To use any of the Bonn City Library’s loan services you will need a library card, which can be obtained free of charge after registration.

The following documents are required:

Adults: valid ID or passport combined with official confirmation of residency or electronic residence permit. For a partner card, you may need additional documents such as a marriage certificate or official confirmation of your registered civil partnership (only required if you do not have a common domicile). Additionally, your signature on the registration form and permission to store your personal data are required.

Children and youth: valid ID or passport combined with official confirmation of residency or electronic residence permit of a legal guardian. In addition, his or her signature on the registration form and the permission to store the personal data are required. If they withdraw their consent, the City Library must be informed in writing.

The library card is non-transferable. In case of losing your card, please inform the City Library immediately in order to avoid misuse!

In case your address changes, please inform the City Library immediately in order to ensure you are receiving our letters.

Children under the age of 10 may borrow children’s media items free of charge. Kindergartens/schools/open all-day schools, young people between 11 and 17, and students over 18 may borrow all types of media items at no cost.

As a customer of the City Library you can decide between an annual or a 3-month-card. You may borrow as many media items as you wish within the selected time period. The maximum number of 100 items at the same time must not be exceeded. Furthermore, we offer a partner card for adults(married couples or people who live in a registered civil partnership or consensual union with a common domicile).

All fees must be paid promptly. If any outstanding charges, which have not been covered immediately, exceed the amount of 20 Euros, your library card will be blocked and the fees will be claimed based on a fee notification including a surcharge. Upon payment of all outstanding fees and replacement costs for media items, your library card will be reactivated.

• 14 weekdays: movies, music-CDs for adults, magazines, board and console games, CD-ROMs for children,
• 28 weekdays: books, notes, language courses, audio books, non-fiction CDs, music CDs for children, CD-ROMs for adults, comics/cartoons,
• 7 weekdays: e-videos,
• 21 weekdays: e-audios and e-books,
• Hourly or daily: e-papers and e-magazines.

You may extend the loan period for your media items twice. The new loan period begins on the day of extension. Please send your request for extension by post or e-mail before the original loan period expires. You can also extend your loan period yourself online. The request for extension may be refused, for example, if the respective media item has been reserved by another customer or your library card has been blocked. If you request an extension in writing, we will inform you by post or e-mail about the new loan period or, accordingly, the refusal. Late fees that may have incurred in the meantime must be paid upon return of the respective items.

You can:

• order media items, which are not on loan, from another branch free of charge.
• reserve media items, which are currently on loan. Reservation fees will incur after processing regardless of whether you will pick up the item or not.

Please check all receipts immediately and keep any documents received. In case of a false entry, please notify the City Library promptly, otherwise you assume liability.

Media items not in possession of the City Library can only be ordered through inter-library loan services. The fee for inter-library loans become due after ordering regardless of whether the item will be picked up or not and they can only be used at the premises of the City Library. You will be notified upon arrival of the media item you ordered. Inter-library orders exclude:

• deliverable items under 15 Euros,
• items which have been released the same year.

If you like, we can notify you by e-mail when:

• your loan period is ending
• your annual registration is expiring
• media items you have ordered/reserved have arrived
• your inter-library loan request has arrived or was unsuccessful
• your loan extension is ending
• an extension is not possible
• a new edition of our newsletter has been published.

This is a voluntary service of the city library without legal commitment. A guarantee for the delivery of the e-mail cannot be given.

Please check the state of borrowed books and other media items when they are handed over to you or immediately after receiving them. In case of any damages, you have to notify the City Library promptly, otherwise you are liable for detected defects upon returning them. During the loan period you are obliged to take proper care and protect from loss, contamination and damage, all items belonging to the City Library. You are held liable whether it is your own fault or incurred by others. Damages have to be paid in the amount of the costs for replacement or repairs. Additionally, you will have to cover a processing fee.

After reaching the time limit of your loan, daily late fees will incur per media item without prior notification. Sunday and public holidays are excluded. For each written reminder by letter or e-mail (after 4 and 8 days of exceeding the loan period) and overdue notice (after 24 days of exceeding the loan period), a general overdue fee will be charged.

On our website, you can find detailed information, the event calendar, opening hours and telephone numbers of the City Library. Furthermore, you have access to the following functions of the online catalogue of the City Library:

Without a customer card of the City Library:

• Catalogue research including information of location and availability of media items.

With a customer card of the City Library and password:

• Reservation of media items currently on loan. Upon return of these items you will receive a written notification that you can pick up the items at the branch office you selected during your search. Subject to fee!
• Ordering of media items not on loan from other branches. Upon delivery of these items you will receive a written notification that you can pick them up at the branch office you selected during your search.
• Extension of borrowed books provided that they have not been reserved by other customers and that your library card has not been blocked
• Borrowing of e-media items through online loan services
• Access to your personal account
• Change of personal password

The above mentioned functions - borrowing of e-media items excluded - can also be accessed by using our terminals available at all branch offices of the City Library. To receive a personal password you have to make a personal request at one of our branches.

The scale of fees of the Bonn City Library in its valid version
provides the basis for using the services of the City Library.