Terms of Delivery

1. Definition

The German National Library of Medicine (ZB MED) is the Federal Republic of Germany's central specialist library of medicine, health sciences, nutrition, the environment, and agricultural sciences, as well as the corresponding foundation subjects and related subjects.

ZB MED's document delivery service supplies both returnable and non-returnable documents. Non-returnable documents comprise copies from journals, books, etc. The paper copies and/or electronic files pass into the ownership of the person ordering (the customer).

Returnable documents comprise books (monographs) and other media, including electronic media (e.g. CD-ROMs, diskettes, audiovisual materials), which are provided to the customer on an 'on loan' basis. The customer is obliged to return the items.

Use of the document delivery service will be charged at the corresponding rates.

2. User Groups

In principle, anyone from Germany or from any other country, who can demonstrate relevant scientific, official or general interest, is entitled to use the ZB MED's stocks via the document delivery service.

Users are divided up into three user groups.  The price you pay for the service depends on the user group you belong to.

• User Group 1: pupils, apprentices, students, members and affiliates of universities or of predominantly publicly funded scientific and research institutions, and legal entities under public law
• User Group 2: Self-employed and commercial customers
• User Group 3: Private individuals

 

3. Ordering Documents

The ZB MED accepts the following types of orders:

• unstructured postal orders
• unstructured fax orders
• fax orders on the forms provided for this purpose
• electronic e-mail orders
• electronic orders using the Internet form on the ZB MED website
• electronic orders via hosts
• electronic orders within the framework of SUBITO and JASON

 

Bibliographic references

Orders must include all the bibliographic references required to process/fill the order:

For ordering copies 

• Journal title
• volume,
• year,
• title of article/essay,
• author,
• page numbers.

For ordering books and other media

• Title,
• author or publisher,
• place of publication,
• edition/print run,
• year of publication.

To order individual chapters, you must provide the respective title, author and number of pages.

Any further details (e.g. ZB MED shelf marks) that the customer (i.e. the person ordering) can search for, or is already in possession of, should also be provided.

As a general rule, orders submitted within the scope of the SUBITO document delivery service must include the ZB MED shelf mark.

The customer is responsible for the accuracy of the bibliographic references.

Should the ZB MED be unable to fill an order due to a lack of bibliographic data, the customer shall be informed of this fact without being charged. Customers are not entitled to have the order filled regardless.

Should the customer receive a document they did not request due to erroneous bibliographic references, the customer shall nevertheless bear the charges indicated in the notice of performance.

 

Information on the customer (i.e. the person ordering)

Orders can only be processed if the following customer information is provided:

• Customer's surname and first name
• Postal address, or address of the institution, where applicable
• Telephone number
• Fax number in the case of fax dispatch
• E-mail address, if electronic delivery is required

Provision of the postal address is obligatory, since invoices are always sent by post.

4. Methods of Delivery

Non-returnable documents are sent/made available as copies by mail, by fax, or in an electronic format via email or FTP.

The customer shall clearly indicate their chosen method of delivery. If no clear indication is provided, then the delivery shall be made in the form of a paper copy sent by mail.

Please note that if it proves impossible to send the items electronically, then delivery shall automatically be made by mail.

Document deliveries by mail always include a delivery note. In the case of electronic or fax deliveries, the delivery note shall be sent electronically or by fax together with the order.

Returnable documents (books) are sent by ZB MED by parcel post. They must be returned by parcel post after use, with the customer paying the return postage. The customer shall bear the cost of packaging, postage, and insurance, where applicable. We recommend that the customer obtain a postal receipt as confirmation. In the event of loss, the customer shall be liable for the resulting damages, which generally comprise the cost of re-acquiring the lost documents and processing fees in line with the Academic Library Charges Act (Hochschulbibliotheksgebührengesetz). These terms apply equally to use of the SUBITO.3 document delivery service.

If the ZB MED is unable to successfully fill an order, the customer shall be informed of this fact at no charge to them.

