It is a university requirement that you:

• Always carry your university or visitor ID. You will need this to swipe in and out of our libraries.
• Show your student, staff or visitor ID to University or Security staff when requested. If you don't, you may be asked to leave.

You aren't allowed to:

• Come into the library using someone else's ID or temporary ID card.
• Allow someone else to use your student, staff, or visitor ID to come into the library.

Your library account

• Your library account will allow you to access the library and depending on your membership, borrow items and access digital resources.
• You can return borrowed items and return them to any University of Bedfordshire library.

Renewals

• Our library system automatically renews anything you borrow up to 25 times. Just so you know, teaching resources are loaned to the end of each half term and cannot be renewed.
• If another customer wants to borrow the item you have checked out, automatic renewals will stop. You'll receive an email asking you to bring the item back.

Fines

We really want you to return your items on time. Get whatever you have borrowed back to us on or before the return date or if you have received an email saying someone else would like it.

If you don't, you'll receive a fine. Please have a look at the fine charges below:

• Standard Loans 50p
• 7-Day Loans 75p
• Overnight Loans £1

When a total of £22 is reached, your library account will be automatically blocked.

Billed Items

• If you have an item that is more than 5 weeks late, it moves to "Billed Status". That means you will be charged to replace the item, like-for-like. There may be an additional admin charge, too.
• If you lose an item, you'll be charged the replacement cost and maybe an admin charge.
• If you return the billed book or lost item, you will not be charged to replace it and the bill will be removed from your library account.
• If you bring back any late or lost items or if you pay the charges, your library account block will be lifted.
• Students, staff, and visitors need to return all library items and pay any outstanding fines and charges before leaving the university or if library membership is expired.

Loans from NHS Libraries

If you are Nursing student on placement, you might want to use the Comet Library in the Luton and Dunstable hospital or the Whiteleaf library in Stoke Mandeville hospital. If you are late to return any items borrowed from these libraries, your University of Bedfordshire library account will be blocked until you bring the items back.

To make sure our libraries are safe and secure, we have a Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) system which Security staff monitor. We also have Security officers who routinely patrol our libraries.

University staff will follow health and safety guidelines to make sure our library environment is safe.

There's something you can do, too! Make sure you always:

• Keep your stuff with you. If it seems like items do not have an owner, they will be removed as we consider this a risk to our security.
• Come and tell us if you see anyone acting strangely or even suspiciously. You can talk to us at one of our Customer Services Desks, you can go to Study Hub or even one of the reception desks in the University buildings.

Fire Safety

If you hear the fire alarm or if there is an emergency, please leave the library immediately.

• Please follow any instructions given to you by library staff.
• It is very important that all students, staff, and visitors read the fire safety regulations displayed throughout our libraries.

Student welfare

• We understand that you might get tired from all that reading and studying! We would prefer you did not sleep in any of our libraries. If staff find you asleep, you'll be woken up and asked to go home.
• If you feel unwell or have an accident in the library, please tell a member of staff or ask another customer to help you get our attention.
• Visitors who are under 18 are not allowed in the library except as part of an organised school tour or Outreach activity. In the exceptional circumstance your child is with you, remain on the library ground floor. Library staff will offer assistance, where possible.
• Other than assistance dogs, no animals should be brought into the library.
• Please do not bring scooters into the library.

Our staff community

Our library staff are here to help students, staff and visitors get the best out of our services and resources.

We will make sure you feel understood. We want to resolve your enquiry quickly and definitely within our standard response time of 2 working days. In the unusual instance that it takes us a bit longer to get you an answer, we'll let you know so you're not left wondering.

Please treat staff, security and other library customers with respect and consideration. Our university community will not stand for any kind of abusive or unacceptable behaviour. The same goes within our libraries.

We investigate incidents of abusive behaviour, which may result in an immediate library written warning. You may even be referred under the University's Student Code of Conduct and Disciplinary Policy or relevant Human Resources (HR) policy.

If you are worried about something you have seen or heard that might be considered abusive or unacceptable, please come and talk to us.

