Opening times
Small building of RaRa, Narva mnt 11
Mo–Fri 10–20, Sat 12–19, Sun closed
RaRa embassy in Solaris
Mo–Sun 10–19
Rules for users of the National Library of Estonia
Approved by the Supervisory Board of the National Library of Estonia, decision No 1-1/13 of 12 December 2023.
- GENERAL PROVISIONS
1.1. The Rules for Users of the National Library of Estonia (hereinafter Rules for Users) have
been established under subsection (1) of section 7 of the National Library of Estonia Act and
set out the bases of and procedure for the registration as a user, organisation of the use of
services and collections, internal rules, and the responsibility of a registered user.
1.2. The National Library of Estonia (hereinafter Library) provides a public service in
accordance with its tasks.
1.3. The use of the Library’s items and databases is free of charge; other services may be
charged with a fee according to the price list of services. - REGISTRATION OF USERS
2.1. A person may register oneself as the user of the Library on site or by submitting the
registration application on the web or via digital services. For on-site registration, the
applicant has to produce a valid identity document with a photograph or a student card.
2.2. On the registration application, the applicant shall submit their first name and surname,
personal identification code, postal address, telephone number, email address and, optionally,
indicate their areas of activity and interest and whether they wish to subscribe for the
Library’s newsletter.
2.3. In order to use the services of the Library for the Blind, a certificate of the disability,
disorder or illness preventing the reading of printed text, or a copy thereof is required.
2.4. The user must notify the Library of the changes of their data or update their data
themselves on the Library’s home page or in digital services.
2.5. On the registration application, the user shall confirm with their signature that they accept
the terms and conditions of the Rules for Users of the Library. - PROCESSING THE PERSONAL DATA OF USERS
3.1. The personal data of registered users and of persons authorised by them shall be
processed in accordance with the Pesronal Data Protection Act and the Regulation (EU)
2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection
of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of
such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation) and in
compliance with the Library’s procedure for processing personal data.
3.2. When providing services to visually impaired persons, their personal data shall be
processed pursuant to documents specified in clause 3.1. and to subsection 25(4)3 of the
Copyright Act. - USE OF SERVICES
4.1. Registered users may avail themselves of all the Library’s services.
4.2. In order to use the services of the Library for the Blind, a certificate referred to in clause
2.3. is required.
4.3. Authorised workstations enable to read legal deposit copies of e-books and items with
restricted access which has been determined by publishers. Authorised workstations lack
network access and recording or printing facilities.
4.4. The Library’s computer workstations are meant primarily for study and research. The use
of computer workstations is governed by the Rules for using computer workstations and
wireless data networks (Wi-Fi), approved by the decree of the Director General of the
Library. - LENDING OF ITEMS
5.1. Home lending is available to registered users.
5.2. To give the home lending right to a person under the age of 18, the parent or guardian
(hereinafter Parent) must give their written consent for this. The consent is formalised once
and is valid until the person turns 18 years old. The consent may be submitted on site in the
Library or digitally signed and submitted on the web.
5.3. A registered user has the right to authorise other persons to borrow items on their behalf
on the basis of an unattested written authorisation.
5.4. Users may borrow for home lending up to 30 (thirty) items at a time.
5.5. Books, serials, items of printed music and CDs published since 1918 and holding the
status „Available“ in the online catalogue ESTER are permitted to be lent home.
5.5.1. The loan period for books and serials is up to 30 days, for printed music items – up to
three months. If there is no demand for the items, the loan is renewable up to three times.
5.5.2. The loan period for CDs and audiovisual documents from the Austrian, German and
Swiss collections is 14 days, the loan cannot be renewed.
5.5.3. The loan period for audio books, printed books and e-books of the Library for the Blind
is 30 days. The loan period for tactile books and films with descriptive translation is 14 days,
and the loan period for books in Braille is 60 days.
5.6. In reasoned cases and with the consent of the Keeper of Collections, legal persons may
borrow the Library’s items and works of art on the ground of a guarantee letter. An instrument
of lending the items shall be prepared to formalise the loan.
5.7. Registered users may also request items and copies of articles not available in the Library
from other libraries in Estonia and abroad via the interlibrary loan (ILL) service.
