I. Hours of Operation

Every Tuesday through Sunday 9:00am to 17:00pm (the library is not closed for lunch)
The library is closed on Mondays, election days and other national and cultural holidays.

II. Application for Library Card

To apply for a library card, Taiwanese citizens must bring their National ID Card, children must bring their Household Registration. Chinese citizens must bring their ARC Card. Foreign citizens of other countries must bring their Passport. All forms of ID mentioned above must be original copies.

An applicant needs to come to the library in person to apply for a library card. Those applicants who cannot come in in person should entrust an immediate family member or spouse to come to the library to apply for them (they need to show the National ID Cards and Household Registration of both parties).

A library card from our library can be used at all Hsinchu City municipal libraries. Each person is limited to one library card. If your library card is lost or damaged you should return to the original library where you applied for your card to apply for a replacement.

Readers who have lost their library card should first come to a municipal public library to report the lost card so that they can be issued a replacement and have their checkout ability restored. Readers will a damaged card should return the damaged card. When applying for a replacement card, the relevant forms of ID (mentioned in “Rule 1”) should be brought and a fee of NT100 will need to be paid.

Application for library card services end 1 hour before the library’s closing time.

III. Use of the Library Card

A library card may only be used by the owner or immediate family.

An individual may not apply for multiple library cards, and library cards may not be lent to others to use. If it is found that an individual applied for multiple cards, has let their card to others or has borrowed another’s card their library materials checkout rights will be canceled and will be dealt with according to the law. Any damages will be the responsibility of the original owner of the card. Those who are proven to have used someone else’s card under false pretenses must return all of the materials they checked out, and will have their checkout rights terminated.

Every library card can check out a limit of 10 items including books and back issue magazines. Each library card can check out a limit of 3 audio-visual items. The number of items that can be checked out on one card includes all items accumulatively checked out at any Hsinchu City municipal public library. Books and back issue magazines can be checked out for 21 days (including weekends and holidays) and can be renewed once. Audio-visual materials can be checked out for 7 days (including weekends and holidays) and can be renewed once (items may not be renewed if some has reserved them). The period of renewed checkout starts the day that the item is renewed. You may reserve up to 5 books or magazines, and 3 audio-visual items.

If a checked out book comes with additional items (such as cassette tapes or CD) you should check to make sure that the materials are correct.

The following library materials can only be used in the library and may not be checked out:
1. Rare books, bound books, hardcover books, manuscripts, books which are the only existing copy and out of print books.
2. Dictionaries, encyclopedias, almanacs, maps, charts and other reference books.
3. Local literature, current issue periodicals, newspapers and government (school) publications.
4. New books on display.
5. Comics, children’s books, picture books and other books labeled as use within the library only.

When checking out library materials you should make sure to check yourself if the materials have been torn, if there are circles or markings on the pages, if there are notes on the pages, if there are missing pages or stains, etc. and make register a statement with a library employee and have it stamped with the date in order to protect your rights.

The official date of return and number of library books and magazines (including accompanying CDs) returned via the book return box shall be according to the date and number of books that were checked and accepted by the library. Checked out items that were not checked and accepted shall be determined according to the library’s records (or computer display).

If the library urgently needs checked out library materials to be returned, you should return them within 3 days of being notified.

Checked out materials should bused according to the guidelines of the Copyright Law.

IV. Checkout Penalties

Checked out books (including magazines and audio-visual materials) that are late in being returned will result in a corresponding termination of checkout rights. For every day that an item is late in being returned the reader shall be penalized with one day of checkout rights suspension (checkout rights suspension including checking out materials, reserving materials and inter-library loan/transfer services), the time period of suspension is started the day after the materials are returned.

If books or audio-visual materials are lost, have had annotations made on them, have been marked on, damaged, cut or stained the borrower should purchase the same or a newer version of the same book or audio-visual materials and give them to the library as reparations

If the lost or damaged book or audio-visual item is part of a set that the book vendor does not individually sell, the reader must purchase the entire set themselves and give the missing or damaged book or audio-visual item of the set to the library. If the publisher no longer sells the book or item that is damaged or missing the reader should purchase an item of similar content that is equal to the price of the original item and give it to the library.