5. Lending Terms for Returnable Documents

Borrowable books (monographs) and other borrowable media are sent to the customer as a physical unit. The customer has an obligation to return the item.

As a rule, the loan period is 4 weeks from the date of dispatch. The library can reduce the loan period if this is necessary for official or other reasons.

Within the scope of SUBITO.3, users are able to take out a maximum of five units simultaneously. It is not possible to make reservations or extend loan periods.

Arrangements may be made with customers from industry and business, as well as with libraries, allowing a maximum of 50 books to be taken out on loan simultaneously, and introducing the option of reservations.

Should the customer fail to return an item by the due date, they shall become liable for overdue fines in line with the Academic Library Charges Act (Hochschulbibliotheksgebührengesetz). These fines shall be paid by the customer.

Should the customer fail to pay the overdue fines, the ZB MED shall withdraw the user's borrowing privileges.

Further terms of lending are stipulated in the ZB MED's Library Regulations. Exemptions from borrowing are listed separately.

6. Order Processing Times

The ZB MED's own document delivery service differentiates between standard order processing and express processing.

Orders subject to standard processing are filled within 72 hours.

Orders subject to express processing are filled within 24 hours of their receipt by ZB MED on working days, not including Saturday. This deadline does not include the chosen method of delivery.

As long as they are received by 2 p.m., super express orders of non-returnable documents shall be processed and sent within three hours on working days, not including Saturday.

Within the scope of SUBITO (SUBITO.1 and SUBITO.3), the ZB MED delivers orders subject to standard processing within 72 hours, as a rule, and those subject to express processing within 24 hours.

Unless otherwise indicated by the user, orders shall be subject to standard processing.

Additional special conditions may be agreed.

The order processing time in each case commences upon receipt of the order by ZB MED, and ends upon the sending of the order by post, fax or e-mail. The ZB MED shall not be liable for any delays in postal deliveries, nor shall it be liable for the failure of fax or e-mail deliveries.

In the case of postal deliveries, the customer is responsible for ensuring that they can actually be reached at the postal address provided. In the case of fax deliveries, the customer must ensure that their fax machine is fully operational and ready to receive documents.

In the case of email deliveries, the customer is responsible for ensuring that the e-mail containing the article can be properly delivered. In particular, the customer is responsible for ensuring that their mailbox has sufficient capacity to receive the large e-mails that contain the digitalized documents.

Furthermore, please note that the ZB MED shall not be liable for problems relating to the customer's ability to receive forwarded emails.

Should the attempt to send an e-mail fail for these reasons, or for any other reasons that are not the responsibility of ZB MED, the customer shall be sent a paper copy by post and shall be charged the corresponding fees.

Should delivery in the case of express processing fail for reasons that do not fall within the ZB MED's sphere of responsibility, the customer will nevertheless still be required to pay the charges calculated for express processing without any deductions.

7. Complaints

Should the customer have any complaints regarding delivery or the delivery period, these must be presented within 10 days after dispatch or 13 days after submitting the order to the ZB MED. Upon expiry of this period, any entitlement to subsequent deliveries shall no longer apply.

Complaints can only be accepted and processed if the customer provides the following information on their order: bibliographic references for the ordered document, order date, order number (where applicable), order method/access system (as applicable), and the customer's details.

8. Copyright

The customer is obliged to observe the terms of copyright. The ZB MED shall not be liable for any abuse on the part of the customer.

9. Notices of Performance

In accordance with the ZB MED's scale of charges, the customer shall receive a notice of performance for the services provided. The charges indicated therein are to be paid within four weeks without deductions.

Notices of performance are issued once per month and may constitute several individual notices of performance combined into one.

Any objections to the notice of performance shall be asserted in writing (or verbally, for transcription) within four weeks of delivery of the notice.

By sending the order (by post, fax or electronic means), the customer acknowledges their acceptance of the terms of trade and the ZB MED's scale of charges. The customer hereby warrants to pay the fees that become due through execution of the order (including any expenses, bank charges, etc.), without deductions.