Library Regulations

Opening Hours	Conduct of Library Users
Admission	Disciplinary Actions
Membership	Special Rules
Loan Rules

Opening Hours

Opening hours are displayed at all library entrances and on the Library Website.

Admission

2.1

Admission to the HKIEd Library is conditional upon the presentation of a valid HKIEd Identity Card or HKIEd Library Membership Card.

2.2

Visitors are admitted only with the permission of the Librarian, or Lending Services Librarian, or the professional staff member on duty at the Information Counter.

3. Membership

3.1

HKIEd Library Membership

HKIEd Library Membership includes the following categories:

3.1.1

HKIEd Council Members.

3.1.2

HKIEd Academic Staff and Administrative Staff of Equivalent Status (Band B or above for Administrative Staff) – including Regular and Honorary Staff.

3.1.3

HKIEd Staff Other than Academic Staff and Administrative Staff of Equivalent Status.

3.1.4

HKIEd Students – excluding students of self-funded non-credit bearing programmes.

3.1.5

HKIEd Alumni – graduates of HKIEd and alumni of the former colleges of education registered with the Alumni Affairs Secretariat of CIAO, excluding graduates of self-funded non-credit bearing programmes.

3.1.6

HKIEd Retired Staff – Academic Staff and Administrative Staff of Equivalent Status retired at age of 60 or above.

3.1.7

External Members (see 3.5 below)

3.2

All HKIEd students and staff members should obtain the appropriate HKIEd Identity Cards from the Registry and the Human Resources Office respectively for entry into the Library, for borrowing library materials and for using library facilities.

3.3

All HKIEd part-time staff members employed on monthly basis as well as all part-time Academic Staff and Administrative Staff of Equivalent Status can enjoy the same library borrowing privileges as their full-time counterparts. Part-time staff other than Academic Staff and Administrative Staff of Equivalent Status employed on hourly or daily basis are not eligible for library membership.

3.4

The HKIEd ID Cards or Library Membership Cards are not transferable. Any change of address or loss/damage of the Library Membership Card must be reported to the Library's Circulation Counter immediately. There is a charge for the processing of card replacement.

3.5

External Membership

The following categories of persons are eligible to apply for Library External Membership:

Free Membership:

3.5.1

Holders of JULAC Cards.

3.5.2

School Members (Free) - schools participating in official collaborative programmes with HKIEd.

3.5.3

Honorary Members - individuals who have major contributions to the Institute and at the discretion of the Institute.

3.5.4

Spouse Members - spouses of HKIEd Regular Staff.

3.5.5

Dependant Members – child dependants of HKIEd Regular Staff (child dependants below age of 12 must be accompanied by their parents in order to access library and use library facilities)

3.5.6

School Teachers (Reader Cards) – practising school teachers in Hong Kong. This does not include borrowing privileges.

Membership Requiring Payment of Annual Fee:

3.5.7

Students of HKIEd self-funded non-credit bearing programmes.

3.5.8

School Teachers (Borrower Cards) – practising school teachers in Hong Kong, with borrowing privileges.

3.5.9

School Members (Paid) - schools not participating in official collaborative programmes with HKIEd but recommended by a Head of HKIEd Department

3.5.10

Senior teaching professionals of government or other non-profit organisations with a letter of introduction from their senior responsible officer. Such persons must demonstrate a serious need to use the resources of the HKIEd Library other than for studying for examination

3.5.11

Visiting scholars or faculty members of overseas tertiary institutions who are staying in Hong Kong for research or official business

3.5.12

Organisation Members – organisations which demonstrate a legitimate need to use the resources of the HKIEd Library

3.5.13

Other individuals recommended by a Head of HKIEd Department or above

3.6

The Librarian reserves the right not to approve any membership application.

3.7

Annual fees for HKIEd Alumni and External Members:

	Borrower Card	Reader Card
HKIEd Alumni (non-HKIEd affinity card holders)	$250	Free
HKIEd Alumni (HKIEd affinity card holders)	$125	Free
School Teachers	$500	Free
School Members (Paid)	N/A	$100
Other External Members as appropriate	$2,000	$500

3.8

Members applying for free Reader Cards under categories 3.1.5, 3.5.2, and 3.5.6, and HKIEd Retired Staff applying for Borrower Cards are required to pay a one-time IEdSmart production fee of $50.

