Library regulations

1. The library of the Rubenshuis is an unrivalled research institute for Flemish art of the 16th and 17th centuries. In the library, you can consult the collection of publications, artwork documentation and art historical research archives. 

2. The Rubenshuis is under the direct management of the director. 

    

Contact 

1. Contact details:
   1. Address: Rubenshuis, Hopland 13, 2000 Antwerp 
   2. E-mail address: rubenshuis@antwerpen.be
   3. Telephone number: 0032 3 201 15 75 Website: http://www.rubenshuis.be/ 
   4. Collection catalogue: http://anet.be/env/desktoprub 
2. Current opening times and closing days can be found on the website of the Rubenshuis (see 2.1). 
3. These regulations apply to the library of the Rubenshuis, unless otherwise stated. 

Access

1. You can use the library when you are registered as a library user with the Rubenshuis. You can register at the library upon presentation of a valid ID. You will then receive a personal reader account: a username and a password linked to a library card, which will give you access to the (online) services of the Rubenshuis. 
2. The A-card is the library card. If you already have an A-card, you can use that. If you do not yet have an A-card or have lost it, we will create one for you at that moment. You can find more information at www.a-kaart.be. 
3. If you are not yet registered as a library user at the Rubenshuis, you can create a reader account online via the catalogue (see 2.1), so that you can already use the online services. Your registration as a library user will only be definitive once you present your ID at the library. 
4. Your registration as a library user is valid for 24 months. If your registration has expired, you can renew it yourself for an additional 24 months free of charge via the collection catalogue or by e-mail, or at the library (see 2.1).  
5. Library users only have access to the public areas of the Rubenshuis. The library is located on the second floor and is accessible by stairs and lift. 
6. When you register, you have the possibility of also registering as a reader in the libraries of the Plantin-Moretus Museum, Middelheim Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts of Antwerp and in the Hendrik Conscience Heritage Library. This is entirely at your discretion. Other reading room rules may then be applicable. You can obtain more information from the institutions themselves. 
7. The Rubenshuis offers additional facilities and customised services for long-term research projects. For more information, please contact us in writing (see 2.1). 
8. You can bring a laptop, stationery, writing paper, a mobile phone and a camera into the library. Food and drinks are not allowed. You can store your jacket, (protective) bags, backpacks and other effects in a locker near the reception on the ground floor. 
9. You can bring your own books, journals and study materials to the library. To avoid any misunderstanding, please inform the library staff when you enter the library. 
10. It is not permitted to bring original works of art - paintings, drawings, prints, and suchlike - to the library without prior notice. Please contact us in advance in this regard (see 2.1). 
11. The Rubenshuis is not liable in the event of theft of or damage to your personal belongings. 
12. Smoking is prohibited throughout the building and garden. This restriction also applies to electronic cigarettes.
13. Animals are not allowed into the Rubenshuis, with the exception of certified assistance dogs, as provided for in the decree of 20 March 2009, amended by the decree of 28 June 2013, on the accessibility of public places for persons with assistance dogs.
14. In the event of a fire alarm, or an evacuation for any other reason, you must follow the instructions of the Rubenshuis staff and leave the building immediately. 
15. Conduct that compromises our operations, such as disruptive behaviour or deliberately stealing or damaging items from the collection, will not be tolerated.

1. Your personal data will be stored by the Rubenshuis in a database and used for communication regarding the collections and your consultations. This is in accordance with the Law on Electronic Communication (13 June 2005) and the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The Rubenshuis is controller of this database. 
2. You can access your personal data via the online catalogue (see 2.1), when you log in with your reader account (see 3.1).
3. You have the right to access and possibly correct your personal data in this database. You can request that data which is incorrect, incomplete or not applicable be corrected. 

4. You can have your personal data deleted from this database if you no longer wish to be registered as a library user of the Rubenshuis. You must then submit a written, dated and signed request and proof of your identity (copy of identity document) to the Rubenshuis (see 2.1).

