In Germany, people cannot renew their borrowed books in libraries?Is it true?

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Alwin E

It is a little tricky, but to say the most important thing first: No, you don't deserve being treated like that, and I strongly disagree with the librarian's behavior.

But they have orders. I experienced that many a time when I borrowed a book from a university library (I am German and studied here): Some are generous and allow you to prolong just by a phone call or e-mail. Some others aren't. The general rule is that if there are less than 3 issues of an item on stock, you will be forced to return your one, in case somebody else wanted to lend it.

Some students (me, too, on occasions) took the easy way out to not show up until two weeks later, return the borrowed book or cd, and pay the fine. I remember one librarian assistant who wanted to shout at me and tell me about my duties when I turned up with a pile of books, then she recognized me and said "Ach, Du!", typed something into the computer and said "vierundzwanzigdreiÃŸig", that meant twenty-four euros and thirty cents.

And, btw: CDs can be copied, if I'm not completely technically mistaken or out of my mind. Why would you want to keep a CD longer than for a day? -- It's different with books.

Brenda P

Sometimes people in an organization do not understand their own rules. You will experience that everywhere, not just in a German Library. There is a reason that person is a grunt in a library and not running a successful business. Just return the CD and then when they have it checked back in take it out again. If you can, request it online as soon as you have returned it. In my library, that means that they will have to pull it for you and have it waiting at the front desk for you!

David

It all depends on the libary I live in Germeny myself (berlin to be exact) but I use my school libary wich Is as large as a public libary and here we are aloud to renew books but not cds or vidoes or dvds and etc only books.

Biedronka

If someone has booked the cd, then you cannot renew it - those are the rules! The fee for joining Stadt/Offentliche Bibliotheken is E10 a year and I find them very good. In Berlin there are hundreds of libraries and normally one should be able to look at the library website to find audio cds and books at different libraries in case someone has booked the material.
You did not say which city or town you live in, but try and search in your local library website for material required.

CheGuevara

I also don't understand why you had to return the CD. But the librarian probably had her orders for some reason. Sometimes te bureaucracy in Germany can be a bit annoying..

Why don't you return the CD and instantly borrow it again?

In the library in my university all media which can be borrowed can also be renewed if not requested by someone else. This can be done up to 5 times (So you can borrow up to 6 months) and even online.

MuFu

@ Bernd the milkman:
please let your "ching chang chong" -.-
it becomes boring
______________________________________...
Hey!
I live in Berlin and here there are maybe 3 libaries each distract - i guess we have 19?! Anyway...I go quite often to the libaries and you get your own card for using the libary for free!
you can borrow books for 4 weeks
dvds, cds, video games i guess too for 2 weeks
and some books or products you cant borrow but only in very huge liabries!
you can renew it so often as you want to....but
when exactly that product someone else want to have and he requists it for 1 euro..its like in your case

its renewable by the internet, that is what i do
by phone but therefor you have to pay 1 euro
and i guess thats all you want to know
heres the official page of all berliner libaries
https://www.voebb.de/aDISWeb/app?service=direct/0/Home/$DirectLink&sp=Svb.srz.lit.verwalt-berlin.de%3A4103

oh...and if you are a student you use the libaries' offers for free
if not....each year 10 euros!

and if you give your books back after the due
10 cents each product/each day (only for students i suppose...for adults maybe 20cents)

the libarian...she shouldnt work as a libarian!
i had never problems with our libaries and i really love them...sometimes they are so useful =)

but only one time....i requist one book from another distract because it only exists there...
when i wanted to pick the book up....it wasnt there for some reason!!!!
so i requested it for a second time and i had too pay twice! -.-!!!!
although it wasnt my fault. but its the system - they have to follow the rules and they cant make an exception!
anyway

Sebastian W

No its a custom there... ive been to amsterdam and checked out "the treasure of castaway" in german and they wont let you renew, which is a US custom, and most other places... they find it uncanny to keep checking out a book over and over again

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