Lending from the Aalto Univeristy Learning Centre requires a valid library card. The same card is valid in all our service points.
You can get a library card from the Harald Herlin Learning Centre customer service point. To qualify for a library card you will need to present an official personal identification document and you must have a postal address in Finland.
Library cards of other Finnish universities can also be activated as library cards at our service point. Customer information data on the Learning Centre registry are separate from other libraries and these data do not transfer between libraries.
Information of Aalto University students and staff is transferred to the library system from other university systems.
For other customers, we recommend filling a library card application beforehand.
After the library card is picked up from the customer service, also a virtual library card for lending machines is available at the customer account in Aalto-Primo.
The customer is responsible for the use of his/her library card. Each library card is individual. Do not give your library card to anyone else. If the card goes missing, the customer must notify the Learning Centre of this immediately.
Learning Centre loan periods vary as follows:
| Collection | Loan perdiod |
|
Books that can be loaned (on all floors) |
4 weeks |
| Textbooks, DVDs (1st floor) | 2 weeks |
| Short loans (1st floor) | 24 hours |
| E-books | See E-books guide |
Loans will never be due on Saturdays or on the days when all the Learning Centre service points are closed.
You can make a reservation in Aalto-Primo to an item that is at the moment borrowed by another customer. Alternatively, you can ask the library staff to make the reservation for you.
You will receive a notification by email when the reserved book has arrived. Reserved books are in the self behind the service desk. Reserved books can be picked up by self-service and they are kept in the borrower’s name for 5 working days. Some reservations may only be picked up from customer service during service hours. Reserving items is free of charge.
Short loans or items you already have borrowed can not be reserved.
Aalto University staff can use Aalto Direct service to make reservations.
Cancelling reservations
You can cancel a reservation in your own account in Aalto-Primo. You may also contact customer service to cancel a reservation.
If a reservation is not picked up or cancelled by the due date, 2 euro fee will be charged.
A loan can not be renewed if:
Loans can be renewed:
Book loans can be returned to the Learning Centre during customer service hours or by mail.
Contact information and opening hours
In most cases, loans are returned using self-returns machines. In Harald Herlin Learning Centre, the self-returns machine is in the main lobby, next to customer service desk. If you are unable to return loan with the machine (e.g., loans from the National Depository Library and interlibrary loans), you can return them to customer service during service hours or outside service hours in returning boxes.
During building’s closing hours, loans can be returned to a drop-box. The book drop-box is located on Otaniementie side (next to Tori-floor's entrance).
Short loans (24 h) can only be returned to the Harald Herlin Learning Centre.
Loans have to be returned or renewed by their due date. If loans are returned or renewed late, the customer is charged according to the Learning Centre’s price list.
If loans are not returned or renewed in spite of the reminders sent to the customer, the Learning Centre is entitled to transfer the case to a debt collection agency who will carry out the collection. In some cases, also customer fees may be transferred to a debt collection agency.
Once you have obtained a library card, Learning Centre usage regulations and price list apply to you:
The loans must be returned or renewed by the date they are due for return. Fees charged for overdue items are determined according to the service price list.
If loans are not returned or renewed despite the reminders sent to the customer, the Learning Centre can commission them to be collected by a debt collection agency. In some cases, the collection agency can be commissioned to collect unpaid overdue fees.
Changes to personal and contact information for Aalto University students and staff are transferred from university information systems to the library system.
Other customers must notify the Learning Centre of changes to his/her contact details by signing into Aalto-Primo and editing their information in My Account. Contact information can also be updated by contacting the customer service.
The National Repositary Library is a joint repository for books and journals for all Finnish libraries, from where Aalto University students and staff can order books and article copies.