Appropriate use of the Reading Room

• Rules governing the  consultation of special collections (manuscripts, old collections, archive documents and valuable items)
• Opening hours of service:
• Winter season opening times (from 16th September to 15th June inclusive).
• Mornings: Monday to Thursday 8.30 to 15.00. Afternoons 16.00 to 18.30.  Fridays, mornings only from 8.00 to 15.00.
• Summer season opening times (from 16th June to 15th September inclusive): Monday to Friday mornings only 8.00 to 15.00
• Collections in use must be returned 15 minutes before closing time.
• Requests to copy material must be made at least half an hour before closing.
• Users of the Reading Room must be in possession of a valid CSIC Library and Archive Network User card. These are virtual cards that identify authorised users who have been granted the use of services of all libraries within the Network. In order to obtain a user card, the applicant must visit the library in person, presenting a valid identity card or passport. The range of permissions varies in accordance with the type of user.
• Access to the Reading Room is restricted to persons that wish to make use of library collections and services.  The Library cannot be used for any other reason.
• Under no circumstances may external users remove collections from the library, except in exceptional cases subject to prior authorization.  Removal of materials to different departments or offices must be carried out by library staff, a rule that also applies in the case of interlibrary loans to other libraries. Take home loans are not permitted.
• Unauthorized entrance to library depositories or the functions room is not permitted. Requests to use any collection must be made to library staff.
• Users must prioritize the care of any item provided, given that in many cases, the material concerned may be unique and impossible to replace.  Care must be taken in the use of any collection: writing on or leaving books open on the table is not permitted.
• In the interest of safety and hygiene, smoking or the consumption of any type of food or drink is not permitted in the Reading Room.
• On entry to the Reading Room, users must leave any satchels, cases or bulky handbags in the designated cupboard. Personal effects on tables are limited to pencils, sheets of paper and laptop computers.
• The Library does not accept any responsibility for the loss or disappearance of personal belongings brought to the premises.
• The use of laptop computers is permitted, but PCs cannot be set up on tables.
• In the interest of creating an adequate working environment, users must strictly observe the rule of silence, limiting consultations and conversations to the essential minimum. The use of radios is only permitted with headphones and only when no other readers are present, a rule that also applies to adjoining stairways and rooms.
• The use of mobile telephones is not permitted inside the Reading Room and must be disconnected on entry.
• The use of library computers is restricted to authorized websites and may not be used to consult emails, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
• CD-ROMs, disquettes, or pen drives, not belonging to the library, cannot be brought into the library without permission and must undergo an antivirus check.
• Copying by mechanical means of books from inter-library loans, doctoral thesis or unpublished research work deposited at the library is not permitted. This rule also applies to old items, which due to their rarity, may deteriorate on handling. The Library Service may authorize the copying of such documents by other means.
• Suggestions, complaints, rectifications, etc. may be made directly on the forms available to such an effect in the Reading Room, or using the “Suggestions“ icon on the Library Webpage.
• Users that consider a book to be wrongly classified or to be in poor condition, may propose its revision or rebinding, by handing the book to the member of staff in attendance at Reading Room.
• Non-compliance to any of these regulations may result in expulsion from the Reading Room. Continuous reoccurrence may lead to denial of future access.

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