Library spaces

There are many kinds of spaces in our libraries. To make sure you get the most enjoyment from our library, choose a space that's going to work well for you to learn and study best.

If you want to use the silent areas, we ask for just that – silence! If you cannot work silently Library staff or Security officer will ask you to move.

Please remember to respect other students, staff, and visitors when you use the library.

If you want to use a group study room, please follow our room bookings terms and conditions

In addition, Luton campus library have three teaching rooms on Level 1 and and Bedford has two teaching rooms on Level 3. Just so you know:

• These cannot be booked by students.
• Staff cannot book teaching rooms on behalf of their students.
• Teaching rooms can only be used by students between staff bookings and during Library staffed hours. Any students using the rooms cannot enter until Library Services staff arrive. Students will need to leave when Library Services staff finish their shifts for the day.

Noise

There are many open areas in our libraries, and we love to hear our university community learning or studying together. However, we need you to remember that:

• There must be silence in the silent study areas.
• Group study rooms should be used for group work and the terms and conditions followed.
• You'll be warned if you're making unnecessary noise that disturbs other students, staff, or visitors.

Eating and drinking

Students, staff, and visitors can eat cold food, and enjoy a cold or hot drink (if it has a lid) in our libraries. You can't eat frozen foods such as ice cream or lollies as that can get far too messy.

In Luton campus library, you can eat hot food in the café area on the ground floor. Here's a list of things to remember:

• You are not allowed to take hot food on to library floors for any reason.
• You absolutely cannot drink alcohol whilst in the library. If you are found drunk or under the influence of any drug you will be asked to leave straight away.
• Please ensure your hands are clean when using and library equipment or materials. If you choose to eat where you work, please use the recycling bins, and tidy up ready for the next student, staff member or visitor to use. Together, we can keep our library clean.

Smoking

You can't smoke or vape in any university building, including the library.

Filming in the library

It's great to get requests for our libraries to be the location for filming projects. Please just double check the following before you press, 'Record':

• Contact the Head of Library Services to ensure capacity (carly.ramirez-herelle@beds.ac.uk)
• On the day of filming, notify library staff that you are in the building.
• Conduct your own risk assessment.
• Do not create any trip hazards or block any fire exists.
• Do not film library customers without their written permission.
• Do not film in the silent area.

Audio equipment and audio-visual material

• If you are listening to something in your earphones, headphones, or earbuds, no one else should be able to hear it.
• Please don't play sound through any device that has a speaker and can be heard by others.

Only University of Bedfordshire staff and students can use the PCs and Macs in the library. They can't be reserved so it's first come, first served.

• If a PC is left logged on and unattended for more than 30 minutes, the PC will automatically log out. We advise you not to leave a PC logged on and unattended for any reason, as someone could gain access to your personal data, including printing credit information.
• We have laptops available for loan and are available for student use only. Please refer to the Library Laptop Loan Terms and Conditions for your campus for more information.
• Please see the University Network Acceptable Use
• Students, staff, and visitors are welcome to charge personal devices, but you are not allowed to lift floor plates to use power points.
• The library's electrical supplies should only be used for devices such as mobile phones, laptops, and notebooks. You are not allowed to plug in any other equipment like scooters, and vapes or appliances such as kettles, fans, or hairdryers.

GDPR and the UK Data Protection Act (2018) have strengthened privacy around how an individual's information can be used. Our Customer Standards and Behaviour guide follows with these regulations which are outlined by the university.

LLRI keep details of a breach of our Customer Standards and Behaviours policy for 10 years. This ensures that:

• Any outstanding fines or bills are paid.
• An application for Alumnus or visitor membership would not be processed for anyone with written warnings.

All students, staff and visitors must follow copyright law when they use:

1. Any library resource that is printed or digital.
2. Any library material that is covered within the terms of licences the university hold.