3.9

Request for refund of annual fee and IEdSmart production fee will not be considered once payment is made.

3.10

HKIEd Retired Staff are required to pay a one-time deposit of $500. HKIEd Alumni and External Members applying for Borrower Cards under categories 3.5.8, and 3.5.10 to 3.5.13 are required to pay a one-time deposit of $1,000. Upon termination of membership, any outstanding payments due to the Library will be deducted from the deposit. Balance will be refunded to the member.

4. Loan Rules

4.1

Borrowing

4.1.1

A valid HKIEd ID Card or Library Borrower's Card must be produced when checking out library materials.

4.1.2

Borrowers should go to the appropriate section to check out and return materials housed in that section.

4.2

Loan Quotas and Loan Periods

Member Category				Loan Period
Member Category		Loan Quota	Hold Request Quota	Books	CTRC Items	Media	Reserve
A	Council Members Academic Staff & Administrative Staff of Equivalent Status Departmental Library Card Holders Students (Postgraduate Degrees) Honorary Members	60 items	20 items	90 days	7 days	7 days	3 hrs / 3 days
B	Staff Other Than Academic Staff & Administrative Staff of Equivalent Status Students Retired Staff	40 items	20 items	30 days	7 days	7 days	3 hrs / 3 days
C	Spouses of Regular Staff	15 items	5 items	30 days	7 days	7 days	3 hrs
C	Alumni Students of HKIEd Self-funded Non-credit Bearing Programmes	15 items	5 items	30 days	7 days	3 hrs	3 hrs
D	JULAC Card Holders All Other External Members with Borrowing Privileges	10 items	N/A	30 days	7 days	3 hrs	3 hrs

Note: 3-hour loan media items are for in-library use only

4.3

Returning

4.3.1

Borrowers must return their loans to the Library on or before the due dates.

4.3.2

All loans must be returned on recall.

4.4

Renewal

4.4.1

All loans with a loan period of 7 days or more may be renewed twice unless a hold or a recall has been placed.

4.4.2

Borrowers can renew their loans in person or online via the Library catalogue anytime before the due date.

4.4.3

The new due date is calculated from the date of renewal.

4.4.4

Overdue items are not renewable.

4.4.5

Telephone and e-mail renewals will not be accepted.

4.5

Recalls and Holds

4.5.1

All loaned items with a loan period of 7 days or more are subject to hold requests placed on them by another user.

4.5.2

All loaned items with a loan period of 30 days or more are also subject to recall if requested by another user.

4.5.3

Borrowers are advised that there will not be notices to alert them if a hold has been placed on their loaned items. Items with holds pending cannot be renewed, and borrowers are required to return these items by the original due dates.

4.5.4

Recalled items must be returned on or before the revised due date.

4.5.5

Late return of recalled or held items will be treated as overdue and liable to a fine. All borrowing privileges of the borrowers, including loans, renewals and recalls, will also be suspended until the recalled items are returned.

4.5.6

The requester will be charged a postage fee for the pick-up notice. No charge will be imposed for e-mail notices.

4.6

Overdue

4.6.1

Overdue notices will be sent to borrowers.

4.6.2

Non-receipt of such notices will not be accepted as an excuse for waiving or reducing fines.

4.7

Overdue Fines

4.7.1

Fines are charged for overdue loans

4.7.2

All overdue fines will be calculated according to the official library opening hours/days:

Loan Period	Period Overdue	Fine Rate	Max. Fine
30-day and 90-day loans	1 day or more	$1 per day	$30 in 30 days
7-day and 3-day loans	1 day or more	$5 per day	$100 in 20 days
3-hour loans	1 hour or more	$2 per hour	$60 in 30 hours

4.8

Payment of Fines

4.8.1

All fines should be paid at Library counters.

4.8.2

When an overdue fine of any individual borrower reaches the Maximum Fine, or his/her total accumulated library fines exceed $100, all borrowing privileges of the borrower, including loans, renewals and recalls, will be suspended until payment is made.

4.8.3

Students with outstanding library loans and fines will not be permitted to collect any academic documents until payment is made and all overdue items are returned.

