Circulation Rules

Welcome to the library. During the library's opening hours, please present a valid NSYSU ID to access various materials. For information on borrowing and returning books, or regulations regarding the use of study rooms, discussion rooms, lockers, and other facilities and resources, please refer to the following service instructions.

Borrowing Privileges

All library materials are available for borrowing except for special collections, reference materials, thesis and dissertations, periodicals (including bound volumes), and microform materials. The borrowing privileges—including the number of items, loan periods, and reservation limits are detailed in the table below：

Approved at the Library Administrative Meeting on October 29, 2025, the newly revised Regulations for the Borrowing of Library Materials at the National Sun Yat-sen University Library include the following major changes:

The library’s online renewal service is now based on the maximum allowable renewal period. Renewals are not limited to requests made before the due date, and there is no limit to the number of renewals. Each renewal period is recalculated from the date of renewal.
If the renewal reaches the maximum allowable loan period, the system will automatically adjust the new due date, which may be shorter than a full renewal period.
Overdue books will result in the suspension of all library borrowing privileges, including renewals and reservations.
If an item is reserved by another patron before or after it is borrowed, the system will automatically shorten the loan period and send a recall notice. For details, please refer to the recall instructions.
In the event of loss or damage to borrowed library materials, patrons are required to compensate with an identical replacement whenever possible. If monetary compensation is necessary, the amount shall be twice the current value, calculated based on the original price adjusted by the consumer price index. For detailed information, please refer to Returns and Fines.

Patron Type	Max Loan Items	Single Loan Period (days)	Max Loan Period (days)	Max Reserved Items	Designated Reference Book (volumes)
Full-time Faculty & Above /Researcher	80	180	360	15	2
Ph.D. / Master's Students	80	30	180	10	2
Undergraduates Students	30	30	180	10	2
Full-time Staffs	30	30	180	10	2
Part-time faculty (including contract and short-term researcher)	15	30	180	5	2
Distinguished guests and retired faculty	30	30	90	5	2
General Library Card Holder	10	30	90	2	0
Alumni and retired staff/security personnel	10	30	90	2	0

※Interlibrary loan services are available to readers from partnering schools based on the collaboration agreements between each institution. For more detailed information, please refer to the "Interlibrary Loan" instructions.

Books Loaning

Borrowing Identification:
1. On Campus Readers: Student ID cards, Staffs ID cards or other valid ID cards
2. External Campus Readers: ID cards applied and issued from our library
If a reader wishes to authorize someone else to borrow books on their behalf, please fill out the "Proxy Borrower Authorization Application Form", and bring it with their ID card to the library while loaning books. The form should include the proxy borrower's name, borrowing date, and the reader's signature.

Book Return

Readers can personally bring the library materials to the circulation counter on the 3rd floor for return before the due date, or they can drop them into the book return box located next to the Study Hall (Self-Study Room) on the 1st floor.
If you are unable to return the books in person, you may return them by mail to: Circulation Desk, 3rd Floor, National Sun Yat-sen University Library, No. 70, Lienhai Rd., Gushan Dist., Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan.

Renewals

If the borrowed item has not been reserved by another patron, the borrower may log in to their personal borrowing record to renew the loan online. The renewed loan period will be the same as the original and will be counted from the date of renewal. However, if the maximum loan period has been reached, the due date will be determined by the system.
If any library material is overdue or the overdue penalty in the account, all borrowing rights will be suspended, and procedures such as renewal and reservation cannot be processed.
If any library material has reached the maximum loan period, it will not be able to renew online; if there is still a need for use, please bring the collection to the circulation counter on the 3rd floor to re-borrow.

