Library card

You will need your library card whenever you wish to borrow items from the library. You can obtain a personal library card and PIN code by presenting a valid photo ID and by complying with the Terms of Use. The first library card is free of charge. A replacement card for a lost or damaged card costs 2 euros. To speed up your request, please print out the library card application form and fill it out in advance. A person under the age of 15 will need a guardian’s written approval to obtain a library card.

Card holders are responsible for material borrowed on their library card. The guardian is responsible for material borrowed by a person under the age of 15.

If you lose your library card, please notify us immediately. According to Terms of Use you will be held responsible for material borrowed on the card until you have reported it as lost.

Keep your contact information up to date

Please inform us right away of any changes in your contact information or name:

• Your new address will not be updated automatically. You can update your contact details online in your web library profile (login via My Account). Your updated details will then be saved in your customer data.
• If your name has changed, you will need to visit the library in person and present a valid photo ID to get a new card under the new name.

PIN code

The PIN code is a password containing four numbers and can be obtained at the library by presenting your library card and a valid photo ID. You will need your PIN code when you log in to the web library. Due to security reasons, PIN codes are not granted by email or over the phone.

Kuopio City Library Terms of Use

Upon receiving a library card, you agree to comply with the Terms of Use of Kuopio City Library. Please click below to study the rules. Terms of Use of Kuopio City Library

Using the web library

Renewing your loans and administering your profile require that you log in with your library card number and PIN code. After your first login, an account in the web library is automatically created. After this you will automatically be able to use the services requiring user login.

Your account

Renewing your loans, reservations and other functions that require login are found in Your Account section. You find Your Account section after you have logged in by clicking on your name on the top bar. You can attach several library cards to your user account and administer them all with a single login. In order to make use of this feature you will need, besides the number of the library cards, also the PIN codes for all the cards you wish to attach. You can also give individual names to all attached library cards.

Logging out

When you wish to log out of the web library, first click on your name on the top bar, then click Log out.

Loans and renewals

Loan periods vary depending on the material type: loan period is either 7, 14 or 28 days.

Popular new releases are also available as short-time loans (pikalaina in Finnish), when the loan period of the item is 7 days, and the item cannot be renewed or reserved. Short-time loans should be returned to the same library where you have borrowed it from.

You can see the due dates of your loans on the loan receipt or online on the Loans tab. Return or renew your loans by the due date during library opening hours. Loans can be returned to all the libraries of Kuopio City Library. There are overdue charges for items returned or renewed after the due date.

Some libraries have drop boxes for returns. Returning material through a drop box is at your own risk. The material deposited in the drop box is registered as returned on the next opening day of the library.

Loans can be renewed up to 6 times on the library website, by visiting the library or by phoning the library: tel. 017 182 318. Contact information of our libraries is found on the Libraries tab.

Renewal is not possible if

• there is a hold on the item
• the loan has already been renewed 6 times
• the customer’s borrowing privileges have been suspended
• the loan is a so called short-time loan (7-day loan period; pikalaina in Finnish)

Library notifications help you remember

• It is possible to receive an email reminder 3 days before due date. The due date reminder is an optional, additional service, and the library cannot be held liable, if the reminder fails to reach the customer. Since due dates are always indicated on the checkout receipt, borrowers are individually responsible for keeping track of them and taking care of potential overdue fines.
• Overdue notifications are sent either by email or by mail. The so-called second notification is always sent by mail.
• You can see your selected settings in your Profile.
• If you wish to change your settings, please contact library staff.

Drop boxes

The following libraries have a drop box:

• Main library
• Juankoski library
• Kurkimäki library
• Puijonlaakso library
• Riistavesi library
• Tuusniemi library
• Vehmersalmi library

Drop boxes may be used only when the libraries are closed. Material is returned to the drop box at the customer’s own risk. Please use drop box only in exceptional situations, because it is not possible to receive a receipt for the loans you return in to the drop box. If the loans disappear, you are still responsible for the loans. The loans will be registered as returned on the following opening day of the library, and possible fees and charges accumulate as debt in the customer’s account. Please return books only via drop box; for example, CD’s and DVD’s should not be returned via drop box. Do not try to return large books, if they do not fit in to the drop box. If you use the drop box without paying attention to these instructions, and the material is damaged, you will be asked to replace it with equivalent material or by paying a compensation corresponding to the value of the material to the library’s customer service desk.

Pick-up notice for reserved item

• You will receive a pick-up notice when an item you have reserved is available for collection at the library.
• The pick-up notice is sent as an e-mail, as an sms or by mail depending on your account settings. You can see your settings in your Profile.
• Please note that pick-up notices sent by mail may in some cases arrive very close to the last pick-up date.
• The reserved item must be collected within 7 days after the notification dispatch day.

