Terms of Use
§ 1 General Provisions
Ratingen Municipal Library is a public institution. The Ratingen Municipal Library also comprises the respective branches in the districts of Ratingen.
§ 2 User Group
(1) Subject to these Terms of Use, any person is entitled, on a private-law basis, to borrow media of all kinds and to use the facilities of the Municipal Library.
(2) The management of the Ratingen Municipal Library may lay down special provisions regarding the use of individual facilities or for non-resident users.
§ 3 Registration
(1) Users must register in person, presenting their identity card or another official document. The management of the municipal library may require written permission from a parent or guardian for children and young people under the age of 16.
(2) In the case of a partner card, the main cardholder shall confirm, by their signature, that they accept liability for both partner cards.
(3) Upon registration, the user or their legal representative shall acknowledge the Terms of Use by signing them in their own hand.
(4) Following registration, each user shall receive a library card, which is non-transferable and remains the property of the City Library; the City Library must be notified immediately in the event of loss. The City Library must be informed of any change of address.
(5) The library card must be returned if the City Library so requires or if the conditions for use are no longer met.
(6) A fee is charged for the replacement of a lost library card. The amount is set out in the City of Ratingen’s regulations on fees payable under private law by the Ratingen City Library.
§ 4 Borrowing, Renewal, Reservation
(1) Books and other media may be borrowed for up to 28 calendar days upon presentation of a library card. Fees may be charged for certain items, and the loan period may be shortened. Reference materials are not available for loan.
(2) The transfer of books and other media to third parties and their public display are not permitted.
(3) The loan period may be extended upon request for up to 28 calendar days at a time before it expires, provided there is no other reservation on the item. Certain items may be excluded from this rule. Upon request, the borrowed
books or other items must be presented when the loan period is extended.
(4) Borrowed books and other media may be reserved. Certain media may be excluded from this option. The City Library may charge a fee for reservations. The amount is set out in the City of Ratingen’s regulations on fees under private law charged by the Ratingen City Library.
(5) The City Library is entitled to reclaim borrowed media at any time.
§ 5 Interlibrary loans
(1) Items not held in the Ratingen Municipal Library’s collection may be obtained through interlibrary loans in accordance with the applicable guidelines.
(2) The Ratingen Municipal Library may charge a fee for arranging interlibrary loans. The amount is set out in the Ratingen Municipal Regulations on Fees Charged by the Ratingen Municipal Library under private law.
§ 6 Handling of Borrowed Media, Liability
(1) The user is obliged to handle the borrowed media with care and to protect them from alteration, soiling and damage. In the case of books and journals, damage also includes dog-earing pages, correcting text, underlining and making comments. Similarly, the copying over or erasure of image, audio and data storage media is considered damage. When borrowing or returning a media item, the user should report any defects. Copyright must be observed in respect of all borrowed media.
(2) The City Library accepts no liability for damage caused to files or data storage media through the use of computers and software. It carries out random checks, within the limits of its capabilities, to scan software provided for user purposes for viruses. The City Library is not liable for any damage to files, data storage media or hardware that occurs despite these precautions. Nor is the City Library liable for any damage caused by media to the user’s playback devices.
(3) The loss of borrowed media must be reported to the City Library immediately.
(4) The user is liable for compensation for any damage or loss. In the event of loss or serious damage, the user is obliged to reimburse the replacement value of the media.
(5) The registered user is liable for any damage caused by the misuse of the user card, even if they were not aware of such misuse.
(6) Users in whose home a notifiable infectious disease occurs may not use the municipal library whilst there is a risk of infection. Any items already on loan may
only be returned once they have been disinfected; the user is responsible for carrying out this disinfection.
§ 7 Late return fees, confiscation
A late return fee is payable for items not returned by the end of the loan period. The amount is set out in the City of Ratingen’s regulations on fees payable under private law by the Ratingen Municipal Library.
§ 8 House rules
All users must comply with the house rules issued by the Municipal Library.
§ 9 Exclusion from Use
Persons who contravene the provisions of these Terms of Use or the House Rules may be excluded from using the City Library.
§ 10 Waiver of Fees
The waiver of fees is governed by the Ratingen City Regulations on Fees under Private Law at the Ratingen City Library.
Fees and Charges
§ 1 Fees and Loan Periods
1) Fees for adults
for 12 months: €21.00
for 6 months: €10.50
for 3 months: €8.40
2) Reduced fees
for 12 months: €10.50
for 6 months: €5.25
for 3 months: €4.20
The following are eligible for a reduction: school pupils, apprentices under the Vocational Training Act, school pupils and students aged 18 and over, and new residents within one year of moving to Ratingen.
3) Partner cards for spouses or registered civil partners
€31.50 for 12 months
4) The following are exempt from paying an annual fee
1. Children and young people
2. Recipients of ongoing benefits under SGB II or XII
3. Individuals/households whose income does not exceed the relevant needs under SGB II or XII by more than 10 per cent, upon presentation of a corresponding certificate
4. Municipal institutions, provided that use is for official purposes
5. (until 6 July 2010) Individuals who can provide proof of identity by means of a valid youth leader card (JuLeiCa)
6. Holders of the Volunteer Card, upon presentation of the relevant ID
5) Additional charge per loan for DVD and
Blu-ray feature films €2.00
6) Additional charge per loan for titles
from the Bestsellers Service €2.50
7) The loan period for media items is generally 28 calendar days, including CD-ROMs and media packs.
However, the loan period for CDs, magazines and titles from the bestseller service is 14 calendar days, and for feature films and documentaries on DVD and Blu-ray it is 7 calendar days.
8) Late fees per item
up to 7 calendar days: €1.00
up to 14 calendar days: €2.00
up to 21 calendar days: €3.00
from 22 calendar days: €4.00
For titles from the Bestsellers Service, an
increased fee of €1.50
per copy will be charged at the start of each subsequent week following the expiry of the loan period,
and for DVDs and Blu-ray discs, a fee of 2.50 euros
will be charged, plus postage in each case
9) Collection of unreturned items: €25.50
10) Successful reservation of items already on loan: €1.00
11) Successful interlibrary loan request: €3.00
12) Loan extension requested by telephone or by email: €1.00 per transaction
13) Replacement of a library card: €2.50
14) Admission fees for library events
Adults: up to €5.00
Eligible adults in accordance with Section 1(2) and (4): up to €2.50
Children and young people
(only for events at the Media Centre): up to €2.50
§ 2 Waiver of Fees
Claims for fees may be waived in whole or in part if, having regard to the circumstances of the individual case, their recovery would cause the debtor particular hardship.