Fees & Payment Options
How Fees Are Accrued
As a general rule, the use of the library is free of charge for you. In some cases, however, the library account may be charged with fees that have to be paid. The total of all outstanding fees, as well as a list of your borrowed and ordered media, can be found in your library account.
Fees may be accrued due to:
- Fee-based services
These are, for example, the use of printing stations and plotters. Any costs incurred will be charged to your library account as an outstanding fee. - Returning items late
This will result in overdue fines. The more items are returned late and the longer it takes, the higher the fees will be.
Please note: All fees and charges are due when incurred. Pay your printing fees immediately after you have completed printing.
- Lost and damaged media
These must be replaced by you. - Overdue Fines
They are specified in § 9 of the Administrative Regulations to the VvVG NRW and will be charged if you do not respond to the formally issued notice of claim.
Which costs may arise and how much will it be?
Costs for Services
| Item | Basis of Assessment | Fee / Euro | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Printouts A4 | black and white, depending on coverage | 0.04 - 0.30 € | ||||||
| Printouts A4 | coloured, depending on coverage | 0.05 - 0.30 € | ||||||
| Printouts A3 | black and white, depending on coverage | 0.08 - 0.60 € | ||||||
| Printouts A3 | colour, depending on coverage | 0.10 - 0.60 € | ||||||
| Interlibrary loan | for more than 20 DIN A4 copies, per page | from 0.05 € | ||||||
Overdue Fines and Media Replacement Fees
| Item | Basis of Assessment | Fee / Euro | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st reminder to return media | on day 1 per item | 2.00 € | ||||||
| 2nd reminder to return media | additionally on day 11 per item | 3.00 € | ||||||
| 3rd reminder to return media | additionally on day 21 per item | 5.00 € | ||||||
| Final reminder to return media | additionally on day 31 per item | 10.00 € | ||||||
| Media replacement | per item | actual costs | ||||||
| Reminder fee | § 9 of the VO VvVG NRW | 6.00 € |
How to Pay Your Fees
Payment by FH Karte at the Payment Station
In each of our libraries and in study room 3205 at Goethestraße, a payment station is available for cashless payment of your library fees. The password is preset to your date of birth (DDMM). Before paying, you should top up your FH Karte with credit at one of the automatic top-up terminals in the dining halls and cafeterias or by SEPA transfer.
Advantages:
- The payment stations are accessible throughout the entire opening hours - i.e. even when library staff are no longer on site. At Goethestraße, during the building's opening hours.
- When you have a meal in the dining halls, you can use the same credit on your FH Karte to pay your library fees.
Disadvantages:
- If your account has already been blocked due to outstanding fees, the account will not be unblocked until the following day by default. If you have made the payment during service hours, you can go to the service desk to have your account unblocked.
- The maximum amount that can be loaded onto the FH Karte is €75. Any fee above this limit cannot be paid with the FH Karte.
Payment by Bank Transfer to the Library's Account
For a total amount of € 5.00 or more, you are also welcome to pay your library fees by bank transfer. Our bank account details are
Recipient: FH Aachen
IBAN: DE11 3905 0000 1070 8591 43
BIC: AACSDE 33
Please make sure that you fill in the reference line (Verwendungszweck) correctly, so that the incoming payment can be assigned correctly.
1st line reference: #FH Identifier#
2nd line reference: #first name# #surname#
Disadvantages:
- Overpaid small amounts will be neither refunded nor credited.
- Bank transfer is only encouraged for sums of €5.00 or more.
- There is no real-time booking: From the time of your bank transfer, please expect several days until the payment has been received in the library's bank account and manually credited to your library account.
- The library's account details are easily confused with the IBAN of the Registrar's Office when using banking apps.
How to Avoid Fees
Read e-mails and keep an eye on loan periods
Read the library's e-mails regularly and keep an eye on the loan periods. E-mails with the subject "Pre-Reminder: Your loan period is about to end" remind you that the end of the loan period for your media is imminent.
Please note: All reminders from the library are a voluntary service. It is your sole responsibility to return borrowed items on time.