Regulations


Title I - The Library
Art. 1 - The Library

Specialized in the fields of Social Sciences, the Luiss Library is the reference point for academic research and teaching by guaranteeing constant support through orientation and bibliographic assistance.

Title II - Mission
Art. 2 - Goals

The Library aims:

  • to provide interdisciplinary collections which are constantly updated and supplemented;
  • to introduce technologically advanced systems for the improvement of the quality of services and to simplify access to physical and electronic collections;
  • to promote and enhance the dissemination of the University's scientific research through the management of institutional archives.
Title III - Users
Art. 3 - User Categories

Institutional users are:

  • Undergraduate students;
  • Graduate students;
  • PhD students;
  • Faculty members, expert teaching assistants, research fellows, visiting professors;
  • Library Members (ssers who do not belong to the institution but who have had relations with the University: former students of ordinary courses; former students of postgraduate courses; former teachers);
  • Staff.

Additional users are:

  • Alumni.

External users are:

  • students from other universities or scholars who need to enter the Library for research purposes, and who can only access the printed materials if not available in other libraries in Rome.

Access to external users is also allowed on the basis of partnerships or individual agreements.

Title IV - Services

The services are provided on the basis of the regulations detailed in the Service Charter.

Art. 4 - Consultation
  • The Library’s physical and electronic collections are available for consultation.
  • Users can directly access items on open shelves; items located on closed shelves must be requested to the Library staff.
  • Degree theses and PhD dissertations are available solely by online access and only in accordance with their specific policies.
  • Access to and consultation of bibliographic resources for students with certified disabilities are guaranteed by specific services and digital platforms with an inclusive reading experience.
Art. 5 - Access to online resources
  • Electronic resources are available on all of the Library’s computers.
  • Off-campus (remote) access to electronic resources is restricted to current institutional users, in compliance with the license requirements of the databases.
  • Login credentials are strictly personal and cannot be transferred to third parties.
Art. 6 - Lending
  • The lending service is restricted to current institutional users.
  • Loans are personal and non-transferable.
  • To help users with managing personal loans, the Library sends several automatic notifications: loan and return receipts, courtesy letters, reminders. Notification e-mails are sent to the institutional account.
  • Any user can check active loans using the personal login on the Discovery feature.
  • Non-loanable items are:
    • periodicals;
    • general reference collections;
    • books not yet inventoried and catalogued;
    • any works in a precarious state of conservation;
    • items belonging to special collections;
    • materials with particular historical value or autographed;
    • any other material that the Library deems to exclude from circulation.
  • Loans can be withdrawn by a different person only for students with certified disabilities.
Art. 7 - Renewals

Loans are always renewable if the book has not been requested by other users in the meantime.
Loan periods for each user category are as follows:

 Loan PeriodRenewals
 daily loan
10 books
40 days
10 books
30 days
3 books
up to
100 days
Under-Graduate and Graduate students 
Postgraduate students 
PhD students 
Faculty members 
Visiting Professors   
Library Associates 
Staff 
External Users   
Art. 8 - Returns
  • Users have full responsibility for the loss or damage of borrowed items. Loans should be returned by the due date.
  • Users can return books:
    • by going to the Library (asking the librarians or using the self-check stations);
    • by using the return boxes;
    • by post.
  • Overdue returns:
    • delays beyond the four days grace period will lead to exclusion from service for the duration of the delay, starting from the loan expiration date;
    • delays beyond twenty days from the expiry date will lead to the Library adopting necessary measures. For graduate and undergraduate students, the delivery of the diploma will be temporarily suspended.
  • In case of damage or loss, the book must be repurchased by the user;
  • In case of theft, users are not obliged to repurchase the book if an official report has been made.
Art. 9 - Requests

Books are only requestable if already loaned.

Art. 10 - Interlibrary services
  • Interlibrary services (document delivery and inter-library loans) are reserved for regular institutional users.
  • Interlibrary services are applicable only if materials are not owned by the Luiss Library or by other public libraries in Rome.
  • If the free reciprocity regime between libraries is guaranteed, no costs will be charged to users; before proceeding, users will be notified in cases where the supplying library requests a reimbursement to be paid.
Art. 11 - Reference
  • The purpose of the information, guidance, and bibliographic assistance service is to promote better use of library services and to meet specific research needs that vary in nature and complexity.
  • The service is available both in-person and remotely.
  • For advanced support in obtaining information about sources and research strategies on a given subject, the Library provides the remote service named Ask a Librarian.
Art. 12 - Digital reproductions
  • For study and research purposes, users with an institutional login can create digital reproductions of materials within the established limits from the Library and in compliance with the current legal provisions on copyright law.
  • Scanners are located in each Library Room. Digital reproductions can be made in self-service and free of charge.
  • Users are required to fully preserve the condition of the item when undertaking scans.
Art. 13 - Inclusive services

For users with certified disabilities, the Library promotes specific inclusive services to facilitate access to spaces, services and bibliographic heritage and guarantees the supply of study materials, in agreement with the related Luiss offices.

Art. 14 - Information literacy

The Library promotes initiatives of Information literacy for:

  • enabling people to develop the appropriate skills to navigate the sources;
  • using research tools effectively;
  • partecipating with the University on the initiatives of Third Mission (Objective 4 of the 2030 Agenda: "Providing quality, equitable and inclusive education, and learning opportunities for all").

The activities are for:

  • institutional users in support of the University's study, teaching and research activities.
  • local society, with particular attention to primary and secondary schools, to support the training process and the ability to evaluate sources of information.
Title V - Holdings
Art. 15 - Holdings

The acquisition policy of the Library guarantees the updating of the physical and electronic collections in compliance with the disciplinary guidelines of the University and in accordance with the criteria indicated in the Charter of Collections.

Art. 16 - Collection development
  • The collection development methods include:
    • acquisitions: works purchased directly from the Library for updating existing collections or purchased on the basis of proposals submitted by users. Each purchase proposal is individually evaluated;
    • donations: works arrived at the Library free of charge. Gifts, bequests, and donations of bibliographic materials are accepted on the basis of the general criteria of acquisition: compliance of the donation with the disciplinary profiles pertaining to the Library, sustainability of the costs deriving from the cataloging of the collection and its conservation, availability of space and suitability of the state of conservation of the material.
  • At least one copy of the textbooks within the references suggested by professors in their courses is purchased and, where possible, also the electronic version.
Art. 17 - Standards

To guarantee the retrieval of information and the scientific management of collections, the Library adopts rules and international data exchange standards.

Art. 18 - Weeding

The Library applies periodic weeding processes to keep the collections updated. Based on standard criteria, out-of-date or unused materials can be discarded.

Title VI - Rules of conduct
Art. 19 - Rules of conduct
  • Access to and permanence in the premises of the Library are subject to full respect for the furnishings, care of the bibliographic holdings and the proper use of the technological equipment.
  • Admission to the Library rooms is allowed upon depositing personal items in the lockers. The Library is not responsible for items deposited inside the lockers or for personal items left unattended. Lockers must be emptied before the Library closes.
  • Specific rules of conduct are displayed in each room of the Library.