The University Library System is established in accordance with Article 52 of the Statutes. Established in 2006, the System organises the libraries into four Districts:

Biomedical and Scientific District
Social, Economic and Legal Sciences District
Humanities District
Technology District

Each District library may comprise several libraries, referred to as sections.

The library aims to organise and develop, in a coordinated manner, library and documentary services to support teaching and research in subject areas and disciplines of interest to its target users.
In the libraries of the University Library System, the services provided meet criteria of quality, efficiency and courtesy. The libraries ensure continuous and comprehensive information on their services through a variety of information channels.

The library provides its services to internal, accredited and external users.

The following are considered internal users:
1. lecturers and researchers at the University of Cagliari;
2. undergraduates, PhD and Master’s students, research fellows and postgraduate students enrolled on degree programmes offered by the University of Cagliari, including those in partnership with other institutions;
3. University staff;
4. lecturers, researchers and scholars temporarily and officially present at the University of Cagliari;
5. students temporarily present at the University of Cagliari as part of EU and international exchange programmes.

Accredited users are:
a)  individuals belonging to organisations that have entered into specific agreements with the University of Cagliari;
b)  all those who have an official study or employment relationship with other Italian universities. 

External users are those who do not fall into the above categories.

In accordance with the current regulatory framework, the library provides the following services:

- On-site consultation
- Local lending
- National and international interlibrary loans
- Document delivery
- User support and guidance: assistance with retrieving information from catalogues, databases, traditional and online reference works, and the provision of targeted information selected according to users’ needs
- Use of computer workstations and the wireless network
- Any other service useful for meeting users’ needs (copying service or other).

The library guarantees access for consultation and reading on the premises for at least 12 hours a day, from Monday to Friday, at at least one of its service points.
To use the services, as specified in the following articles, users must be registered with the library. Registration is carried out, for users in possession of the single card issued by the Student Registry upon enrolment, by completing a form (available online and at the libraries) and affixing the library registration code to the back of the card. For other users, in addition to completing the form, a passport-sized photograph is required; this will be used to issue a personal card, which is non-transferable and valid for access to the services of all libraries within the University Library System.
Once users have registered at one of the SBA libraries and been issued with a personal card, or have personalised the card issued by the Student Office, they are automatically granted access to services at other University libraries upon presentation of the same card or a valid form of identification.

The library is committed to processing users’ data in accordance with current legislation on the processing and protection of personal data (Legislative Decree 196/2003).

Users can actively contribute to improving the library’s facilities and services by sending comments and suggestions to the management, either directly or via the staff in the various sections.

In open-shelf libraries, users may access the shelves directly and consult books freely without any restrictions. Once consultation is complete, the materials must be left in the designated areas so that library staff can return them to the shelves.
Books stored in stacks not accessible to the public may be requested from staff at the circulation desk, and must be returned before the library closes.

* Consultation is allowed only in the library's reading rooms.
* Access to the reading rooms and the use of public computer facilities for research purposes are prioritised for internal users.
* Consultation of rare and valuable materials is subject to certain restrictions. For organisational reasons, this may not be available immediately but may require an appointment. Only one volume may be requested at a time. Staff will verify the user’s identity, noting their personal details and recording the details of the requested material. Staff must also supervise the user throughout the consultation.
* Theses are excluded from consultation unless accompanied by the appropriate release form signed by the author.

A loan refers to the lending of library materials to a user for a specified period.
- To borrow items, users must be registered or authorised by the library.
- Loans are personal. Readers are not permitted to lend items they have borrowed to others.
-  Loans may be returned via a third party without any specific formalities, without prejudice to the borrower’s liability in the event of damage.

Items excluded from loan:
- antique, rare and valuable books;
- encyclopaedias, dictionaries, glossaries, handbooks;
- loose-leaf works;
- issues of periodicals;
- damaged books;
- documents not yet inventoried and catalogued;
- multimedia works;
- any other document that the library deems necessary to exclude for reasons of expediency.

For valid academic reasons, journal issues and multimedia resources may be borrowed on a daily basis. For specific teaching purposes, staff may, in exceptional cases, be permitted to borrow rare books or other materials that are normally excluded from the lending service on a daily basis.

