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Library guide

Dear Students,

The aim of this page is to briefly summarize the most important information about the use of our library and to provide you with some practical advice.

Registration

There are two forms of registration at our library: the library card and the visitor’s card. If you register at either of our libraries, you will be able to use the services of both.

When you register, you must show us a document that identifies you (e.g. passport, residence permit, ID card, etc.). Our library handles all of your personal data according to relevant data protection laws (GDPR-compliant). It is in your best interest to update your personal data when and as changes occur.

If your library card is lost or stolen, please report this as soon as possible to avoid the potential abuse of the card (such as someone else borrowing a book then stealing it using your name). If you fail to report such an event to us, the library accepts no liability for any damages arising from the loss of your library card.

You are eligible for a library card if:

  • You are a registered student of METU (until graduation, even if you no longer have classes), including Erasmus students
  • You are an academic or non-academic employee of METU, including part-time teachers

Students of METU who enrolled during or after the second semester of the academic year 2021/22 automatically received a library card number in Neptun. You can look it up under „Information” by opening „Inquiries/Information” and running the „Library card number” query. There are various ways to convert this to a readable barcode for easier use, including an app developed by our library system provider called Qulto eCard (only available for Android devices at the moment). 

If your were not yet automatically issued a card number, you can request a physical library card that allows you to use the majority of our services for free. The card is free of cost; however, if you lose it, it will cost HUF 300 to get a replacement.

You may also freely opt to use your valid METU student card as your library card, whether or not you received an automatic card number. This will also be referred to as library card and will be treated as your library card in our system.

You are eligible for a free visitor’s card if: 

  • You are registered for the joint programme of SOTE and METU
  • You have graduated from METU

If you have graduated from METU, you can still use the library, although you will no longer be able to borrow books. You can ask for a Library Forever card if you show us some proof of your graduation. 

You are eligible for a paid visitor’s card if:

  • You do not belong in any of the above categories

Visitor’s cards have the following options:

  • Valid for three months – HUF 300
  • Valid for six months – HUF 600
  • Valid for one year – HUF 1000

These only entitle you to use the local services of the library, not including borrowing. We can replace a lost visitor’s card for HUF 200.

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Services

If you are a citizen of METU (a group that includes students, Erasmus students, as well as academic and non-academic employees), you won’t need a library card for the following: 

  • Using the library space for studying or reading,
  • Using the online catalogue,
  • Using the computers or wi-fi in the library,
  • Reading our thesis archive in the library.

Most of our services are available freely to users with a valid library card or visitor’s card. 

  1. USING THE LIBRARY SPACE
    • All of the books and magazines are freely accessible in the library.
    • All of the computers are freely accessible in the library.

  2. BORROWING 
    • You are eligible if you have a valid library card 
    • There are two types of library items. You can tell them apart by looking at the label on the spine:
      • Not loanable: marked with red letters on white paper
      • Loanable: marked with black letters on white paper. The duration of the loan period varies (3 days – bilingual dictionaries; 1 week – monolingual dictionaries, DVDs, very few other books; 2 weeks or 3 weeks – the majority of our books).
    • You are allowed to have 8 items with you at any time from our two libraries combined. You are only allowed to borrow one copy of a title (not including books with multiple volumes)
    • You are not allowed to exit the security gate with our items if these are not loaned
    • Borrowing and returning happens by reading the barcodes of your library card and the item you intend to borrow. We ask you to be present for this, with a few exceptions:
      • You may give express permission to another person to borrow in your name. If this is the case, you will have to alert us in advance by e-mail at lib@metropolitan.hu
      • You can use the book return box located by the library door to return your books. We will always confirm the returns in e-mail, including any problems we may have encountered.
      • You can also send your books back with another person. In this case, you don’t have to notify us in advance, unless you want to renew them.
    • Our library software registers due dates automatically, we can’t set these manually.
    • There is no auto-renewal feature, you have to ask for renewals using one of the means listed under the next section.
    • You will have to either renew or return you borrowed items by the due date you receive when you first loan them. This applies whether or not we notify you on the date your items are due.
    • If you can’t renew your items (the item has been reserved by another person or you have reached the maximum renewal number of 10), you will have to return it by its latest due date. 
    • When you first borrow a book, we give a slip of paper with the due date. You can also check your due dates online, via our online catalogue.
    • You have to return your loans to the same library (Art or Central Library) you have borrowed them from.
    • Although you can check your due dates on the library website (Online Catalogue – Login, renewal), we also provide information in person, e-mail, or telephone.

  3. RENEWAL
    • If you renew a book, the starting date will be the day of the renewal and the duration will be the same as the initial loan (two or three weeks; as a rule, three-day and one-week items cannot be renewed). This is true even if the book hasn’t reached its first due date. In person, we will warn you if you try to renew your book too early, but be careful if you do your own renewal from home.
    • You can initiate the first five renewals at this link (or by following the library website to Online Catalogue – Login, renewal). If there is a reservation on the book, or your library card expires before the new due date, you will not be able to do this. If you experience an error, or your renewal fails, please contact us by e-mail or telephone.
    • Login data is the following:
      • Username: Your 8-digit library card number or your student card number (top right corner), depending on which one you used for borrowing.
      • Default password: the month and day of your birth written in four digits (e.g. 9th March = 0309).
    • If five renewals are not enough, you can ask for five additional renewals from us in person, by e-mail or by telephone. We don’t make recordings of telephone conversations, but we do keep a backlog of e-mails. Only renewal requests by e-mail are accepted as proof in case of a contested late fee.
    • You can also request a renewal if you book is overdue and has incurred a late fee. You can pay your fee later, when you return the book.
    • We will always notify you of the status of your requested renewal, including the new due date. If you have written us an e-mail, and we haven’t responded within a working day, please check the address. Please, also check for national holidays, this may be different in Hungary. If neither  answer the issue, call us during opening hours.