If books or audio-visual materials are taken out of the library without following the procedure outlined in these rules, other than returning the book, the offender will be dealt with according to the law, and their school or family will be notified.

V. Reserving Library Materials

Anyone with a library card from our library and a personal email address can arrange to reserve library materials.

To reserve library materials go to the website webpac.hcml.gov.tw, click on “library search” and search for the materials that you would like to reserve. We do not except reservations over the phone or through other methods.

Each library card may reserve 5 books (including magazines) and 3 audio-visual materials. Each library material can be reserved by up to 10 people.

Only those materials which are “already checked out” or “already reserved” may be reserved.

When a reserved book or material becomes available at the library we will notify you via email.

Readers who have reserved library materials should go to the “Check Personal Borrowed Materials” section of the website and check the status of their reservation.

Reserved books will be held for a maximum of 7 days, audio-visual materials for 4 days, starting from the day after the materials are returned to the library. After this time limit has passed the reservation is considered canceled. The time limit will be extended if the library is closed for holidays for the corresponding number of days.

If you would like to cancel your reservations before the reserved materials have arrived at the library you can go to the “Check Personal Borrowed Materials” section of the website, enter the “Personal Study” and cancel the reservations.

VI. Inter-Library Checkout and Return of Loaned Materials

1. Inter-Library Transfer and Checkout of Materials

i. Available for general library books with a status of “Normal” or “May be checked out” (does not include children’s books, magazines or audio-visual materials)
ii. Each library card my check out a limit of 4 books loaned from another library and the owner must have a personal email address to do so.
iii. To transfer a book between libraries log onto our website to specify which library you would like to pick the book up at. The libraries deliver the books every Thursday, and send out notification emails every Friday for readers to come pick up their books, the time limit for picking up books is the next Wednesday.
iv. Before the book is transferred the reader may cancel the transfer online. If there is a record of 3 or more instances in the last 6 months of a reader transferring books but not coming to pick them up their book transfer privileges will be suspended for a month.
v. If the reader comes to the library to pick up the transferred book they are given priority for checking it out.
vi. New books that have arrived at the library in the last 3 months may not be loaned between libraries.

2. Inter-Library Return

i. Books borrowed from municipal public libraries may be returned to other locations (includes children’s books, magazines and audio-visual materials).
ii. Overdue books can also but returned at different locations, but only after the suspension of checkout rights has passed can the reader checkout more books.

VII. Other

Clean and tidy clothes and shoes should be worn in the library. Visitors should keep a quiet and clean environment. No eating, drinking, chewing gum, chewing binlang, wearing slippers/flip-flops, playing or sleeping.

Bags (when not in the self-study room), drinks, pets, and dangerous items are not allowed within the library. Putting up advertisements or engaging in the sale of products is not allowed.

Please keep track of valuable and personal items (including books, book bags, hand-held bags, etc.) yourself. The library is not responsible for taking care of these items.

When you enter the library please put your cellphones or other communication devices on silent mode so as not to disturb other readers.

The various equipment of the library should be properly cared for. Damages to equipment need to be paid for by the user.

Touring visits of the library should be scheduled at least 3 days in advance via mail, telephone or email in order to arrange a tour.

When reading periodicals or newspapers in the library, please take one item at a time. When you are done using an item please put it back in its original place, give it to a library employ or put it in its specified place.

Seats cannot be saved in the library. Those who leave their seats for more than 30 minutes will have their use of the seat canceled by the library.

Those who have a record of 3 times of reserving materials and not picking them up will have their reserving rights suspended for 1 month starting the day after the 3rdoccurrence.

In the case of an emergency please follow the emergency situation or evacuation instruction of library employees.

Violations of the above rules will be dealt with according to the corresponding penalties. Those who are in violation of the rules and do not listen to council must immediately leave the library. For severe cases the police will be called to deal with the situation according to the law.