Membership:

1. Library membership:

  • Library membership is open to the residents of Chennai and its suburbs.
  • Documents required for opening a Library membership are:
    1. valid photo ID (Voter ID card, passport, driving license, Aadhar Card, pan card, Employment ID card of Government or MNC staff)
    2. recent stamp sized photographs
    3. Proof of address (a photocopy of ration card, lease or rental agreement with the land lord, bank statement, latest electricity bill, an ID card with photo from a govt. recognized educational  institution for students)
    4. For AFM Students: AFM Student Card + 2 photos + any one of the address proofs mentioned above.
    5. For French teachers & professors: Employment ID Card of the Institution where they are currently employed + 2 Photos
  • Any change of address should be notified to the librarian at the earliest.
  • Foreigners should also provide a domicile resident proof provided by the FRRO, along with a photocopy of the address page of their passport.
  • Library membership fee once paid is not refundable under any circumstances.
  • In the case of minors, it is the parent’s / guardian’s responsibility to ensure that the minor does not borrow adult documents.
  • A lost card must be immediately reported to the library; the concerned library member will be held responsible for any document issued on his/her lost card. Once the loss is reported, a new card will be issued upon payment of Rs. 100/-.
  • Wilful or frequent non-adherence to the rules of the library, habitually returning the documents late despite several reminders from the librarian, damaging the documents quite often, gross misdemeanour inside the AFM or in the library premises and unauthorized removal of library materials would result in the cancellation of the library membership temporarily or permanently.

2. Lending:

  • Documents shall not be lent without the library member producing his/her library card.
  • Lending duration: 3 weeks for books & periodicals and 1 week for CDs, CD-ROMs & DVDs. Late return is fined Rs. 1 per working day per document.
  • The date of return of the documents may be extended once, for the same duration, on a request made by the library member in person or over the phone, provided the document is not already overdue and/or it is not reserved by others.
  • If the required document is out on loan, one can reserve them. On its returning, it will be kept aside for you for a period of one week.
  • A library member cannot borrow a document before all the documents that are already overdue from him have been returned
  • While borrowing, it is the responsibility of the library member to check for any latent damage in the document (scribbling, torn pages etc) and inform the librarian beforehand about it or else while returning the document, it would be presumed that the concerned library member has damaged the document.
  • A library member cannot borrow books through a proxy, except when the library member is a minor / handicapped or a senior citizen.
  • In case, if the document required by a library member is available in another library of our network, an interlibrary borrowing could be made, on payment of Rs. 50 /- as transportation charges.
  • For availing certain facilities of the library, like accessing internet, watching films or documentaries, etc. a non-library member might be asked to produce a valid Identify proof (Voter ID card, passport, driving license, Aadhar Card, pan card, Employment ID card of Government or MNC staff).

3. Losing or damaging the documents / equipments

  • Lost / damaged document has to be compensated with its current cost + 30% of it as shipping charges.
  • Scribbling, underlining, writing etc on the library book would be considered as damaging the book and would entail full fine.
  • Any damage caused to the library equipments due to negligence or misconduct, has to compensate by paying its current cost as fine.
  • Rs. 5000/- is collected as a refundable caution deposit for taking up Multimedia Library Membership, which is refundable at the end of the membership term.
  • The refundable caution deposit amount should be claimed back by the member within 6 months of lapse of the multimedia membership and the member forfeits the right to claim the refund of caution deposit thereafter.
  • The caution deposit amount would be reimbursed to the member only if the entire amount overdue from him (i.e. fine for late return of the documents, penalty amount for losing or damaging the library documents or library equipments etc.) to the library has been duly settled.

4. Code of conduct inside the library

  • The users must respect the tranquility of the library. Make sure your mobile phone is switched off.
  • It is strictly forbidden to smoke, drink, eat or use a mobile phone inside the library.
  • The bags are to be left at the entrance. Do not leave your mobile, purse, laptop or any other valuables in your bag; you may carry them inside the library. Library will not be responsible for the loss of any of your belongings on its premises.
  • The tuitions and private classes are not allowed.
  •  The users are advised not to place the books back on the shelves but to leave them on the tables in order to avoid disorder in the shelves.
  • The filming, photography and audio-taping are not allowed without permission.
  • The users must respect the copyright of the borrowed documents and the library is not liable for any violations by the subscribers.
  • The use of personal audio equipment inside the library is not allowed.
  • The unauthorised removal of material constitutes a serious offence and may lead to a fine or disciplinary action. We reserve the right to search the bags on exit, if needed.
  • The violation of these codes can result in loss of rights partially or fully, temporarily or permanently.
  • In case of misdemeanour, the librarian is authorised to evict the person from the premise. In case of misdemeanour, the librarian is authorised to evict the person from the premise.

5. Services:

  • Internet: Access to internet is mainly reserved to the subscribers of the library. It is meant for visiting sites related to French language and France. Using these computers for e-mails, Chats, Messengers or any other purposes is strictly prohibited. Visiting objectionable sites is also not allowed. Duration of this access is restricted to 2 hours. Downloading and installation of the Software’s, games, videos, etc are not permitted. Using pen-drive in these computers is also prohibited.
  • Audiovisuals: Priority is given to the subscribers in the consultation of the films (DVDs & VHSs). Non subscribers have to cede their place if needed. The use of head phones are a must. Only one film can be viewed at a time so that as many users as possible can use the facility.
  • TV5 MONDE LIVE: The visitors can all through the day watch and enjoy this 24 hr French TV channel in our audio-visual room.
  • Photocopying: Few pages of non-borrowable documents can be photocopied. The copies will be given in maximum 2 days and Rs. 2/- will be charged for photocopying per page. Photocopying large number of pages or the complete book is not done so as to avoid the damage to the precious original book.