Reservation

General Book Reservation: Readers can log in to the system and make online reservations for books that are currently borrowed by others (status: "On Loan").
Cataloging Book Reservation: If a book is in the process of being cataloged (status: "In Cataloging - Please log in to reserve"), readers can log in to the system and make online reservations.
Number of Reservations: Please refer to the Borrowing Privileges Table for the number of books that each patron category may place on hold.
Reservation Pickup: Once the reserved book is returned or cataloging is completed, the system will notify the reservation holder via email to pick up the book within 5 days. If the book is not collected within the specified time, it will be transferred to the next reservation holder or returned to the shelf.

Recalls

If a book is requested by another user upon checking out, the system will automatically initiate a recall process and send a "Library Collection Due Date Change Notice."
1. For readers with an original borrowing period of 30 days (e.g., faculty, staff, and students of the university), if the reserved book is recalled, please return the book within 14 days.
2. For readers with an original borrowing period of 180 days (e.g., full-time lecturers and above), if the reserved book is recalled, please return the book within 30 days.
If the book is requested by another user after it has been checked out, the system will automatically initiate a recall operation and send a “Change in Due Date” notification.
1. For borrowers with a standard loan period of 30 days (e.g., university staff and students), please return the item within 14 days.
  - If the original due date exceeds 14 days, it will be shortened to 14 days. Please return the item by the adjusted date.
  - If the original due date is within 14 days, it will remain unchanged, and renewals are not allowed.
2. For borrowers with an extended loan period of 180 days (e.g., full-time lecturers and above), please return the item within 30 days.
  - If the original due date exceeds 30 days, it will be shortened to 30 days. Please return the item by the adjusted date.
  - If the original due date is within 30 days, it will remain unchanged, and renewals are not allowed.
If a reservation is canceled, the system will automatically revert to the original due date. Patrons are advised to check their library accounts regularly.

Library Notice

After a reader loans or reserves the materials, the library system will send various types of emails, such as "Upcoming Due Date Notice," "Due Date for Borrowed Materials," "Overdue Notice," "Reserved Materials Ready for Pickup," and "Library Notice of Due Date Change," to remind or inform readers about renewing, returning, or picking up the library materials.

Explanation of each type of notification email:
1. Upcoming Due Date Notice: The mail will be sent automatically to the readers a week before the due date. Please remember to return the books or renew them.
2. Due Date for Borrowed Materials: On the day the borrowed materials are due, the system will automatically send an email listing the materials that are due on that day, reminding readers to renew online or return the materials on time.
3. Overdue Notice: If the reader's borrowed materials become overdue, the system will send an email listing the overdue materials, urging the reader to return the materials promptly.
4. Reserved Materials Ready for Pickup: After the reserved items are returned, the system will notify the reservation holder via email to pick up the items within 5 days.
5. Library Notice of Due Date Change: During the loaning period, if a reserved item has been borrowed by another reader, the system will send an email to the current borrower, reminding them of the revised due date. The reader is advised to return the item on or before the new due date.
The E-mails will be sent to the reader’s school mailbox. If there is a need to change the email address, readers should modify their personal information through their SSO account.

P.S.: “Email notifications” are reminder services provided by the library. Patrons are still responsible for keeping track of the due dates of borrowed materials and regularly checking their borrowing records to protect their borrowing privileges.

Returns and Fines

Loan Period: Depending on the patron category, loan periods are set at 180, 30, 21, or 14 days. Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays are included in the loan period calculation; however, if the due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, public holiday, or a day when the library is closed for all circulation services, it will be automatically extended to the next business day (or the day following the end of the holiday).
Due Date Display: If the “Status” in the library catalog shows “Checked Out – Date,” the displayed date indicates the current borrower’s due date. The date is formatted as “YYYY/MM/DD”; for example, 2025/06/10 means the due date is June 10, 2025.
All library materials must be returned within the stipulated period of time. Patrons with overdue materials will be revoked of all library privileges, including renewals, reservations, borrowing of any equipment and so on.To access the library’s services again, the overdue items must be returned to the Circulation Desk on the 3rd floor of the library.
Overdue Fines Calculation for Library Materials:
1. Library materials are counted on a daily basis. For periods less than 24 hours, it will still be counted as 1 day. The overdue fine for each book is 5 NT dollars per day, with an accumulated calculation.
2. Short term loans on course reserves are counted per hour. For periods less than 60 minutes, it will still be considered as 1 hour. The overdue fine for each material is 5 NT dollars per day, with an accumulated calculation.
3. Holidays and closing days are not included in fine accumulations.
The library’s system will automatically send a notification to each patrons’ email only as a service reminder. Patrons are not to use this as an excuse for any late returns and/or requests for fine deductions.
- If the accumulated overdue fines in a patron’s library account reach or exceed NT$150, university faculty and staff, enrolled students, retired faculty and staff, alumni, and General Library Card Holder will be restricted from borrowing, renewing, or reserving library materials, spaces, and other resources. Fines must be paid at the Circulation Desk on the 3rd floor to reduce the balance below NT$150 before library services can be resumed.