Theses are also excluded from loan unless accompanied by the appropriate release form signed by the author.
Items excluded from loan are indicated as such in the library catalogue.

Loan procedures:
* Loans must be recorded electronically and/or on paper.
* Upon borrowing, the user must check the condition of the document. Library staff are required, upon return, to compare the condition of the material with that verified at the time of borrowing and, where necessary, apply the penalties provided for in the event of damage.
* The reader must be issued with a receipt confirming the return.
* Readers are required to request and retain this receipt in order to respond to any disputes.

Loan period:
The service offers different loan periods depending on the type of user and the nature of the material requested.

The loan period for educational texts is normally set at 14 days for a maximum of 4 volumes, and at 28 days for other documents, with the exception of material used by internal lecturers and researchers for the purposes of ongoing research, to which the provisions of Article 11 of the Framework Regulations for Library Services apply.

The library may identify categories of documents, sections of its collection or individual documents for which a different loan period applies. For external users, the library may impose restrictions on the loan period, the number of items that may be borrowed, or exclude certain items from loan, particularly in relation to texts adopted for teaching courses.

Extensions:
Loans may be renewed for a period equal to the original loan period. For teaching materials, the extension is 7 days.

* If a reserved or borrowed item is not collected by the date specified in the notification sent to the user, the user’s borrowing privileges will be suspended for two days.
The management system automatically suspends the borrowing privileges of users who are late in returning items.

Penalties:
* In the event of late return, the user will be suspended from the lending service for a period of at least 7 days
* In the event of late return of one or more items for which a reservation has been made by another user, the suspension from the service will be for at least 10 days
* In the event of failure to return items within one week of a reminder, a suspension from the lending service equal to twice the number of days overdue shall apply
* In the event of repeated reminders, the director may exclude the user for a period to be determined
* In the event of late return of items, the director may also order the suspension of the user from library services for specified periods
* In the event of loss, see Article 5(c). 
* If a reserved or borrowed item is not collected by the date specified in the notification sent to the user, a suspension from borrowing services for two days will apply. 
The management system automatically suspends users who are late in returning items from borrowing.

If the library, other libraries within the University Library System, or other local institutions do not hold the document sought by the user, the library may request the document from other cooperating national and international organisations.

Eligibility:
The service is available exclusively to internal and accredited users as referred to in point a).

Procedures and limits:
Requests must be made in writing by completing a form at the library or via email. Users may use the service up to a limit of 3 simultaneous loans per person and, in any case, up to a maximum of 10 loans per month.
Accredited users who are not permanently resident in Sardinia will be permitted to consult the requested material on-site only.

Costs:
The library may cover only the postage costs if there are funds specifically set aside for this purpose.
The end-user of the service may be required to bear any other costs requested by the lending libraries.

Loan period:
The material may be retained by the borrower for the period determined on a case-by-case basis by the lending library and, in any event, shall not normally exceed 21 days from the date the items are handed over to the borrower.

Return and renewal:
By the fourth working day prior to the loan expiry date, the borrower, if they consider they still need to consult the material received, may request a renewal, which the library will submit to the cooperating library. In the event of refusal, the user must nevertheless return the items to allow for the completion of the necessary shipping procedures.

Penalties:
Late return of documents provided through the interlibrary loan service will result in exclusion from the service for up to one year and the charging of the costs for the service itself.
Failure to collect a book requested via the interlibrary loan service by the date specified in the notification sent to the user will result in suspension from loan services for a period of twenty-eight days.

Loans to other libraries:

Interlibrary loans are provided to requesting libraries for a period of 28 days from the date of dispatch, which may be extended once for a further 14 days.
Reference works, items in poor condition and all publications dating from before 1930 are generally excluded from interlibrary loans.
Teaching materials may be excluded from the service if only a small number of copies are available and there is high internal demand (which varies depending on the time of year), as well as research materials if the owners of the research collections cannot part with them, even temporarily.
The service is normally provided on a reciprocal, free-of-charge basis.

The document delivery service enables the library to send photocopies and/or electronic copies of journal articles or parts of documents not held in its collection to requesting libraries, or to obtain such copies from other libraries.
The service is provided
- to partner libraries
- to internal and accredited users as referred to in point (a).

