All the public libraries in Päijät-Häme (the Lahti Region) are members of the Lastu libraries group. The collections of all these libraries are available to you. You can reserve and borrow material found in any Lastu library. The material will be delivered to the library you have selected.
Joint regional rules and fees are followed in the Lastu libraries. The same rules are used in the public libraries of Asikkala, Hartola, Heinola, Hollola, Kärkölä, Lahti, Orimattila, Padasjoki and Sysmä. When you get a library card or agree to be a guarantor, you are committed to following the library rules. Public library rules, including the loss of borrowing privileges and being banned from a library, are based on the Finnish Library Act (1492/2016).
When you get a library card or agree to be a guarantor, you are committed to following the library rules.
Library services are available to anyone
Books, magazines, music, films, games and other materials can be used, borrowed and reserved free of charge. Guidance and instruction by the staff is also free.
The library charges fees for overdue items, for reserved material that has not been picked up, for unreturned, lost or damaged material and for some other services, in accordance with the library fees listed below.
The opening hours of the Lastu libraries can be found on the Lastu website at lastu.finna.fi.
The libraries have spaces that can be reserved or rented. These rooms can be used by individuals or groups for meetings, study, work or different activities. The rooms have their own rules of use. Some Lastu libraries can be used outside normal service hours when there is no staff present. When visiting a library during self-service hours, you are committed to following the self-service library rules. Some of these libraries may have restrictions and instructions about how those who are less than 15 years of age may use the libraries during self-service hours.
Library Card
You can get a library card at any Lastu library. To get a library card you need a photo identity card. Approved identity cards are for example a passport, driving license, Finnish Health Insurance Card with a photo and Finnish Identity Card issued by the police. You also need to have a current address in Finland. If you do not have a Finnish social security number, the library card is valid until your residence permit expires.
You must notify the library of changes in your name or contact information. You can also update your contact information yourself on the Lastu website at lastu.finna.fi.
The first library card is free of charge. You are responsible for the material borrowed on your card. To prevent misuse of your card, report the loss of the card to the library immediately. A card that has been reported lost will be cancelled. After that, the card cannot be used.
Library cards for children under 15 and organizations, role of guarantors
Those who are under 15 years old can get a library card with the written consent of a parent or guardian. The guarantor must be at least 18 years of age. The guarantor’s identity will be checked when applying for the card. The guarantor is responsible for the material borrowed on the card.
A day care center, school and other institution or organization can get a library card with the written consent of a guarantor who must be at least 18 years of age. The guarantor’s identity will be checked when applying for the card. The guarantor is responsible for the material borrowed on the card. Guarantors must inform the library of changes in their name or contact information.
PIN Code
In addition to the library card, you need a PIN code in order to
- use the self-check-out stations
- renew and reserve material and make online payments on the Lastu website
- reserve a computer
- use the self-service libraries
- use the library’s electronic materials
- use other Lastu library services where a login is required
You can get a PIN code at any Lastu library. Bring a photo ID with you.
Borrowing and Reserving Material
To borrow material, you need a valid library card. You are responsible for the material borrowed on the card. With regard to film and game loans, we have to follow the age categories determined by the National Audiovisual Institute.
In general, the loan period is 28 days, but it may vary. The loan period for magazines, DVDs, board games and sports equipment is 14 days, as is the loan period for items with a large number of reservations. The loan period for books in the express collection is 7 days. The maximum loan period for eBooks and eAudiobooks is 14 days. EBooks and eAudiobooks are returned automatically at the end of the loan period.
You may renew an item 5 consecutive times on the Lastu website or at any Lastu library if there are no reservations on the item. Customers banned from borrowing material may not renew their loans. Books borrowed from the express collection may not be renewed.
The total amount of items a customer may have on loan at a time is 100. Of these, the number of console games may not be more than 4.
You can reserve items on the Lastu website or in the Lastu libraries. When reserving an item, select the library where you would like to pick it up. When the item is ready for pickup, you will be notified by email, text message or letter.
