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Guidelines for reading room places, master's degree students

The rights and obligations of students in master's degree programmes who want a reading room place during their programme.

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Supplementary guidelines

1) Applicability of the guidelines: These guidelines apply to the master's degree reading room places that at any given time are set aside for the use of master's degree students in the Faculty of Humanities, University of Bergen.

2) How to amend the guidelines: The Faculty of Humanities sets supplementary guidelines for the master's degree reading rooms, and therefore only the Faculty can amend the guidelines.

3) Division of labour: The Faculty of Humanities distributes its reading room spaces between the departments and has the overarching responsibility. HSU is responsible for coordinating all work related to the allocation of reading room places. HSU is compensated for this with an annual amount set by the Faculty. The reading room coordinators are responsible for the coordination of information as well as for processing applications and allocating places to the departments. The reading room coordinators are the contact persons for HSU, the Faculty of Humanities and the departments in issues related to the reading rooms. The reading room coordinators are also responsible for coordinating the tidying up, emptying of book lockers, removal of books etc. in the reading rooms at the end of each semester. Operation of the reading rooms: The departmental offices convey technical issues to the Estate and Facilities Management division. Needs for changes of floor space allocation, guidelines or other fundamental issues must be reported to the Faculty via HSU. The point of contact between the Faculty of Humanities and HSU is the head of the Faculty's Information Centre.

4) Reading room coordinator and their tasks: There must be one reading room coordinator in each department. This coordinator is appointed by the student council in the department or is elected during the general meeting for master's students by 1 July every year. The reading room coordinator is the contact person for HSU, departments and the Faculty. The reading room coordinator is responsible for providing information to master's students about the guidelines and is also responsible for ensuring compliance with the guidelines. The reading room coordinator is also responsible for providing information about and initiating the application process and for allocating the department's reading room places on application and in consultation with HSU. If desirable, each discipline can have a person responsible for the reading rooms. This person must be appointed by the student council from amongst its members or elected by a general meeting for master's students by 1 June every spring semester. Where the disciplines have their own representatives responsible for the reading rooms, these must allocate the discipline's reading room places in consultation with the reading room coordinator.

5) Distribution of places among the disciplines: The master's degree reading room places in the Faculty of Humanities are always distributed between the departments, and the department's places shall be grouped together as much as possible. Any changes in how many and which places the departments have must be done in cooperation between HSU and the Faculty of Humanities. The distribution of places between the disciplines in each department is made in collaboration between the reading room coordinator and HSU at the beginning of each autumn semester, with the opportunity to redistribute at the start of the spring semester if the disciplines so wish.

6) Access to the reading room: All students admitted to master's programmes in the Faculty of Humanities have a right to use the master's degree reading room places allocated to their discipline.

7) How to apply for a reading room place: The distribution of the places each discipline has been allocated shall be based on how much the individual student uses it. All master's degree students must give notice by 25 January / 25 August of whether they want a reading room place in the current semester. Applications for reading room places are submitted electronically using a form on My Space that is published at the start of the semester in the group Master's degree students in the Faculty of Humanities.

  • Permanent places: In order to be allocated a permanent, individual place students must on average be in the reading room at least three times a week.
  • Shared places: Students who do not fulfil the requirements for their own permanent place can be allocated a place to share with another student. To have the right to be allocated a reading room place, students must use the place at least once a week. Students who share a place agree between themselves about how to use it.

 
8) Allocation principles: The master's degree students that according to the nominal length of study are to submit their master's thesis first have priority. If there are not enough available permanent places for everyone who wants one, a draw shall determine who is allocated a place.
 
9) The use of reading room places allocated to someone else: Erasmus students taking courses at the 300 level, master's students who have not received or not wanted a place, and students with shared places who want to use the reading room simultaneously can use the reading room places that are free and allocated to their discipline. If the person whose place is being used arrives, other students must move.
 
10) Right to retain a place: Students who are allocated a place have the opportunity to retain the place until submitting their master's thesis, as long as they comply with the minimum attendance requirement for the type of place (own or shared) they have. If students use their place less than stipulated above, they can lose it or have it be redefined from their own place to a shared place after one warning from the person in charge of the reading room.
 
11) Student obligations: Students who are on leave of absence or will no longer be using the place as much as required must notify the person in charge of the reading room. This also applies if a student wishes to change places.
 
Students are also required to comply with the applicable rules relating to reading rooms at UiB and to the use of UiB's premises as well as applicable fire and safety regulations.
 
12) Special needs: If a student has special needs (illness, responsibilities as a carer, etc.), it is possible to apply to the person in charge of the reading room for an exemption from one or more of the sections above.
 
13) Further guidelines: The student councils can adopt supplementary guidelines for the master's degree reading room places allocated to the discipline, as long as these do not violate the Faculty's supplementary guidelines.
 

Prepared by: Mona Bratthammer (HSU)
Approved by the Faculty of Humanities 31/05/05
Revised by the Faculty of Humanities in consultation with HSU 30/09/2008.
Revised by the Faculty of Humanities in consultation with HSU 11/01/2010 (new deadlines, changed HFSU to HSU)