The library sends photocopies of the documents requested, or makes a temporary digital copy for the sole purpose of speeding up the transmission process. Unless otherwise permitted by the contractual terms in place with the publishers, the use of the digital copy remains, in any case, limited to the requesting party making a single printout on paper to be delivered to the end user. The library guarantees to other libraries on behalf of its users that the same precautions set out above will be observed, as well as any further restrictions that may be specifically requested from time to time. The library may bear the costs provided that funds have been specifically set aside for this purpose.

Provided sufficient funds are available, the costs of the service are covered by the library for internal users only. Registered users, however, will be required to pay any postage and/or reproduction costs in accordance with the University’s Administrative and Accounting Regulations.
Each user may submit up to 12 requests per week.

All libraries provide their users with guidance, assistance and training with the aim of ensuring the best possible use of the University’s library services and the research and information resources available, enabling users to become as independent as possible in using these resources.
The various access methods, provided via electronic and printed resources, ensure the continuous availability of the bibliographic search and reference service for finding information and documents.
The service guarantees:
- assistance in using tools for cataloguing, bibliographic and cartographic searches, as well as information useful for teaching and research;
- adequate promotion and publicity of all the opportunities offered and the methods of service delivery.

With the help of dedicated staff, each library offers users an online information service called “Ask@your library” and a reference service by appointment for users who need to carry out complex bibliographic searches.

The service provides users with continuous access to the catalogue and to electronic resources acquired through subscriptions (electronic journals, e-books, databases) from workstations on the University network (including wireless). A number of workstations are available to users at the University libraries during their opening hours.
Access from outside the University is available 24 hours a day via the University’s remote authentication services, which are, however, restricted to institutional users.

a) Use of computer stations and the network:

The library provides its users with a number of computer stations, which are to be used exclusively for study and research purposes, in accordance with the procedures set out in the University Regulations on the use of the network.
Use of individual networked workstations is subject to the user being registered by library staff, upon presentation of a library card or identity document. Workstations designated solely for catalogue consultation or connected to the wireless network are exempt from the registration requirement.
The library reserves the right to limit the maximum duration of sessions in accordance with user requests or the nature of the research to be carried out.

Permitted uses
* Web browsing
* Downloading files
* Saving files to storage devices (CDs, DVDs, USB sticks)

Prohibited uses
* Restarting (resetting or switching off) the PCs (in the event of a system freeze, please contact library staff)
* Installation of software
* Alteration of computer settings/configurations
* Tampering with computer hardware

Liability
* The user is personally liable for any breach of the library regulations, in particular for any use contrary to current legal provisions, and for any personal injury or financial loss caused to individuals or equipment as a result of their conduct.
* The library accepts no liability for any damage incurred by the user or others (e.g. loss of data, damage to personal storage devices, disclosure of personal data, passwords, ATM PINs and other information) resulting from the use, whether proper or improper, of the computers.

b) Use of the wireless network and personal devices

Wireless network:
* In libraries covered by the University’s Wi-Fi signal, you may access the internet on your own portable devices without any further formalities, provided you comply with the University’s current regulations.
* Users of the service must not share their access credentials with third parties and are personally responsible for their use of the connection.

Use of personal devices:
* Connecting personal computers and other electrical equipment to the mains is permitted provided that cables do not obstruct passage within the premises and that they are connected directly to the mains, without the use of double sockets or extension leads. Only one electrical device may be connected to each mains socket.
* Users must comply with any signage designating specific areas or workstations for the exclusive use of devices
* It is forbidden to leave one’s device on a table reserved for PC use and to leave the reading rooms for more than 10 minutes;
* It is forbidden to leave your device on one of the tables reserved for PC use and occupy another seat to study;

Sanctions
Users responsible for breaches of these regulations will be excluded, temporarily or permanently, from accessing the library’s services. Serious breaches will be sanctioned in accordance with the University’s regulations and the provisions of current legislation.

The library may make a number of laptops, tablets and other mobile devices available to its users, to be used exclusively for study and research purposes. Each library will publicise the availability of this service and the relevant regulations through its own information channels.

