Easy Library Membership and Usage Rules

Short version

To borrow books from the library you need to pay:

• An initial refundable deposit of at least Rs. 500.
• A non-refundable registration fee of Rs. 250.
• A reading charge of 10% of the discount price of each book you borrow.
• Total amount to start the membership : Rs.750
• No monthly fee if you spent at least Rs. 100 on book premiums in the previous month.

You may keep the books up to 14 days. You may borrow as many books as you wish at a time (if you have a sufficient deposit). Magazines are borrowed on a daily basis.

To have books delivered to your home or office, you need to

• set up a debit account with a minimum starting balance of Rs. 100
• Total amount to start the membership : Rs.850

 

Please read on for the complete details...

Who is eligible?

Any adult, or a child with the permission of his/her parent/grandparent, can become a member of Easy Library if they have

• a residence postal address in Bangalore and
• a residence phone number, a work phone number, or a mobile phone number

Easy Library reserves the right to accept, reject, or discontinue membership for any reason. Membership is for personal use only and is nontransferable. No member may re-lend items borrowed from the Library at any time.

Deposits and Fees:

A member must maintain a minimum deposit of Rs. 500 with the library and must pay fees as outlined below as and when the amounts become due. Easy Library reserves the right to suspend or terminate membership of any member who fails to pay these fees.

Initial deposit:

An initial deposit of at least Rs. 500 must be paid by each member. With this Rs. 500 initial deposit, the total value of the books you borrow at any point in time cannot exceed Rs. 500. If you desire to cancel your membership, any outstanding fees and the cost of any books or magazines borrowed by the member that are damaged or lost will be deducted from the deposit amount and the rest, if any, refunded to the member.

Book Reading Charges (also called Premium):

A member shall pay 10% of the value of a book for a borrowing period of up to 14 days. This fee is payable upon returning the book or magazine. The premium value of each book is clearly marked in Rupees on each book/magazine.

Delivery and Pickup : To enable you to get the books delivered and picked up from your home or office, you must have a debit account (prepaid account) with the library as explained below.

The delivery/pickup charges are Rs. 15 per trip to most areas (please enquire with the librarian if you reside in an outlying area). If pickup and delivery are scheduled on seperate days, the charges will be levied twice. Any delay in delivering a book due to absence of members to receive the book from the courier service will be included in the total borrowing period and is the responsibility of the member.

Please note that the library will not automatically pick up the books after the 14 day period. If you reserve the next set of books, then when the new books are sent to you, you can return the books. If you would want to only return the books, then please send us an email or give us a call to schedule the pickup.

Any delays in picking up the book due to absence of the member to hand over the book to the courier person is the responsibility of the member. Any resulting overdue charges should also be borne by the member.

Monthly fee:

If you spend Rs. 100 or more in book reading charges (premiums) in a month, there are no additional fees that you need to pay. If you spend less than Rs. 100 on premiums in a month, you will be charged a monthly fee which is the difference between Rs.100 and the amount you have spent in premiums. Please see the following fee chart for details.

Borrowing periods:

A book can be borrowed normally for a period of two weeks (14 days). If the 14th day is a holiday for the library, the next business day will be the due date. Certain new books may have shorter borrowing periods which the library will inform the members at the time of borrowing. Children's books are treated the same way as other books.
No book can be borrowed for a period longer than 28 days. If a book is kept for longer than the 28 day period without a consent from the library, the library holds the right to replace the book at the library and the member needs to bear the penalty which is the same as that of a lost book.
The library may recall a book after the 14 day period if the book is waitlisted by others.

Magazines are borrowed on a daily basis. The fee per day is 5% of the magazine prize if it is a monthly magazine, 10% if it is a fortnightly magazine, and 20% of the price if it is weekly magazine.

Renewal policy and Penalty for Overdue Books:

Borrowed books are renewed automatically for one additional period. An additional borrowing fee will apply for all renewed books. The additional fee is as follows:

• 1% of the value of the book per day subject to a maximum of 10% for up to 14 additional days
• 1% of the value of the book per day for each day beyond 28 days from the original borrowing date, up to a maximum of 100% of the value of the book (extending a book beyond a month can be done only with a consent from the library)

Penalty for loss or damage:

Lost books will result in a penalty of TWICE the value of the book plus any regular borrowing fee. Members can choose to replace the book within 10 days or pay the penalty.

Penalty imposed for damaged books starts from 20% the book value. The actual penalty amount is decided by the librarian. If the book is unfit to be lent out, then it will have the same penalty as a lost book.

Reservation policy:

A reservation can be made for any available book and the reserved book must be picked up within two days of making the reservation, including the day the reservation was made. Books reserved before 4 pm will be delivered the next business to most locations. Please note that there are no deliveries on Wednesdays.

Waiting lists:

If a book is not available, a member can join a waiting list for the book. Members will be notified when the book is available. A member may leave a waiting list at any time.

Cancelled reservations:

A member may cancel a reservation before 10 AM on the day for which a reservation is made. Any cancellation or failure to pick up or take delivery of a reserved book after 10 AM on the day will be ignored only under genuinely unavoidable circumstances. If a member cancels reservations repeatedly or for frivolous reasons, Easy Library may impose a penalty equal to the borrowing fee for the book.

Payment methods:

Debit Account (applicable if you opt for door delivery):

You need to open a debit account with the library with a minimum amount of Rs. 100. The book reading charges and the delivery charges you incur will be deducted from this account. As and when the debited amount falls below zero, you will be adding to this account. You can monitor this account on-line. This is to avoid the hassle of paying to the courier on each return and delivery of the book.

However, if you plan to visit the library for book pick-up and drop-off, then you can tender the amounts as you incur them at the library and there is no need for the debit account.

Cash on delivery:
The book you now reserve will be delivered to you the next business day with a commitment to pay by cash to the courier.

Cheque on delivery:
You can mail the cheque to us or arrange for a courier pick-up of the cheque for a fee of Rs. 15 (It may be slightly higher for outlying areas. Please enquire with the librarian). However, the books you reserve will be delivered to you upon encashing the cheque. Please make the cheque payable to "Easy Library"

Cash at the library:
If you pay by cash at the library, you can check out the books of your choice immediately.

Cheque at the library:
With payments by cheque, you can check out books only after we encash the cheque.

Fee for unrealized payments:

Any bad or bounced cheque will result in a penalty of Rs. 25 plus any penalty imposed by the bank or clearing agency on Easy Library.

A member who has not complied with the above terms and conditions will not be able to make a reservation or borrow any books from the Library. For example, members who have not paid penalties or have kept books longer than 28 days will not be able to use the Library services.

Easy Library reserves the right to change the above terms and conditions. All active members will be notified when a change is made.

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