The Kainet libraries include the libraries of Hyrynsalmi, Kajaani, Kuhmo, Paltamo, Puolanga, Ristijärvi, Sotkamo and Suomussalmi. The Kainet libraries are open to all. The libraries’ collections, services and facilities are open to all who comply with the rules of use.

The rules of use contribute to the comfort, order and safety of the libraries. The rules of use are based on the Public Libraries Act (1492/2016) and are available in all Kainet libraries and in the web library at kainet.finna.fi.

User data protection

The Kainet libraries share a common library system. The library has the right to store the personal identity of the customer, his/her guardian and the person responsible for the customer community in its register.

The customer has the right to check what information about him/her is in the register (Data Protection Regulation 2016/679). Personal data can only be disclosed to the parties mentioned in the Privacy Notice. The privacy statement of the register is available in the libraries and the online library.

Library card and PIN code

A personal library card is required for most library services. You can obtain a library card by presenting a photo ID, a personal identity number and a valid postal address in Finland. Children under 15 years of age can obtain a library card with the consent of their guardian. The first library card is free of charge.

A day-care centre, school, company or other organisation can obtain a community card, for which a contact person is required. The community card is the responsibility of the community using the card.

Any loss of a library card or change of name or contact details must be reported immediately to the library. This also applies to the community card. A library card that has been reported lost cannot be used for borrowing.

To use some library services, such as renewing loans in the web library or using the self-service libraries, you need an PIN code in addition to the card. You can obtain a PIN by presenting your library card and proving your identity. You will not be given an ID number by e-mail or telephone.

Borrowing, returning and renewal

To borrow library material, you need a library card, which can also be used as a mobile card on your phone. Libraries respect the legal age limits for films and games.

The loan period varies according to the material. For loan periods, please see the end of the rules of use. You can check the due date on your loan receipt or by logging into the Kainet web library. Exceptions to the normal loan period may be made depending on the cooperation agreement or the type of service (e.g. home service, schools, kindergartens, mobile library). It is possible to receive an advance notice of the loan due date by e-mail 1-5 days before the due date. The maximum number of loans per individual customer at any one time is 100. Loans can be renewed five times. Reserved material cannot be renewed.

The loan must be returned or renewed by the due date, even if no advance warning of the expiry date has been received. The library is not responsible for the receipt of notices of due date.

Loans may be returned to any Kainet library. Exceptions are interlibrary loans and objects. They must be returned to the library from which they were borrowed. It is the customer’s responsibility to return the items, and you can check your own loans either in the online library or with library staff. Items left in the return hatch or box will be marked as returned on the next day the library is open. Overdue items will be charged a late fee in accordance with the price list.

Reservations and interlibrary loans

Reserving material from Kainet libraries is free of charge. It is not necessarily possible to reserve all items, such as short loans or objects. When the reserved material is available for collection, you will receive an arrival notification. The reservation must be collected within 7 days of the date of dispatch of the arrival notification. If the reservation is not picked up or cancelled in time, an uncollected reservation fee will be charged.

If the required material cannot be found in the Kainet libraries’ collections, it can be interlibrary loaned from elsewhere in Finland or abroad. Interlibrary loans are subject to the terms and conditions of the lending library outside Kainet. Interlibrary loan fees are charged by the municipality.

Charges and reminders

The use, loan, reservation, guidance and advice of the libraries’ own resources is free of charge. The library sends reminders for unreturned material. The first reminder is sent one week after the due date and the second one three weeks after the due date. Reminders are subject to a fee, regardless of the method of dispatch.

Overdue material must be returned to the library and the accrued fees paid. Items may also be renewed, provided the fees do not exceed the limit of the lending ban. If the material is lost or damaged, it must be replaced. The material can be replaced by either obtaining the corresponding material for the library or by paying the required compensation. The replacement price is based on the purchase price and the age-related value of the material. You can pay the compensation to the library or by invoice. The invoice may be subject to a municipal surcharge.

For copyright reasons, films cannot be replaced by the corresponding recordings, but will be replaced at a replacement price based on the library’s acquisition price.

There is no late fee for children’s and young people’s material.

Billing

If the borrowed material is more than two months (56 days) overdue, an invoice will be sent to the customer. For customers under 15 years of age, the invoice will be sent to the guardian.

Once the material is invoiced, it can no longer be returned to the library and payment must be made using the details on the invoice. An additional collection fee will be charged for any unpaid invoice that has been referred for collection. Collection methods vary from municipality to municipality.

Loaning ban

Payments over €15 will automatically trigger a no-loan policy. The customer will be entitled to borrow money back when he pays the accumulated fees.

Library premises and access ban

The public library is a public place under the Public Order Act. Use of the public areas must not interfere with other library activities, patrons or users, and must not be in conflict with Finnish law or contrary to good practice. The organisation of activities that violate the principles of equality and non-discrimination is prohibited in the library. The organisation of an event that may be interpreted as a public event requires permission from the library to use the premises. The organiser of the event must have a person in charge.

If a library user repeatedly and significantly disrupts the library’s activities, behaves in a disruptive or threatening manner, endangers safety or damages library property, he or she may be banned from using the library for a maximum of 30 days. Library staff have the right to ask a disruptive patron to leave the library and must comply immediately.

