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Terms of Use

Rules and regulations

I. General points

  1. The archival fonds and the library of the Centre national de littérature (CNL) can be consulted for scientific, literary, cultural and journalistic purposes.
  2. The CNL’s archives and library are only available to the public in the reading room and may not be taken outside.
  3. The CNL’s opening hours are from Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.
  4. Users are advised to make an appointment in advance and to disclose which resources they need to access. However, this is not compulsory.
  5. Coats, bags, briefcases and the like cannot be taken into the reading room. A cloakroom with lockers is available to users. The CNL is not responsible for theft, loss or damage to personal property.
  6. Drinking, eating and making phone calls are prohibited in the reading rooms. Mobile phones must be switched to silent mode. Users should behave in a way as to not disturb others.
  7. Users must follow the instructions of CNL staff.

II. Terms of Use

  1. During their first visit, users must fill out a registration form. The present rules and regulations are legally binding and must be signed by the user as part of the registration process. The CNL will not share personal information with third parties.
  2. Users must enrol at the surveillance desk in the reading room and will be added to the registry of users.
  3. Reference books are available in the reading room but must be returned to their correct location after use. Users must fill out a form in order to access books, periodicals and documents from the library or archives. Requested material can only be made available in limited numbers.
  4. Users may consult audio-visual material in the designated places.
  5. Users are advised to verify the completeness and condition of the provided documents. If no notice is made beforehand by the user it is assumed that he received the material in perfect condition and in complete form.
  6. Users must handle the material carefully. It is prohibited to make annotations on the documents, to place books or other objects on the documents, or to cause any other form of damage. Users may only use pencils or laptops for taking notes in the reading room. Users must wear gloves provided by the CNL when handling photographs or fragile documents.
  7. In case of prolonged absence and at least 15 minutes before the closing of the reading room, users must return all of the material to the surveillance desk in the original condition.
  8. Users may reserve material for several consecutive days at the surveillance desk.
  9. The consultation and ultilisation of some fonds may be prohibited or restricted:
    • if this is required by copyright laws or by the affected personality;
    • if this is required by an agreement made between the author or the copyright holder and the CNL;
    • if this is required by the condition of the material;
    • if the research can be completed with published material only;
    • if the requested material is currently in use for another purpose.
  10. The CNL can provide users with a copy if consulting the original document is not a priority.

III. Reproduction and publication

Reproduction

  1. The right to consult the archives does not include the right to reproduce the borrowed material. The CNL must previously authorise any form of reproduction, including photocopies and scans. If the right of reproduction is held by a third party, the later must be contacted beforehand. A written authorisation must then be produced and submitted to the CNL. Users are legally held responsible to respect copyright laws.
  2. The CNL provides a reproduction service to its users, which is subject to a fee. The exact cost can be found on the pricing list.
  3. The reproduction of archival documents in fonds is restricted. The reproductions are for personal use only and cannot be supplied to a third person.
  4. The reproduction of books, periodicals, journals or microfilms can be done by the users of the CNL themselves depending on the condition of the material and only after an explicit authorisation has been given by the surveillance desk. The reproduction of archival documents in fonds can only be carried out by CNL staff considering the condition of the material.

Publication

  1. The right to consult the archives does not include the right to publish the borrowed material. The CNL must previously authorise any form of publication. If the right of publication is held by a third party, the latter must be contacted beforehand. A written authorisation must then be produced and submitted to the CNL. Users are legally held responsible to respect copyright laws. Any publication must mention the CNL as the owner of the archival fonds as well as the reference number of the document. This acknowledgement must adhere to the following structure: CNL + title of the fonds + reference number.
  2. Letters of living authors and/or addressees can only be published with their authorisation. If the author and/or addressees of the letters are deceased, an authorisation must be provided by the copyright holders prior to publication. Unless otherwise agreed, this arrangement is valid for 50 years after the death of the author or addressee. Moreover it is necessary to consider the impacts on a third party and its rights of the personality.
  3. The CNL can digitise documents in limited number for publication purposes. This service is subject to a fee. The exact cost can be found on the pricing list.
  4. Users agree to provide the CNL free of charge with a copy of any publication in which they have used material from the CNL. This also applies to academic work.

IV. Violation of the rules and regulations and liability

  1. Any user who does not comply with the rules and regulations can be temporarily or irremediably made to leave the premises of the CNL. In that case, the present rules and regulations are still legally binding.
  2. Users must use any available devices and computers conforming to the regulations and in a responsible way. Users are asked to immediately alert staff of any technical incident. It is prohibited to install software other than the one provided or to modify the operating system and networks.
  3. Users are responsible for any loss or damage during their usage of the material or devices.

V. Enforcement

  1. The present rules and regulations come into effect on 01.05.2011.

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