1 BACKGROUND

The National Library of Uganda was established under the National Library Act, 2003. The library aims at collecting and preserving the national intellectual and cultural heritage for scholarship and national pride. It provides information materials and services to researchers at local and international levels.

2 OPENING HOURS

Mondays – Fridays: 8.30 am – 6.00 pm
Saturdays: 9.00 am – 1.00 pm
Sundays and public holidays: Closed 

3 ACCESS TO THE LIBRARY 

The library is open to any member of the public doing research and those having specific reference queries, including those referred to us by other information services
Access to the library is strictly by a library pass
To obtain a library pass, one must properly explain one’s information need and pay a fee of Shs 1,000/= for one day's pass or Shs 10,000/= for one month's pass
Admission will depend on the condition of the library and the nature of the user’s information need
The Librarian reserves the right of admission 

4 LIBRARY USE 

All documents in the library are strictly to be used within the library’s reading room
Users are free to pick, for their use, any document from the open shelves
Users wishing to use the National Collection will need to fill in a request form indicating the document they wish to consult. Library staff will serve them as appropriate. A user may order not more than three items at a time
Unique and precious items, from the National Collection which are prone to damage by excessive handling, or which are prone to theft may only be lent for substantiated scholarly pursuit. The Librarian in Charge reserves the right to decide the degree of substantiation
Photocopying is to be done strictly with permission from the staff
To take a document out for photocopying, users must follow the laid out procedure
All readers leaving the library in possession of books, papers etc must show them to the staff at the counter
A user who is caught cutting out parts of or willfully damaging a document will pay 150% of the original cost of the material; may be banished from the library and may face prosecution
Facilities are available for accessing information in electronic form. See: Regulations for use of computers in the library 

5 SECURITY 

Personal belongings like briefcases, bags etc are not allowed in the library. They must be left at the designated place. Patrons should however note that these are left at owners’ risk
All library documents must be handled with care. Torn covers or pages or any other damage to documents must be reported to staff immediately
Always show personal books (documents) to the staff as you enter and leave the library
Mobile phones must be switched off or put in silent mode while in the library 

6 WHILE IN THE LIBRARY USERS ARE REQUESTED NOT TO DO THE FOLLOWING 

Smoking
Drinking
Making noise
Speaking on the phone
Shelving back documents after use
Trying to fix faulty library equipment 

7 PROCEDURE FOR PHOTOCOPYING

Users must fill out a form and indicate by page markers the pages, columns, paragraphs, pictures, tables etc to be copied
The staff will make copies according to the requestor’s instructions, and the user will be charged accordingly
The library may refuse copying if:
There is no necessary technical equipment
The requested amount of copying goes beyond and above the work capacity of the library
Making a copy would result in breach of the copyright law 

8  DOCUMENT SUPPLY

When requesting for a document not available in the library and to be acquired from another institution, the library may ask for pre-payment for the order before commencing the work.