An administrative decision will be taken on the ban, which the banned person may appeal against in accordance with the Municipal Act. In each municipality of Kainuu, the authority to which the ban has been imposed in the municipality decides on the ban. A banned customer may not visit a library for which he or she has been banned.

Self-service library

You can visit the library outside normal opening hours. You can access the library by logging in with your library card and PIN code. The library-specific rules for the self-service libraries can be found on the library website and in the Kainet web library.

Loan periods and charges

Loan periods

• General loan period 4 weeks
• Magazines, console games, works on hold and video recordings 2 weeks
• Short loans and objects 1 week

Short loans and objects cannot be reserved or renewed.

Common charges for Kainet libraries

• Non-picked reservation 3,00 €
• 1st reminder 3,00 € sent one week after the due date
• 2nd reminder 3,00 € sent 3 weeks after the due date
• Library card 3,00 € (to replace lost card) new customer 0 €
• Late fee 0,20 € /day/loan, maximum 6,00 € /loan
• Late fee for short loan 1,00 € /day/loan, maximum 6,00 € /loan

Other charges, such as inter-library loans, photocopies and billing surcharges, are municipal. They can be found on the libraries’ websites and in the Kainet web library.

 

The rules of use have been discussed at the Kainet management group meeting on 25.2.2025. The rules will be in force until further notice from 15.5.2025.

Approved by the Sotkamo Municipal Board of Education at its meeting on 20.03.2025. The terms of use are valid until further notice.

A personal library is an additional service offered alongside the basic library services. A self-service library is a library space where a system is installed to enable patrons to use the library on their own. The library’s normal patron facilities are available to customers. During self-service hours, the security of the library is monitored by recording camera surveillance and access control, which constitute a personal register as defined in the Data Protection Act (1050/2018). The data controller is the municipality of Sotkamo.

All persons aged 15 or older who have a library card and an associated PIN code in the Sotkamo library’s customer register are automatically customers of the self-service library. The PIN code is the same as the one used in the online library and at the self-service kiosk. The library card and access are personal.

Library staff will guide you in using the self-service library during normal service hours. There is no customer service during self-service hours.

Signing in and out

During self-service hours, you can enter the library with a valid library card and PIN code. Each customer must log in with their own library card and PIN code. There is a sign-in unit on the left of the main entrance, where a barcode reader is used to read the library card with the barcode facing upwards and enter the PIN code. The door opens electronically, and the system takes a picture of the customer and stores the login information in the library’s database. The customer must ensure that no unauthorised persons enter the library at the same time as opening the door. The customer must also ensure that the door is locked when entering and leaving the library. Check-in during self-service hours is not possible if the customer’s library card is not valid.

Children under 15 years of age may enter the library with their guardian. The guardian is responsible for the behaviour of all minors who enter the library with him/her.  If a patron under the age of 15 wishes to have his or her own access to the self-service library, a written request for access must be made by the guardian. In such cases, the parent or guardian must visit the library in person and provide proof of identity. The guardian must familiarise him/herself and the children with the library’s facilities and security before the children use the facilities on their own.

Community customers, such as daycare groups and school classes, can acquire a community card, allowing the whole group to log in with the same community card. The community card must have a contact person who is responsible for the group’s activities in the library premises. The contact person will register with the library when the card is issued.

Announcements are made in the library about the start and end of the self-service period and the presence of staff. At the end of self-service hours, customers must leave the library immediately, as the library’s burglar alarm is activated. If the customer remains in the room, an alarm will be triggered, for which the municipality of Sotkamo will charge the customer according to the costs incurred. The library has a security guard service.

What you can do in the library during self-service time

During self-service hours, you can pick up your reservations, borrow and return material with the self-service kiosk, read magazines, spend time and work. The library’s computers and wireless network are available for patrons’ use. When returning items, they are sorted according to the machine’s instructions, either in the box next to the machine or on the adjacent return shelf. If for any reason the return of the material is not possible, the customer is responsible for the material borrowed until it is properly returned. Any problems with computers and other equipment can only be resolved during normal service hours when staff are present.

The first patron in the morning may, if they wish, collect the morning newspapers from the library mailbox located on the wall on the side of the library building.  Newspapers can be placed in the newsroom: the newest newspaper on the locker door and older newspapers in the locker. The latest issue of periodicals (barcode-free) cannot be borrowed, even for the night.

Customer responsibility

The actual library’s terms of use are also in force during the library’s self-service hours. The customer is liable for any material damage caused by him/her. Damage compensation is governed by the Damages Compensation Act (412/1974). The library is a public space subject to the Public Order Act (612/2003). Under the Public Order Act, it is also forbidden in the library to, among other things:

• the use of intoxicants
• disturbing the peace, e.g. by making noise
• threatening another person, either physically or verbally.

Each user has a responsibility to contribute to the common cleanliness, comfort and safety of the library. Consideration for other library users ensures a common sense of well-being. Behaving properly, keeping the library tidy, and giving others the freedom to read is in the interest of all patrons. Violations of the library’s terms of use and the Public Order Act may result in a temporary ban from the self-service library. If necessary, violations will be reported to the police. In the case of minors, the library will contact their guardian.

In the event of problems relating to the property, the municipal caretaker’s hotline number is 044 750 2752. In case of emergency, call the public emergency number 112.

 

Sotkamo Municipality/Education Board 31.10.2024