If you do not wish to make the reservation by using the web library, you can also phone the library customer service.

How to make a reservation

If the item you are looking for is currently on loan, you can make a reservation by visiting or phoning the library (044 7182 319), or by logging in on your account and locating the item through our catalogue search.

How to make a reservation on the web library

• Log in on the web library: you need your library card number and PIN code
• Search for the item in the catalogue
• Click on Make a reservation button
• Choose pick-up library. In Profile tab you are able to set a default pick-up library, but you can also ignore this option and select your pick-up library every time you make a reservation.

Starting from the 1st of January 2017, reservation of materials is free of charge. You can cancel your reservation in the web library if it has not yet been processed. If the reserved item is not collected within 7 days, a fee of 2.00 € will be added on the borrower’s account.

Pick-up notice for reserved item

• You will receive a pick-up notice when an item you have reserved is available for collection at the library.
• The pick-up notice is sent as an e-mail, as an sms or by mail depending on your account settings. You can see your settings in your Profile.
• Please note that pick-up notices sent by mail may in some cases arrive very close to the last pick-up date.
• The reserved item must be collected within 7 days after the notification dispatch day.

If you do not wish to make the reservation by using the web library, you can also phone the library customer service.

Fees

The charges that are shown in the web library do not contain overdue fines for unreturned material.

Kuopio City Library Fees and Payments

New arrivals alert

You can also save your searches permanently by making new arrivals alert on the Saved searches tab: select a search and, from the dropdown menu, set the alert interval at once a day or once a week. The notifications will be sent to the email address you have provided in association with the new arrivals alert in your Profile.

Lists of favourites

You can create one or several lists of favourites in your account. Items can be added to the list by clicking the pin-shaped button either on a search result list or on an item page. To add a new list, go to Favourites in your account. You can also give your list an individual address that you can share with your friends, e.g. via social media.

Interlibrary Loans

By using interlibrary loan services you can make use of the whole library network. If you require an item not in stock in Kuopio City Library, it can be requested from other libraries through interlibrary lending. Interlibrary loan requests cannot be made for items which are included in the collections of Kuopio City Library but are currently on loan. If the item you wish to borrow is on loan, you can place a reservation for it. We will send you a notification when it becomes available.

In order to make an interlibrary loan request, please fill in the request form above, phone the library (044 718 2333), send email (kaukopalvelu(at)kuopio.fi) or contact our staff in the library. You need to have a valid Kuopio City Library card. Renewals of interlibrary loans are always made via the interlibrary loan services (044 718 2333 or kaukopalvelu(at)kuopio.fi).

Interlibrary loan requests can be made at all our libraries.

There are charges for interlibrary loans

Fees are collected when the interlibrary loans are borrowed. Please note that after requesting an interlibrary loan you are obliged to pay the fee for the request.

Interlibrary loan fees:

items from regional libraries, National Repository Library and Library of Parliament: 3€/item
items from other public libraries, scientific libraries and other Nordic countries: 3€/item + the fees collected by the supplying library
items from outside the Nordic countries: minimum fee 9€/item
copies: minimum fee 3€

Delivery times may vary

When the requested item is available for pick-up, you will be notified by sms, email or mail. The usual waiting time for an interlibrary loan to arrive is from one to two weeks, but the delivery time may be longer if, for example, the supplying library has reservations for the same item.

Interlibrary loans follow the general terms of use for the supplying libraries' loans and loan times

All materials are not necessarily lent to other libraries, and sometimes the loans can only be made for reference library use. The lending library defines the loan periods and terms of use for the requested materials.

Interlibrary loans are returned through the requesting library

The date that the item must be returned by (the due date) is shown on the loan slip accompanying the item. You can return your interlibrary loans in all the libraries of Kuopio City Library.

Interlibrary lending for libraries

We will lend materials to other libraries, if they do not have the items in their own collection. If you wish to make a reservation, please contact our interlibrary loan services. Interlibrary loans for other libraries are free of charge.

Contact information (interlibrary loan requests, renewals, enquiries):

tel. 044 7182 333 (Mon-Fri 9-16)
email: kaukopalvelu (at) kuopio.fi

Acquisition proposal

Acquisition proposal (in Finnish)

Before making an acquisition proposal, please check the library catalogue and ensure that the item is not in stock. The reservation is possible only if the material is purchased to the library.

Forms

Change of contact information (in Finnish).
Interlibrary loan request (in Finnish).
Registration form for adults.
Registration form for children (under 15).

Information services and user education

For children and school groups: please contact children’s department information services tel. 044 7182321 or your local branch library.
For students and adult groups: please contact adult lending department information services (2nd floor) tel. 044 718 2319 or your local branch library.