4.8.4

Fine disputes should be brought to the Lending Services Librarian for investigation. Unresolved disputes are referred to the Deputy Librarian, and, if necessary, to the Librarian for final decision.

4.9

Loss and Damage of Library Materials

4.9.1

A borrower will have to pay a fine for any item damaged or lost when on loan to him/her, amount of which is equivalent to the full replacement cost of the item plus a processing fee of $80 (for each item) and any outstanding overdue fines.

4.9.2

Request for refund will not be considered once payment is made.

4.9.3

All lost and damaged items remain the property of the Library.

4.10

Assumed Loss

4.10.1

Any overdue material reaching the Maximum Fine will assume to have been lost by the borrower.

4.10.2

The borrower will have to pay a fine equivalent to the full replacement cost of the assumed lost item plus a processing fee of $80 (for each item) and any outstanding overdue fines.

4.10.3

Request for refund will not be considered once payment is made.

4.10.4

All assumed lost items remain the property of the Library.

4.11

Claimed Returned

4.11.1

All items claimed to have been returned by borrowers but have not been checked into the Library System are defined as “Claimed Returned”.

4.11.2

If a “claimed returned” item is found, it is considered to be returned on the day it is found. Overdue fine will be charged if the item is found after its due date.

4.11.3

If a “claimed returned” item cannot be located within 3 months from the date of the first reported claim, the item will be assumed lost by the borrower.

4.11.4

The borrower of the assumed lost item will have to pay a fine equivalent to the full replacement cost of the assumed lost item plus a processing fee of $80 (for each item) and any outstanding overdue fines calculated to the date of the first reported claim.

4.11.5

Request for refund will not be considered once payment is made.

4.11.6

All assumed lost items remain the property of the Library.

4.12

Departure from the Institute

4.12.1

Library materials must not be taken out of Hong Kong without the permission of the Librarian.

4.12.2

Students must return all library loans and settle all outstanding payments due to the Library before withdrawal or graduation from the Institute.

4.12.3

Staff members are responsible for returning all library loans and settle all outstanding payments due to the Library on or before cessation of employment at the Institute.

5. Conduct of Library Users

5.1

All library users must enter and leave the Library through the normal entrances and exits unless directed otherwise by a library staff member.

5.2

All library users must show the contents of their bags, cases, and other kinds of receptacles when they activate the security alarm at the library exit or on request by library staff.

5.3

Food and drink must not be brought into the Library.

5.4

Smoking is not permitted in the Library.

5.5

No games of any form are allowed in the Library.

5.6

No umbrellas or raincoats may be brought into the Library.

5.7

No cameras, personal photographic, audio or video equipment may be used in the Library without the permission of the Librarian.

5.8

Silence must be observed in the Library. Behaviour which is disruptive to library users and staff is not allowed.

5.9

No pagers and mobile phones may be used in the Library. Breach of this rule may lead to the following disciplinary actions:

No. of offences within an academic year ( 1 Sept to 31 Aug of the following year)	Disciplinary action
First offence	Name recorded by Library
Second offence	All library privileges* suspended for 1 day with immediate effect
Third offence	All library privileges* suspended for 1 week with immediate effect
Fourth offence or above	All library privileges* suspended for 1 month with immediate effect for each offence thereafter

* including access and borrowing privileges

5.10

Tables and chairs may not be moved to other locations.

5.11

No seats may be reserved by placing materials on the desks or chairs. Any books or personal belongings left unattended on unoccupied tables or carrels may be removed by library staff without prior notice to the owner.

5.12

Personal belongings should not be left unattended anywhere in the Library. The Library does not accept responsibility for any loss of personal belongings unattended in the premises.

5.13

Mutilation or theft of library materials is a serious offence. Penalties include fine equivalent to full replacement cost, suspension of library privileges, etc. For students, the cases may also be referred to the Student Disciplinary Committee for further action.

5.14

Borrowers will be held responsible for mutilations found on return of any materials loaned to them. They are advised to check and report any mutilations found in the materials before borrowing.

5.15

Photocopying of library materials should be made in compliance with the Copyright Ordinance. Library users are fully responsible for any legal consequences arising from infringement of applicable copyright laws.

5.16

Reproduction or duplication of audio-visual materials or computer software without permission from the copyright owner is strictly prohibited.