  4. RESERVATION
    • You can request a reservation for items if every loanable copy has been borrowed. We will notify you by e-mail when the reserved item has arrived. We keep it for you for two days. After this, we place it back on the shelf if you have neither picked it up nor notified us about a new date. 

  5. ONLINE CATALOGUE
    • You can access the catalogue via the library website. 

  6. PROVISION OF INFORMATION 
    • We provide general information service regarding available literature and databases for the subjects taught at METU. 

  7. THESES
    • We store theses written and successfully defended by our former students in digital format, hosted in our online repository. You can access the full text on the computers provided by the university. 

  8. PRINTING AND COPYING
    • If you have your own copy chip, you can use the self-service printers in both our libraries. A guide is available next to the printers, which also lists the pricing. You can top up your chip at the main reception at both campuses.
    • At the Rózsa Street Campus, printing and copying services are available in the Art Library during opening hours.
    • At the Nagy Lajos Campus If the printing service at the main reception is unavailable, you can request printing and copying at the Central Library.
    • Pricing if you don’t have your own copy chip is as follows:
      • A/4, black & white: HUF 15/page
      • A/4, colour: HUF 100/page
      • A/3, black & white: HUF 30/page
      • A/3, colour: HUF 200/page
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Rules

  • Users of the library are held responsible for any damages to the items they have loaned, up to and including financial liability. Users are to preserve the original condition of the items, and return them by the end of the loan period (or due date of last renewal). Users are to do this even without further explicit prompts or reminders.
  • It is expressly prohibited to write or highlight in library items, as well as to fold or rip out any pages. Users who fail to follow this rule will have to pay for the damages, whether it was caused on purpose or out of carelessness.
  • Users are permitted to enter the library with coats (hangers are available by the entrance, as well as inside) and bags smaller than a suitcase or travel bag. if you prefer to leave your bags outside, there are lockers available free of charge on the corridor outside the library, on the storey above the library, as well as in the main building. These are token-operated, which may be obtained from either the library or the main reception. If you request a token (coin), you will be asked to deposit a photo ID (e.g. student card). This will be returned to you when you bring the token back.
  • It is the responsibility of every user of the library to keep the library space clean and orderly. Waste baskets and containers for selective waste are available both inside and outside the library.
  • Please don’t leave your valuables unattended. Surveillance in the library is limited, as is visibility due to the shape of the library space. The library accepts no liability for the loss or damage of personal property.
  • Visitors must show their visitor’s card upon entering the library.
  • Users are to refrain from disturbing the quiet of the library with loud conversations or by other means. You are, however, allowed to talk and group study at a reasonable level.
  • Users are only allowed to bring drinks into the library if these are within a sealable container (e.g. twist-cap bottle or coffee cup with lid). Users may not bring food into the library.
  • If or when your citizenship with the university terminates (e.g. graduation, termination of employment), you must return any and all library items and pay any outstanding fees. Your paperwork will only be processed if you have no debts of any kind towards any of the university departments.
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Sanctions

·  Lateness

  • If you are late with your items, we first send you a reminder on the following day. If you request a renewal in a reply, we will renew your expired item, and notify you about the new due date. If renewal is not possible, we notify you of this. If you don’t request a renewal, but return the late items during the first three days after expiration (Saturday included) you won’t have to pay any late fees, as this is our grace period. If you exceed this, we will charge a late fee. This is calculated automatically by the system.
  • Late fee is HUF 100 per day per item. After the three-day grace period, late fee starts at HUF 400 (HUF 300, if the library was closed on one of the days – please check under Renewal for information about self-service renewal), and increases daily. 

·  Reminders

  • If you fail to return your late items after five reminders, the library reserves the right to take legal action.

·  Damages

  • It is everyone’s duty to preserve the condition of library items. It goes without saying that you may not write, highlight, or underline in any of the books.
  • If you return a damaged, highlighted, underlined, etc. book that has the “Do not write…” sticker in it (you also have to flip through these books when you borrow them), you will have to pay a fine.
  • Depending on the condition of the book (amount of writing, torn pages, water damage, etc.) fines range from HUF 300 to the full cost of the book.

·  Lost library card

  • If you lose your library card, replacing it costs HUF 300.

·  Lost books 

  • If you lose a book, you have to replace it with another copy of the same edition or newer. If the book is no longer commercially available, we will tell you its estimated value – which is not the same as its original price – and you will have to pay this sum.

·  Ban from course/exam registration

  • If you have books overdue by more than a month or your accumulated (total) outstanding fees exceed HUF 2000, you will be banned in the Neptun system from registering for courses and exams. This ban can only be lifted in the library. If for some reason you have paid your debt without directly contacting the library first, you will have to show us proof that you have paid your fee.

·  Ban from the library

  • If you grossly violate the rules of using the library and its services, you may be temporarily or permanently banned from the library.

·  Disciplinary action

  • Any users found trying to leave the library with library items they haven’t borrowed will face disciplinary action.