Università
della
Svizzera
italiana
Academy
of
architecture
Library

Regulations

Section I General

 

Art. 1 Legal basis
In accordance with art. 20 par. 3 of the Statute of the Università della Svizzera italiana, the present Regulations applies to the services of the Università della Svizzera italiana Libraries (hereafter BiUSI).

 

Art. 2 Purposes and objectives

  1. The BiUSI, located in Lugano and Mendrisio, are scientific libraries in charge with the organization of library materials related to the subjects studied at the University (books, journals, e-resources, etc.).
  2. The BiUSI provide instructions for the use of library resources and support the development of Information Literacy, in accordance with University learning objectivess.
  3. The BiUSI collect, record and preserve materials and strive to assist users with the most appropriate means.
  4. The BiUSI are in charge with the institutional digital library and provide assistance to faculty with regards to the f publication and circulation of their research work.
  5. The BiUSI maintain relationships with other similar institutions at a local and international level.

 

Section II Services and admission

 

Art. 3 Admission and membership

  1. Access to BiUSI Libraries is free. Special conditions may apply.
  2. Library services are available to users who own a library card, in relation to a swisscovery account, which requires a Switch edu-ID. Each user must create their own account.
  3. Library membership entails the acceptance of SLSP (Swiss Library Service Platform) regulations. The borrowing of items from SLSP affiliated libraries entails the acceptance of the lending library regulations, regardless of the pick-up location.
  4. The card is issued for free by the Library.
  5. Other Bibliopass library cards, as well as student or staff cards issued by other Universities, may be used as BiUSI cards.
  6. The library card is for personal use only and cannot be used by third parties. The owner is responsible for items on loan and fines.

 

Art. 4 Data collection and protection

  1. The following mandatory personal information is collected during the creation of a Switch edu-ID: last name, first name, date of birth, postal address, e-mail address and phone number. Patrons may add other information in order to personalize their profile, such as matriculation number, gender, preferred language, academic affiliations.
  2. Personal information is recorded in the cloud infrastructure managed by the Ex-Libris Alma application, for all libraries that are members of the swisscovery SLSP service. Information is used internally for the provision of services and is not shared with any third parties.
  3. Users can access their personal information at any time through the Switch interface for the Switch edu-ID service.
  4. The BiUSI can access the information related to user library profiles and library transactions at any time.
  5. BiUSI user library profiles and library transactions are not shared with any third parties.

 

Art. 5 Change to personal data
Any change to personal information, postal address, e-mail address or phone number should be immediately recorded on the Switch interface for the Switch edu-ID service.

 

Art. 6 Services
The BiUSI provide users with a range of services, such as the reference service, book lending – except for non-borrowable items –, the interlibrary loan service etc.
Each service has its own regulation, as explained in the related service chart.

 

Art. 7 Opening hours
Libraries opening hours are available at the libraries and relevant websites. Opening hours are subject to changes.

 

Section III Duties and obligations

 

Art. 8 Assistance
The Library provides assistance to users, both on site and remotely. Users may suggest purchase of books or other materials in writing, as described in the attached forms.

 

Art. 9 Borrowing

  1. Only authorized items may leave the premises.
  2. Items must be returned by the due date and in the same conditions as when borrowed.
  3. c. Late returns are subject to fines and penalties. Users with unpaid fines may have their borrowing privileges suspended and may incur in administrative fees (see the Implementing regulations for the Academy of architecture Library)

 

Art. 10 Rules of conduct
Users must not cause disturbance to others in the library.
Smoking, consumption of food and beverages and the use of mobile phones are prohibited on the premises.

Users who fail to comply with library rules may be requested to leave the premises.

 

Art. 11 Facilities
The use of BiUSI facilities is subject to approval and regularly monitored. Users are liable for any damage caused to facilities due to unauthorized use.

 

Art. 12 Exceptions
Under particular circumstances, the BiUSI Managment may grant exceptions to the current regulations.

 

These Regulations have been drawn up in Italian. A non-legally binding English translation has been provided for information purposes only. The Italian version shall prevail over the English translation. Lugano/Mendrisio, 04.12.2020