5.17

In case of a fire alarm, all library users should leave the Library via the designated emergency exits immediately. All library materials should be left inside the Library.

6. Disciplinary Actions

6.1

Library users violating Library Regulations may be subject to disciplinary actions.

6.2

Illegal Acts and Penalties

Case I

Illegal Acts	Penalties
(a). A HKIEd library user found leaving the library exit with uncharged library material(s), either in hand or in a bag, for the first time within an academic year; or (b). Lending/borrowing of Library Card between two HKIEd library users for gaining access to the Library and/or borrowing library material(s) for the first time within an academic year.	(i). A report to be filled by a library staff member, and signed by the offender; and (ii). Verbal warning to be given to the offender(s) by the library staff member.

Case II

Illegal Acts

Penalties

A HKIEd library user found committing two Case I illegal acts within an academic year.

(i). A report to be filled by a library professional staff member, and signed by the offender; and

(ii). Suspension of all library privileges for one month; and

(iii). Each offender will be charged a fine of $50; and

(iv). A warning letter to be issued to the offender(s), and for HKIEd students, the warning letter will be copied to:
Registrar (for recording in personal files)
Dean of Faculty to which the student belongs

Case III

Illegal Acts

Penalties

(a). A HKIEd library user found committing three Case I illegal acts or more within an academic year; or

(b). A HKIEd library user found leaving the Library exit with uncharged library material(s) concealed on his/her body at any time; or

(c). A HKIEd library user found mutilating library material(s) at any time; or

(d). A HKIEd library user found lending his/her Library Card to an outsider for gaining access and/or borrowing library material(s) at any time.

(i). A report to be filled by a library professional staff member, and signed by the offender; and

(ii). Suspension of all library privileges for three months; and

(iii). Each offender will be charged a fine of $100; and

(iv). A warning letter to be issued to the offender(s), and for HKIEd students, the warning letter will be copied to:
Registrar (for recording in personal files)
Dean of Faculty to which the student belongs

(v). For HKIEd students, the case may be referred to the Student Disciplinary Committee for further action.

Remarks:

For Cases I(b), II and III(a), both holder and borrower of the Library Card in question are considered as offenders and are liable to penalties.

ii.

For Cases I(b), II, III(a) and III(d), holder of the Library Card in question is liable for any loss and damage of library materials which incurred as a result of illegal transfer of the Library Card, and the Library Card in question is to be retained by the Lending Services Section for collection by the card holder.

iii.

For Case III(c), in addition to the fine listed above, the offender is required to pay a fine equivalent to the full replacement and processing costs of the item(s).

iv.

If an outsider is found using a HKIEd Library Card which has not been reported lost by the card holder, the holder of the Library Card in question is considered as committing a Case III(d) and is liable to penalties.

6.3

Repetition of Illegal Acts

If a library user is found committing Case III repeatedly, in addition to the penalties listed for the cases, the Librarian shall have discretion to suspend all library privileges of the user for a period of twelve months or longer, depending on the seriousness of the offences. For students, the cases may also be referred to the Student Disciplinary Committee for further action.

6.4

Illegal Acts involving Non-HKIEd Library Users

If an outsider is involved in any illegal acts, e.g. using a stolen Library Card to gain access to the Library and/or to borrow library materials, mutilating library materials, etc., the case may be reported to the Police.

7. Special Rules

7.1

Cancellation of Library Privileges

Breach of any Library Regulations may result in the suspension or cancellation of library privileges. Any student infringes any Library Regulations may be referred to the Student Disciplinary Committee.

7.2

Exclusions from Library

7.2.1

Library users who refuse to pay for the library materials lost while on loan to them or to pay fines accrued on overdue items or who consistently refuse to observe Library Regulations will be excluded from the Library for a period of time set by the Librarian.

7.2.2

The Librarian, or Lending Services Librarian, or the professional staff member on duty at the Information Counter may exclude from the Library for the rest of the day any user who violates any of the Library Regulations or acts in any way which may interfere with the convenience of other library users or the work of the Library staff.

7.3

The Librarian may from time to time make special regulations regarding admission to and use of particular areas of the Library.

7.4

The Librarian may make any special rules or amend any of the Library Regulations as deemed appropriate for the proper management of the Library.