    

1. In the library of the Rubenshuis, you can consult items from the collection. You can also study here. 
2. The Rubenshuis does not lend out material. Upon request, items from the collection can be put aside in the library for up to five working days. However, during this period, they can be consulted by other library users and internal staff. 
3. Library staff are at your disposal for questions, advice and assistance. You can ask them for explanations on equipment, services and for content-related explanations on the collections and digital access. 
4. The library is a silent place of study. You must respect the study atmosphere of the library. Eating, drinking, consulting and talking on the phone must all take place outside the library. For consultation, for example, you can use the public meeting room on the first floor. You must switch off the volume of your devices. You must keep the furniture and the rooms clean. 
5. Part of the collection is available off the shelf. The remaining collection has to be requested. Some items in the collection are subject to special conditions for consultation. This is indicated in the online catalogue. To consult items, make an electronic request by title of a publication, documentation folder or art history research archive via the online catalogue (see 2.1). For this, log in with your reader account (see 3.1). The conditions for requesting items and the available delivery times are specified in the electronic request form. 
6. You are personally responsible for the items you consult and request from the collection. You must not remove these from the library. 
7. You must handle the documents you consult with care. Check their condition before consulting, and have any damage recorded by library staff. 
8. Do not annotate items in the collection. 
9. You must not change the order of (the documents in) the documentation and archive folders. 
10. You must return each item from the collection to its designated place in the library after consultation. 
11. If it happens that an item from the collection is (temporarily) unavailable, the library staff will work with you to find an alternative to the extent possible. 
12. If you damage an item intentionally or through gross negligence, you will be required to pay for the damage according to the replacement value of the item and you may be denied access to the library. If you have to pay compensation for the item, this will be a fixed amount determined by the director of the Rubenshuis. This amount will calculated based on the average purchase price or insured value of the item, including administrative costs and costs for material care. 
13. In the event of theft or attempted theft, the Rubenshuis will immediately notify the police.  
14. If we identify any misconduct, you may be permanently denied access to the Rubenshuis library. This exclusion may also have consequences for you at the other libraries of the network. (see 3.6) 
15. You can use the wireless internet connection with your own devices to conduct searches in the collection catalogues and our paid databases and inventories. One device is available in the library. This device must only be used for activities related to study and research.  

16. The Rubenshuis cannot be held liable for the incompleteness or inaccuracy of the available information.  

     

1. Copies can only be made of items from the collection of the Rubenshuis. 
2. You can make your own copies with your own device. A scanning tent is available. This is free of charge. You must always respect copyrights in this regard. 
3. You can request scans in low resolution (pdf) and high resolution (jpg) from the library staff. We do not make any photocopies or print anything out. You will be charged a fee for certain types of copies. You can find more information and the applicable rates in the fee regulations. 
4. You can take free photos with your own device for scientific research, educational purposes or private use. You must not use a flash or tripod. You can use the scanning tent in the library. 
5. To ensure the lasting preservation of the collection, no photocopies can be made from items that are too fragile or in less good condition. Depending on the condition of the item in question, library staff will assess whether copying via photo or scan is possible.
6. Copyrighted items from the collection must never be copied in their entirety. 
7. If you wish to use a copy of an item from the collection for a printed and/or electronic publication, please contact us in writing (see 2.1). 

8. If you wish to publish a copy of a copyrighted item, you must contact the copyright holders yourself. 

    

1. You must always comply with copyright law and respect the copyrights of others.
2. You must only use copies made from items in the collection of the Rubenshuis that are not in the public domain (open data) for scientific research, educational purposes or private use. In this regard, you must comply with Book XI "Intellectual Property" of the Code of Economic Law and the Law transposing into Belgian law European Directive 2001/29/EC of 22 May 2001 on the harmonisation of certain aspects of copyright and related rights in the information society (22 May 2005). 

3. Data obtained from archives and documentation can only be used for personal study and research. You must not publish or otherwise disclose anything that could harm the interests of data subjects and/or other living persons. You must not disclose to third parties (private) data for which you have not obtained permission to publish it. 

    

1. You can request publications that are not available in the collection of the Rubenshuis collection from another institution, in consultation with library staff. To this end, the Rubenshuis uses the Belgian interlibrary loan system IMPALA. You can find the fees and further guidelines in the IMPALA regulations (http://anet.ua.ac.be/impala). You can consult the requested item once it has arrived in the library, and the same rules shall apply as for items from the library's own collection. 

    

1. Only the director of the Rubenshuis can allow exceptions to these regulations. 
2. In the event of situations that are not provided for by these regulations, the director of the Rubenshuis shall decide.
3. In the event of non-compliance with the rules set out in these regulations, the director may deny you access to the library and the Rubenshuis for a certain period, or permanently.
4. In practice, the director may be represented by a deputy.
5. By registering as a library user of the Rubenshuis, you agree to the provisions of these regulations. You will receive a copy (online or printed) of these regulations when you register. The regulations are also available to users in the library and can be consulted at any time via the website of the Rubenshuis (see 2.1).
6. You cannot derive any rights from these regulations. 
7. These regulations supersede any previous regulations.