Service and the library: Loans

Main borrowers are the faculty, staff, and students of RU. These borrowers can check out material free of charge by registering at the reception desk of the library.

• RU graduates and other parties connected to RU can purchase library cards. The cards are valid for one year and cost ISK 2500. Other university and research libraries can borrow material from the library collections on behalf of students and staff of the respective universities/institutions
• Others than those mentioned above can not borrow material from the library's collections, but everyone is free to visit the libraries during opening hours and use the collections
• The general loan period for books is four weeks
• Recall notices are only sent to borrowers via e-mail
• Borrowers are asked to attend to recall notices either by returning the material in question or by contacting the reception desk to renew loans
• Held items must be picked up within 3 days from the time when borrowers are notified via e-mail of their availability
• Borrowers are responsible for the material that they have borrowed and are not allowed to hand it over to a third party. If material is lost or damaged, the borrower, that is, the person registered for the loan is responsible and may have to reimburse the library for the material in question. The library tries to estimate the cost of purchasing a new item, but the minimum fee is ISK 8000.
• As a general rule, university libraries can not have more than 15 books on loan at a time

Registered users in Leitir.is can place books on hold. The library provides passwords. A notification is sent via e-mail when a book on hold is returned to the library. Held items are kept in the library reception for 3 working days after the patron is notified of their availability. 

Students and staff have access to Leitir.is and can renew their own loans themselves. Login is available for those that have the Icelandic electronic ID. Users that don't have the ID, need to contact the library to get their password to Leitir.is. (it is not the same as the RU access).

The password to Leitir.is can be obtained by (for those without the electronic ID): 

• show up at the circulation desk at the library
• email a request to library@ru.is (from your RU-email!)
• use the library webchat and get the password sent to your email 
• call the library at 599 6234 and get the password sent to your email 

Passwords are never given on the phone or chat - they always get sent to the patron's RU email address. 

By signing in to Leitir.is you can:

• renew your loans
• request interlibrary loan
• reserve books that are already on loan
• get announcements about new material

Library staff does not renew loans for their patrons unless in the case of interlibrary loans. Patrons are required to renew their own loans on Leitiri.is.

Recall notices are sent via e-mail. Patrons can get information on loan periods by going to “My account” in Leitir.is and there they can renew their loans. The library provides passwords. Please send a request in time by e-mail if you want to renew your Interlibrary loan. If patrons ignore the loan period of items and do not address recall notices, the library has permission to remove them from the list of registered patrons until the material in question has been returned. The library can also send patrons a bill for lost library material. The aim is primarily to get the books back to the library for other library users.