4.1 Responsibilities

* Users are required to take good care of the materials lent to them and to return them by the due date.
* Users are not permitted to underline, highlight or make notes in library materials.
* Users are required to comply with all signs indicating permitted or prohibited behaviour within the library premises
* Users are required to promptly notify any library within the university library system to which they have access of any change in their place of residence, domicile, telephone numbers, email address, or any changes relating to their academic career.

* Users are required to store bags or containers of any kind in the lockers provided at the library entrance, where available.
* Should the anti-theft system at the entrance to the service points be triggered, users must allow library staff to check for any library books or documents that have not been properly checked out or de-magnetised. Alternatively, in the event of refusal, users must await the arrival of the police, whose intervention must be requested by library staff.
* Upon completion or interruption of their studies and/or any other relationship with the University of Cagliari, users must return all borrowed items.
* Erasmus students must return borrowed items before the end of their period of study at the University of Cagliari.
* Before the award of the degree at the end of the course of study, the library will verify that the student has no outstanding obligations. Should any outstanding issues be found, the administrative offices will initiate a procedure to suspend the student’s eligibility to graduate until such issues have been resolved.

* Erasmus students must return any borrowed items before the end of their period of study at the University of Cagliari.
* Before the degree is awarded at the end of the course of study, a check will be carried out to ensure the student has no outstanding debts to the library. In the event of outstanding debts, the administrative offices will initiate a procedure to suspend the award of the degree until such debts have been settled.

4.2 Rules of Conduct

Library users are required to behave in a manner befitting a place of study and reading.
   The following are forbidden:
* smoking in any part of the library;
* talking and/or causing a disturbance in the reading rooms and in the library’s entrance areas;
* using mobile phones, which must be switched off or set to silent mode;
* consuming food or drink;
* damaging the library premises or its property;
* occupying a reading station before actually using it;
* occupying a reading station whilst being absent for a period exceeding 30 minutes.

The library accepts no responsibility whatsoever for items left unattended by users on its premises.

Failure to comply with the rules governing the use of the Services, in the interests of all users, will result in the imposition of penalties.     

a) In the event of non-compliance with the provisions of Article 4 above (Users’ Duties and Rules of Conduct), the Director may exclude the user from the Services and from access to the library for a specified period.
b) Failure to return a volume entails the obligation to replace it with an undamaged copy of the same edition or to pay compensation equal to the current market value of the borrowed publication.

c) In the event of loss, the user is obliged to purchase a new copy of the document or, if it is no longer available on the market, to purchase another copy of equivalent value as specified by the library director (without prejudice to any other administrative measures taken by the university).
d) Minor damage to library materials will result in a one-month suspension from library services.
e) In the event of damage to library materials, the item must be replaced at the user’s expense and the user shall be barred from borrowing for a period commensurate with the extent of the damage.
f) In the most serious cases of damage to library property, the library may impose a permanent ban on the user’s access to services, in addition to taking legal action to protect the library’s assets.

g) In situations where it is established that a user’s behaviour is causing damage to property or serious disturbance to other users, the director or, in their absence, the head of services present in the library may request the intervention of law enforcement officers and take legal action.
h) Passive occupation of a workstation for a period exceeding 30 minutes may result in library staff retrieving any materials left unattended by the user and holding them at the circulation desk.

For sanctions relating to individual services, please refer to the relevant sections.

Proposals for the donation of book collections or for the loan of such collections must be submitted to the Head of the Library, together with a list of the bibliographic material intended for donation or loan. Acceptance is subject to a scientific and economic assessment of the bequest carried out by the head of the library, in collaboration with the persons responsible for the relevant departments, which will take into account the space required to house the collection, the purchase of furniture, and the costs of relocation and cataloguing. Donations made by private individuals, distributors and publishers relating to new publications or other individual works of clear value and interest to the library are not subject to these regulations.

The Head of the Library may authorise the use of the Library’s spaces for purposes other than those of the institution, including events organised or proposed by external bodies, such as the presentation of publications and documentary resources, and cultural activities.

For any matters not expressly covered by these terms and conditions, reference should be made to the University Library System Regulations, the Framework Regulations for University Library System Services, the provisions laid down by each district library regarding the provision of individual services, and the legislation in force.
These regulations will be published on the University Library System website and displayed in the libraries.