Pudasjärvi self-service library (in Finnish)

Tyrnävä self-service library (in Finnish)

Utajärvi self-service library (in Finnish)

Vaala self-service library (in Finnish)

Special libraries

Special libraries are libraries specialized in certain fields, user groups, areas or publication types.


In Oulu

Byström Library : material about youth studies (in Finnish)

Oulu Film Centre Library : books and magazines about film and cinema (in Finnish)

Oulu Comics Center’s Library : comic books and magazines, research, course and education material and international magazines (in Finnish).


Elsewhere in Finland

Russian Library
The Russian Library sends material to anywhere in Finland. Everyone living outside the Finnish capital region can use the free interlibrary loan service of the Russian Library. You can register as a patron of the Russian Library at your local library.


Accessibility

Home service

Some OUTI Libraries provide a home service, which means that they deliver library materials for the customer at home. The home service is meant for customers who are not able to visit the library because of old age, illness, or accessibility.

Before starting the service, the customer will have an interview with a librarian. Based on the interview, the librarian will select reading materials, music, audiobooks, etc. for the customer. The library rules apply also to the home service customers.

The service is free of charge. The materials will be delivered to the customer’s home every four weeks.

For more information, contact your library.


Celia library services

Celia audiobooks are meant for people with print disabilities, such as poor eyesight or dyslexia.

In some libraries, you can register as a user of the Celia online audiobook service or the Celia CD home delivery service. Some OUTI Libraries also have Celia CD audiobooks in their collections and people with a print disability can borrow them with an OUTI library card.

For more information, contact your library or see Celia’s website .

The Sign Language Library

The Sign Language Library (in Finnish) is a web service maintained by the Finnish Association of the Deaf, collecting material in signed languages. The library records the cultural history and the language of the sign language users in Finland. The material is easily accessible and using the library does not require registering. Some of the material is translated into Finnish or Swedish.

Suggest a title

If the material you require is not in collections of the OUTI libraries, you can leave suggest a title by using th Acquisition proposal form.