5.8. A registered user of the Library for the Blind has the right to order up to 5 non-returnable
audio books and up to 5 non-returnable e-books within 2 weeks.
5.9. It is strictly forbidden for readers to pass on items of the Library for the Blind (audio
books) to other persons, to copy, distribute, publicly perform, lend or sell them without
permission. Harming the interests of the book’s copyright holder is punishable under civil or
criminal law. - COPYING
6.1. Without the authorisation of the author and without payment of remuneration, copying of
items and printed music protected by copyright is permitted only for private use and study or
scientific research purposes in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act.
6.2. Personal devices are allowed for making copies of items and printed music.
6.3. The copying of items and printed music is governed by the Instructions for copying items
in the collections of the National Library of Estonia. - USE OF E-PUBLICATIONS AND LICENSED DATABASES
7.1. While using e-publications and licensed databases, the conditions of use for each
publication or database shall be adhered to. Works protected by copyright may be accessible
at the Library’s computer workstations or only at authorised workstations that lack network
access and copying facility.
7.2. If the e-publication is not provided with a notation about the conditions of its use, the
publication is available only for private use and study or scientific research purposes in
accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act. - RESPONSIBILITY OF LIBRARY VISITORS
8.1. The visitors of the Library are responsible for the preservation of any item, device or
other property they use and for the legitimate use of works, and are obliged to compensate for
the damage caused to the Library by non-compliance with the above-mentioned requirements.
Damage caused by a person under the age of 18 shall be compensated for by the Parent.
8.2. Damaged or unreturned item shall be replaced with the same item or compensated for in
the value as determined by the Library.
8.3. Upon failure to return the borrowed item by due date, the Library shall send the user
repeated reminders to return the item.
8.4. Where three months have passed from the due date and the item has not been returned, an
electronic precept shall be issued to the user, requiring to return the item within one month or
compensate for its value. The reminders and precept shall be issued in electronic format and
delivered to the user at the email address indicated in the users database. In case the user is
under the age of 18, the copy of the precept shall be sent to the Parent or Guardian.
8.5 For the collection of debts, the Library has the right to involve legal persons providing
debt collection services if, after receiving an injunction, the item is not returned within one
month or if the harm caused by damaging the item or other property has not been
compensated for by the deadline.
8.6. The user may neither order or borrow new items nor renew the loans of the borrowed
items until the debt is settled.
8.7 The rule of compensating does not apply on registered users of the Library for the Blind. - INTERNAL RULES IN THE LIBRARY BUILDING AND READING AREA
9.1. The opening hours of the Library shall be established by the decree of the Director
General of the Library.
9.2. Intoxicated visitors or visitors under the influence of psychotropic substance and/or
wearing visibly dirty clothes and/or having serious problems with personal hygiene shall not
be admitted to the Library’s building (hereinafter Building).
9.3. Entry to the Building on roller skates, skateboard or bicycle and bringing animals (except
for guide dogs for the blind), weapons, ammunition, explosives, inflammable substances, or
smeary or foul-smelling objects to the Building is not allowed.
9.4. Smoking is forbidden in the Building.
9.5. The Library assumes no responsibility for any personal belongings left unattended.
9.6. Entry in, departure from and compliance with the internal rules in the Building is
supervised by the security service. In the case of suspicion, the security staff retains the right
to search the personal belongings brought by the visitor upon entering, remaining within and
leaving the reading area, and the visitor is obliged to allow the search.
9.7. Visitors are not allowed to breach public order and violate the norms of customary
practice and good manners in the Library’s premises. - RESTRICTION ON THE RIGHT TO USE THE LIBRARY
10.1. If the Library has established that a user has repeatedly and intentionally violated the
Rules for Users and/or removed or attempted to remove, without authorisation, any item,
device or other property, the Library retains the right to impose an interim restriction on the
right of the user to use the Library for up to six months.
10.2. The Director of Library Services shall decide on and formalise in writing the restriction
on the right to use the Library and the term of the restriction, taking into account the gravity
of the violation and the related circumstances.
10.3. The user retains the right to contest the decision by filing a challenge with the Director
General of the Library within five days as of the day following the day of receipt of the
decision.