Loan and document delivery
The loan, consultation, booking and renewal services are dedicated toall registered users and provided under different conditions, criteria and modalities in relation to each user’s status. The loan of tablets, e-readers and e-books of the library is intended exclusively for the academic community
The library e-books may be searched and downloaded throughthe UniPa Discovery Service, except for more than 31.000 novels, handbooks and essay accessible logging in the Media Library Online (MLOL).
The library e-books may be used in different ways, according with the conditions set by publishers:
- Online consultation (streaming)
- Downloading on personal devices (permanent access to a personal copy)
digital lending, enabling to download the eBook, protected by DRM, on one’s personal device, for a limited period of time, through Adobe digital Editions.
The loan service is accessible to all registered users, accordingly with their status. Loans are related to books published after 1820, except for rare or poorly preserved documents, basic reference works (dictionaries, encyclopaedias, manuals, etc.) and journals. For further information on rare and early printed books and on books reserved for researchers, please refer to the online table.
Loan criteria for modern books
|
User’s status |
Number of books in a library |
Total number of books |
Loan duration |
Number of online renewals |
|
Students TFA trainees Erasmus students Alumni Administrative Staff |
10 | 20 | 10 days | 2 renewals |
| Undergraduates | 15 | 30 |
20 days
|
2 renewals |
|
Teachers Researchers Research fellows PhD Students University Hospital doctors |
10 |
70 (including books reserved for research) |
30 days | 2 renewals |
| Visiting students/professors | 6 | 15 | 7 days | 2 renewals |
| Outsiders | 3 | 4 | 7 days | 2 renewals |
The credentials obtained upon registration enable the access, logging in through the online library catalogue, to the section My library card, to check the reservation status know the deadline of current loans renew the loan
The renewal of a loan may be also asked remotely, contacting the library by phone, chat or e-mail. Undergraduates may take advantage of facilitated loan criteria, specific for their status, filling in the specific form, to be presented in the library.
The service is only available to institutional users of the University of Palermo, who have reached the age of eighteen and who have no expired loans at the time of requesting the use of electronic devices.
Users will be able to know, in real time, the availability of the library's tablets and e-readers by starting a search on theUniPa Discovery Service, using, alternatively, the keywords: Tablet, iPad, Kobo.
To use the devices, it is mandatory to make a reservation from the restricted area of the online library catalogue; the request implies, at the same time, the acceptance of the conditions of use establishedin the agreement between the parties.
Book reservation, renewal and return
Through the library’s book reservation service, users can save time at the front-office and they can also book in advance items which are being used by other people.
When, after searching the OPAC, you have selected an item for borrowing, you should login into the library system with your own credentials and confirm your request. Of course, it is still possible to make your book reservations directly at the front-office. You will get an e-mail for confirmation that your requested items are available. Your reservation expires after three working days.
Borrowed items must be returned to the library at the front-office, within the expiry date and during opening hours. To return books while the library is closed or has reduced opening hours, drop boxes and collection points are available.
If you wish to renew your borrowed items, first of all you need to access the online catalogue and login with your own credentials into your personal account in the library’s system. Enter “My library card”, then click on “loan”, select the item/items you wish to renew, and click on “renew”. The online system will set a new loan expiring date, provided a) that your request has been processed no later than the former expiration date at 1.00 pm and b) that meantime no other library user has reserved the same item. For item renewal, you can also use our remote services: just contact staff at UniPA libraries, by phone or by e-mail.
Users must know that late book returning involves penalties like the exclusion from book loan services for a period equivalent to the delay. In case you lose your borrowed item, you will be asked to buy a new copy from the same book issue (or from a more recent one) for its replacement in the library collections.
Loan between UniPa Libraries and remote venues
Institutional users may ask at the libraries of Palermo, Trapani and Agrigento, through the specific form, the activation of the loan service, consisting of the reception, at the libraries in the three University venues, of the books identified in the online catalogue, by shipping. The activation of the service must be requested to the staff of the relevant library.
Inter-library loan and document delivery
The document delivery enables you to obtain a printed or digital copy of articles in journals or parts of books which are not available in Unipa collections, possessed by other Italian or foreign libraries (in compliance with the current legislation on copyright law 633 of 22 April 1941 and subsequent amendments).
The service, normally free of charge, requires a reimbursement of expenses by the user in case it is necessary to use commercial channels or suppliers who carry out this paid service.
To use the service, after verifying that the document is not owned by the University libraries, the user can alternatively:
login on NILDE, through IDEM-GARR by entering institutional credentials (this network enables the automatic management of the service) and submit the online request;
go to the library and request the service;
send an email to the library.
To find out more about the methods and conditions of the service, visit the web pages of the individual libraries or request information through the chat of the collaborative digital reference service.
The inter-library loan enables you to receive books from external libraries, if not available in the UniPa bibliographic collections.
The service, in most cases, is subject to a fee and may include a contribution for shipping costs and a fee indicated by the receiving library.
Before making the request:
Check on UniPa Discovery Service the availability of the book, on paper or in digital format
Normally, it is possible to ask for a maximum of three books at a time. For more details on the service, it is advisable to check the websites of individual libraries.
The procedures for forwarding requests, pricing and service regulations are defined by the individual libraries.
Forgotten credentials
The User ID is the registration number: for students with a single leading zero, for teachers and employees without zero; for exteriors it is an alphanumeric code.
• To retrieve your OPAC access credentials or renew your subscription to the Catalogue, you can ask for assistance via the chat service.
• The "Ask a librarian" service is available on all libraries’ web pages.