To make sure you are copyright compliant, an author/owner/creator's work cannot be used, unless:

• The work is being used solely to evidence your point.
• The work has been cited.
• The work is not being used to make money.
• Use must be "fair dealing".This means that any work you use must be for:
  • Research or private study
  • Critique, review, or quotation (likely in an assignment)
  • Reporting an event but this does not apply to photographs.

If any of this is confusing, please look out for the information posters near all Library printers. You can also book an appointment to speak to a Librarian. You can reach them at this email address: librarians@beds.ac.uk

It doesn't happen very often but if someone does not follow the Library's Customer Standards and Behaviours guidelines, there are things we do to help students understand the right thing to do.

We have agreed these with Student Experience, Student Services, and the Students' Union and are considered Stage One of the University's Student Code of Conduct and Disciplinary Policy.

A written warning is issued if someone does not follow the Library Customer Standards and Behaviours guidelines. This is a 3-part slip and shows:

• What happened
• The student's or visitors name and ID number
• The date and time of the incident

The LLRI team, Security, and the customer will each be given a copy.

Breaking the rules could include things like:

• Not following this standard of behaviour policy.
• Lending/borrowing ID.
• Talking in the silent areas after being asked to stop.
• Using abusive language or behaving aggressively.

Everybody has three strikes, which are given by a written warning. After this, the Head of Library Services will report you as needing to go through the University's disciplinary process. This is explained in the University's Student Code of Conduct and Disciplinary Policy.

1^st strike: This is given the first time the Customer Standards and Behaviours guidelines are broken. This is a one-week library account ban which means no loans, renewals, or reservations. We keep details of what happened on your library account for as long as your course at the university. If you would like, you can make an appointment to speak to a senior member of staff who will explain the three strikes and will consider lifting the library account ban earlier than one-week.

Visitors

External customers with a first strike will be banned from coming into the library for one week. If the library visitor can borrow items, this will also be banned for one week. Details of what happened are updated on the customer's library account and stay there for as long as the visitor is a member.

2^nd strike: This is given the second time the Customer Standards and Behaviours guidelines are broken. This is a two-week library account ban which means no loans, renewals, or reservations. We keep details of what happened on your library account for as long as your course at the university.

Visitors

External customers with a second strike will be banned from coming into the library for two weeks. If the library visitor can borrow items, this will also be banned for two weeks. Details of what happened are updated on the customer's library account and stay there for as long as the visitor is a member.

3^rd strike: This is given the third time the Customer Standards and Behaviours guidelines are broken. This is a three-week library account ban which means no loans, renewals, or reservations. We keep details of what happened on your library account for as long as your course at the university.

Visitors

External customers with a third strike will be banned from coming into the library for three weeks. If the library visitor can borrow items, this will also be banned for three weeks. Details of what happened are updated on the customer's library account and stay there for as long as the visitor is a member. Once their membership has ended, visitors will not be able to join the library again.

If what has happened is serious, external customers may go straight to a third strike.

4^th strike: If something happens for a fourth time, students will go to Adjudication for the second stage of the university's Student Code of Conduct and Disciplinary Policy.

Visitors

If an external customer gets a fourth strike, their membership will be taken away immediately, and they will not be able to appeal or apply for membership in the future.

If the customer is using our library after getting membership through the Sconul scheme, the home university will be informed.

If you would like to discuss these strikes or anything to do with these guidelines, you can come to the Customer Service desk in your library or you can e-mail Head of Library Services: carly.ramirez-herelle@beds.ac.uk

These guidelines should be read, and its use considered with reference to the following policies:

• Student Code of Conduct
• Student Complaints
• Code of conduct for employees (requires staff login) [PDF]
• GDPR
• Network Acceptable Use Policy
• Health and Safety policy statement of intent [PDF]
• Policy for Students Under the Age of 18 Years [PDF]

The following legislation is relevant to this policy:

• Equality Act 2010
• Data Protection Act 1998
• General Data Protection Regulation 2018
• Consumer Rights Act 2015
• Any subsequent relevant legislation or regulations

• Student Information Desk (SID)
• Student Engagement
• Students' Union
• Adjudication
• Security