Declare Returns

If a reader has returned a book but it still appears in their personal borrowing record, please immediately report the situation to the library through the following methods:

Please promptly send the relevant materials and information to the library service email: cirlib@mail.nsysu.edu.tw
Please inquire in person at the Circulation Desk on the 3rd floor.
Contact the 3rd-floor service counter of the library at 07-5252000 ext. 2426/2427. Provide your student ID or ID number, name, and book title, and the staff will immediately check and handle the issue.

The library will record the information provided by the patron in the “Declare Returned” form. Staff will first process a renewal and locate the item to prevent additional fines. Patrons will be notified of the follow-up progress and outcome via email.

Penalty for losing or damaging loaned materials

If a reader accidentally loses or damages a loaned book, they are required to compensate either by purchasing a replacement book or providing monetary compensation.

Purchase of Replacement Book: The reader should purchase a brand-new copy of the same edition, version, or the latest edition of the lost or damaged book.
Cash Compensation: The replacement cost is calculated at twice the current value, determined by adjusting the book’s listed price using the consumer price index. If the original price cannot be verified, the library may calculate compensation based on the number of pages: NT$5 per page for Chinese books and NT$20 per page for foreign- language books. Books with fewer than 100 pages are charged as 100 pages, and books with an unknown page count are charged as 300 pages.

Journals

Access Policy: All journals are for in-library use only.
Location:
1. Current-year periodicals (i.e., current issues): Displayed in the Current Periodicals Area on the 5th floor.
2. Bound Journals: Shelved on different floors according to their academic disciplines. Please check the library catalog to confirm the floor location before accessing them.

Library Space and Equipment Borrowing:

※Library space loan (please use iSpace Booking System to make reservation)

Study room:

(1) Distribution and Quantity: There are 7 study rooms on the 4th floor and 14 study rooms on each of the 5th to 8th floors.

(2) Borrowing Period:

1. 14 days: 7-8th floor study room.
2. Loan and return on the same day: study room on the 4th to 6th floor.

(3) For more details, please refer to the reservation usage instructions.

Discussion Room:

(1) Small Discussion Room: There are 6 rooms, each accommodating about 2 to 6 people, located on the 1st, 6th, and 7th floors.

(2) Large Discussion Rooms: There are 4 rooms, each accommodating about 5 to 12 people, located on the 4th floor.

(3) All discussion rooms are equipped with projection facilities.

(4) For more details, please refer to the reservation usage instructions.

Lockers:

On the west side of the entrance on the 3rd floor, there are open wooden lockers and lockable lockers for readers to store personal items. However, the library is not responsible for the safekeeping of these items.

(1) Open Wooden Lockers: Provided for temporarily storing personal belongings.

(2) Lockable Storage Lockers: Available for a fee to university faculty, staff, and students for storing personal belongings. Detailed application procedures and dates will be announced before the start of each semester.

(3) The instructions and regulations shall be implemented in accordance with the Reading Regulations of the National Sun Yat-sen University Library and National Sun Yat-sen University Regulations for Handling Patrons’ Violations.