Università della Svizzera italiana Libraries (BiUSI) Regulations
Access to the library Access to the library for the consultation of bibliographic documents is free; most of the material is located on open shelves and directly available to the readers.
Services are available to University faculty and students, as well as to external readers, provided they are registered users (see. Art. 3 Admission and membership of the Università della Svizzera italiana Libraries (BiUSI) Regulations)
Internet access The library grants its readers free internet access for research and documentation purposes.
limitations for underage youths Readers under 14 may access the internet only if accompanied by a person of age.
Readers between 14 and 18 may access internet individually only if a parent or a tutor has signed, appearing in person, the specific declaration of authorization.
Only the parents or the tutor – not the library and its staff – are responsible for the information retrieved on the internet by their child or by the underage youths in their custody.
terms of use Readers are bound to employ the available equipment in an appropriate way, respecting the educational and informative purposes for which they are meant.
The following practices are specifically forbidden:
  • attempts to violate the security of local and remote computer systems
  • attempts to damage or modify the hardware or software of any computer, network or database
  • the use of unauthorized accounts, access codes and IP numbers
  • the violation of any software's license conditions
  • the violation of the privacy of third parties
  • attempts to unduly access any file belonging to third parties
  • the unauthorized copy of copyrighted material
  • the installation of any software or part of it
  • any violation of Netiquette
  • harassments to third parties
wi-fi network Readers who own a laptop or any other mobile device may register for the "USI Guest" network themselves and enjoy an unlimited connection.
Library card The reader card is free for all users. All Bibliopass circuit cards are valid.
Copies Readers having access to library services may reproduce texts for research purposes and within the application of copyright laws, by means of the equipment at their disposal. Library documents shall only be reproduced with panoramic scanners
The library’s staff will evaluate the opportunity of reproducing particularly fragile, rare or expensive documents, and possibly perform the reproduction.
Reproductions must be executed with care and attempting not to damage or modify in any way the state of the material and the equipment.
Information and reference The information and reference service assists the reader in his/her research and in handling documentary resources, whether print or online.
The library staff helps the reader to determine the most appropriate search strategies, and to find and retrieve relevant sources.
Opening hours During semesters:
Monday to Friday : 09:00-20:00
Saturday : 10:00-17:00
variations Occasional variations of opening hours in connection to openings between semesters, holidays, or specific events are announced on the library website and on printed notifications inside the library.
specific services On weekdays, from 18:30 to 20:00, the information and reference service is reduced, since auxiliary staff is employed.
Documents kept in storage outside the library and requested on Fridays after 16:00 and on Saturdays, will be delivered the following Monday.
Requests and bookings Requested documents must be collected within 7 days. Failing to collect will result in a CHF 5.- fine per document.
Consultation of special collections Documents in special collections can be requested via Reperio to be consulted by appointment in the reading room.
Graphic and photographic collections cannot be requested via Reperio, and have to be consulted by appointment.
special regulations The special collections and their consultation are subject to a separate set of regulations.
Home loan Library users are allowed to borrow up to 100 documents.
conditions
General collection Sala 3
Sala 4
  • Loan: 28 days, renewable
  • Second copies, books published <1950 or other exceptions: no loan
    Exception: USI faculty and staff 7 days
Special collections Sala 5
antique collections
antique rare documents
antique journals
  • Not loanable except for exceptional permission by the library direction.
  • Consultation inside the library, on request (according to the separate set of regulations.)
Sala 2
rare modern documents
  • Not loanable except for exceptional permission by the library direction.
  • Consultation inside the library, on request
Personal libraries Sala 1
Sala 2
  • Loan: 7 days, renewable
  • Documents <1950, copies with notes/dedications, journals: no loan
    Exception: USI faculty and staff 7 days
Journals collection Loggiato 1-5
  • No loan
    Exception: USI faculty and staff 7 days
renewals Loans are automatically renewed five times at the due date, provided no other user placed a reservation on the document. In that case, the due date can no longer be postponed.
ritardi
Notification Days (of opening) Fine amount
14 and 28 days loans Courtesy letter 1 day after due date -
1st reminder 6 days after the courtesy letter CHF 5.00 / document
2nd reminder 6 days after the 1st reminder + CHF 5.00 / document
3rd reminder 6 days after the 2nd reminder + CHF 10.00 / document
(TOTAL: CHF 20.00)
7 days loans Courtesy letter 1 day after due date -
1st reminder 3 days after the courtesy letter CHF 5.00 / document
2nd reminder 3 days after the 1st reminder + CHF 5.00 / document
3rd reminder 3 days after the 2nd reminder + CHF 10.00 / document
(TOTAL: CHF 20.00)
1 day loans Courtesy letter 1 day after due date -
1st reminder 1 day after the courtesy letter CHF 5.00 / document
2nd reminder 1 day after the 1st reminder + CHF 5.00 / document
3rd reminder 1 day after the 2nd reminder + CHF 10.00 / document
(TOTAL: CHF 20.00)
"Same day" loans (until end of day) Courtesy letter NO COURTESY LETTER -
1st reminder 1 day after the due date CHF 5.00 / document
2nd reminder 1 day after the 1st reminder + CHF 5.00 / document
3rd reminder 1 day after the 2nd reminder + CHF 10.00 / document
(TOTAL: CHF 20.00)
After a 4th reminder, USI affiliates' IT accounts will be blocked.
losses and damages In case of loss or damages to the borrowed documents readers are bound to their compensation. The library informs readers about the amount due. The amount will be payed cash at the loan desk. Readers are not allowed to borrow documents until full payment. The original price of the lost document will be increased by CHF 20.- to cover administrative costs. In case of out-of-print documents the compensation will be determined by the library board.
Interlibrary loan (ILL) Documents not owned by the library may be requested from other Swiss or foreign libraries through ILL. Readers may also request copies of articles if the corresponding issue is not available in the library
charges The following charges apply:



USI Academic staff / Administrative staff / Students

Document from

Monographs

Photocopies

Ticino
(SBT)

Free

Free

Switzerland
(swisscovery or not)

Free

Free

Other

Actual expenses incurred

Actual expenses incurred

External patrons

Document from

Monographs

Photocopies

Ticino
(SBT)

Free

Free

Svizzera
(swisscovery or not)

CHF 8.-

CHF 10.- every 20 pagine (or fraction)

Other

Actual expenses incurred

Actual expenses incurred


Readers need to pay the applicable charges when collecting the documents.
document withdrawal Requested documents must be collected within seven days from arrival date: uncollected documents will be fined 5.- CHF each, and postal charges will be added (minimum 6.- CHF).
Implementing regulations for the Academy of architecture Library