Library User Regulations

Here we present our Library User Regulations: 

1. Access 

  1. The Peace Palace Library is accessible for all Visitors intending to use our collections and facilities for research. 
  2. Visitors need to carry a valid Photo ID-card (passport, EU ID-card/EU driver’s license) at all times. 
  3. By gaining access to the Library, you are accepting the House Regulations and commit yourself to following said regulations. See Point 6. 

2. Library Membership and Costs 

  1. When signing up, you will receive a personal Library account. 
  2. All Library users visiting the Peace Palace Library are required to have a personal Library Card. 
  3. The costs for Library Membership are €50,00 per year. 
  4. The Library reserves the right to change Membership fees and/or to adjust the pricing for our services. 

3. Signing Up and Details 

  1. By signing up for a Library Membership, you are accepting the requesting and lending regulations and commit yourself to following said regulations. See Points 4 and 5. 
  2. You commit yourself to inform us of any changes with your personal details. 

4. Requesting and Borrowing 

  1. Materials can be ordered through the Catalogue. 
  2. When collecting books, Library Users will need to show their Library Card.
  3. A User can order a maximum of 14 items.
  4. A User can borrow a maximum of 14 items.
  5. Journals, Reading Room materials, serials, and documents published before 1950 cannot be borrowed. These can only be consulted in the Reading Room at the Peace Palace Library.
  6. Materials with a publication date before 1850 can be requested at the Service Desk. These can only be consulted under supervision in the Reading Room at the Peace Palace Library.
  7. Requested materials will remain available for 7 days, calculated from the moment that it is ready for use.  
  8. The Library reserves the right to restrict the maximum number of publications that can be borrowed by Library Users at any given moment. 

5. Lending 

  1. The standard lending period is 2 weeks. 
  2. The lending period can be extended by the User 3 times x 2 weeks. 
  3. The lent materials need to be returned at the latest on the last day of the lending period. 
  4. The returning of material is possible at the Service Desk inside the Peace Palace Library. Returning books by mail is possible as long as they are properly prepaid, packaged and registered. The risk of sending books by mail is for the lending User. 
  5. Passing on lent materials to third parties is not permitted. 
  6. Library Users are responsible for the materials in their possession. 

6. House Rules 

  1. During each visit to the Peace Palace premises, the Security department will issue a visitor's pass for the Academy Building where the Library is situated. 
  2. This pass needs to be visible at all times during your visit. 
  3. When leaving the Peace Palace premises, the visitor's pass must be returned to Security.
  4. Writing in, damaging, or altering materials in any way is prohibited. 
  5. Bags and coats are to be stored in the cloakroom or in the lockers which can be found at the basement of the Academy Building. 
  6. The Library is not responsible for the personal property of Library visitors.  We recommend that visitors use the lockers in the cloakroom to store their belongings. 
  7. Visitors are welcome in our Reading Room, the Lounge of the Academy building, and the basement of the Academy Building.  Any other parts of the premises are off-limits to library visitors.
  8. Mobile phones, laptops, i-pads and other media carriers can be used inside the Reading Room but must be put on silent mode.
  9. Phone calls/Skype/Facetime etc. are not permitted within the Reading Room.  Any such calls may be taken in the study booths available upstairs.
  10. Visitors must be properly dressed. 
  11. Visitors under influence will be denied access. 
  12. Eating, drinking (except bottled water), or smoking in the Reading Room is not allowed.
  13. Disrupting the Visitors and Users of the Reading Room (or those in any other part of the Academy Building) will not be tolerated.

7. Online Content 

  1. Every Library Member can use the Peace Palace Library’s online content. The Peace Palace Library authorizes Users and monitors usage. Consultation of digital resources for which the Peace Palace Library supplies the authentication is limited to personal research. All usage for business and commercial goals is strictly forbidden.
  2. It is forbidden to download excessive amounts of documents. 
  3. In case of excessive downloading activities, one warning will be issued to the Member.
  4. Ignoring this warning will result in sanctions, see Point 8.
  5. Online content is available in the Reading Room and through remote access for Library Members.  The Member's username and password are strictly private, and it is not permitted to share the username and password with any third persons or parties.
  6. If the Peace Palace Library is to be prosecuted for abuse of the download facilities by Library Users, the Peace Palace Library will trace the User responsible and hold them liable for any damages.  Changes made and other infringements on licensed digital resources by end-Users harming the integrity of the data are illegal.

8. Fines and Sanctions 

  1. Violating the Lending or House Regulations will be met with sanctions or fines. 
  2. The policy regarding late book return is as follows:  

I) If a book has not been returned at the end of the loan period, the User will receive a reminder that the book must be returned.  

II) After 7 days, the User will receive a further reminder stating that if the book is not returned within 7 days, the User's account will be blocked and a fine will be imposed.  

III) 7 days after this, the User will be issued a final reminder, informed that their account has been blocked, and that a fine has been imposed. 

  1. After the second reminder, a fine of € 5,- for each overdue item will be issued to the User's account. 
  2. Handling a fine: the User contacts the Service Desk, returns the materials, and pays the fine.
  3. Payments at the Service Desk can only be done by card. 
  4. If the book has not been returned within four weeks of the final (third) reminder, the purchase price will be charged for each book, with a minimum of € 50. This means that for a book with a purchase value of € 25, € 50 will be charged. For a book worth € 200, € 200 will be charged. 
  5. In the case of lost or damaged materials, the replacement or repair costs will be issued to the User's account.
  6. The Peace Palace Library reserves the right to block the library card of any user violating the library regulations, temporarily or permanently.

9. Additional Regulations 

  1. The Peace Palace Library reserves the right to refuse visitors entrance to the Library without giving an explanation. 
  2. The Security department reserves the right to refuse visitors entrance to the Library without giving an explanation. 

10. Objections 

  1. In case of objections against issued fines and sanctions, Users can contact the Library Manager.
  2. A letter of objection must be submitted in writing (by letter or email) to: 
    Peace Palace Library 
    Library Manager 
    Carnegieplein 2 
    2517 KJ  The Hague 
    The Netherlands 
  3. A letter of objection needs to be sent within 4 weeks after the issuing of the sanctions and fines. Letters sent after these 4 weeks will not be taken into consideration. 
  4. The letter of objection must include: 
    - The User's information (full name, Library Card number, and address). 
    - Details of the sanction or fine to which the objection pertains.
    - Reasons for leniency in the case of said sanction or fine. 
  5. The Library Manager will take the complaint into consideration within 4 weeks and will respond to the complaint in writing, after which the objection will be accepted or rejected. 
  6. The decision of the Library Manager is final; there is no further process for appeal.