You should collect the reserved item in 7 days after you have been notified. You can cancel your reservation on the Lastu website unless the item is already on the pickup shelf. In that case, you can still cancel the reservation by contacting the library before the last pickup date. There is a charge for a reserved item that has not been collected in 7 days. If the reason is beyond the library’s control, you will have to pay the charge even if you have not received notification about the item held for you.
End of the loan period and returning items
The loan period ends when the library closes on the due date. On the web the loan period comes to an end at 12 p.m. You may ask for a due date reminder to be sent to your email address. This is an additional service and the library cannot guarantee you will receive the reminders. You are responsible for returning material on time and for any overdue fines.
You may return the material to any Lastu library. Board games, sports equipment and musical instruments must be returned to the library where they were checked out.
You are responsible for the material you have returned in the library’s book drop. Items returned in the book drop after the library has been closed will be removed from your library account only on the following opening day.
Interlibrary loan service
Material that is not owned by any Lastu library can be requested from another library through the interlibrary loan system, either from Finland or from other counties. There is a fee for interlibrary loans.
Loss of borrowing privileges and how to restore them
You will lose your borrowing privileges if
- you have been billed for items that are overdue
- the amount of unpaid charges on your account is 10 euros or more
- the card holder you are responsible for is banned from borrowing library material
Your borrowing privileges will be restored when
- you have returned or replaced the billed items and paid the charges
- you have paid the accumulated charges
Fees
Overdue fines
If you return or renew your loans after the due date, you will have to pay overdue fines for each calendar day. The fines will be added to your library account.
You can pay your fees online through the library’s website or at any Lastu library. The library fees are shown below.
The overdue fines must be paid even if the renewal of an item has failed because of a technical problem in the Lastu website or because of other reasons beyond the library’s control.
There are no overdue fines for children’s and youth material. However, items that are not returned will be billed in accordance with the library rules. A billing charge will be added to the invoice.
Institutions and organizations that have a library card do not have to pay overdue fines. However, items that are not returned will be billed in accordance with the library rules.
Overdue notice
The library sends the first overdue notice when the material is 7 days overdue. A second overdue notice is sent when the material is 21 days overdue. If another customer has reserved the item or if an overdue book is in the express collection, the library sends an overdue notice on the first weekday after the due date. If you do not return or replace the material you have borrowed, you will be billed. A billing charge is added to the invoice.
Replacing lost items
You can pay the fees for lost or damaged material at any Lastu library. The replacement fee is the purchase price of the item as shown in the library’s database. If a borrowed item has attached material that is lost, there is a fee for this material.
You can also replace a lost or damaged item by buying the same title for the library. However, DVDs and Blu-ray discs cannot be replaced in this way.
A copyright fee is included in the price of the DVDs and Blu-ray discs purchased by the library. The prices of console games acquired before 1.9.2015 also include a copyright fee. The replacement fee for these materials is 50 per cent of the purchase price. Because of copyright issues, you cannot replace DVDs or Blu-ray discs by buying the same title for the library.
You will not be refunded the charges you have already paid for an item even if you should later return the item to the library.
If you do not return or replace the material you have borrowed, the matter will be referred to a collection agency. In that case, you will also have to pay collection charges.
Ban from the library
Customers may be banned from the library if they receive a warning but keep disturbing other library users or the staff, endangering the safety of library visitors and staff or damaging library property. The staff may order a person causing a disturbance to leave the library. Patrons may be banned from a Lastu library for a maximum of 30 days.
Damages and loss of property
If you damage library property, you will have to pay for the damage.
The library is not liable for any damage that a borrowed recording may have caused your equipment.
The library is not responsible for any personal property left on library premises.
Data protection and checking the data in the library record
According to the Personal Data Act (523/1999, 13), libraries have the right to use a patron’s social security number in their records. The borrower record is used to supervise borrowing and for reserving the library’s public computers, logging into the computers and supervising access to the self-service libraries. Personal data are confidential and will not be given to any outsiders.
The data protection report of the borrower record is available on the library’s website at lastu.finna.fi. Personal data is dealt with according to the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation.
(These rules apply from September 1. 2020)