LIBRARY POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
Title: Mary Hutchins Meeting Room
Approved: September 6, 2005
Reviewed: Library Board of Trustees
I. PURPOSE AND SCOPE
To establish guidelines and procedures for booking the meeting room at the
Elkins Public Library.
The Board of Trustees recognizes article 6 of the Library Bill of Rights
that states, " meeting rooms should be made available to the public served by the given library on an equitable
basis, regardless of beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups
requesting their use". To that end, the Board of Trustees encourages use of
the meeting room for any local organization engaged in educational,
cultural, intellectual, governmental, or charitable activities.
II. CRITERIA FOR USE OF MEETING ROOMS
a.. When not in use for Library affiliated or sponsored activities, the
Library meeting rooms are provided as a public service.
b.. Meeting rooms may be reserved by an adult (18 years or older) by
contacting Elkins Library at 783-4386.
c.. No meetings can be scheduled prior to 7:00am or past 10:00pm. unless
special arrangements are made.
D. No commercial organizations shall be permitted to use the room and no
private social functions shall be allowed. The Director and the Trustees may deny access to this
facility if the proposed activity may cause disorder.
III. RULES AND REGULATIONS
a.. All programs with children under the age of 18 must have adequate
adult supervision.
b.. Booking shall be on a first come, first serve basis. The space may
be used on an annual basis for one-time events, monthly meetings and
classes, or weekly events at the discretion of the Director and Trustees.
Reservations are mandatory for use.
c.. The library reserves the right to cancel any meetings due to
inclement weather, power outage, or other dangerous situations.
d.. Cancellation by the user must be called in as soon as possible in
order to free the room for other use. The user is responsible for posting a
notice of said cancellation and notifying its members.
e.. Use of the library meeting room does not constitute endorsement and
no announcements or advertisements should imply such. The library may not be used as mailing
or headquarters address for any organization.
f.. Programs may not discriminate according to gender, sexual
orientation, religion, age, race or handicapped status.
g.. No admission fees may be charged unless they are required for items
used during the meeting.
h.. Organizations using the meeting room are responsible for all Library
property involved and for leaving the meeting room in good order.
i.. Abuse of Library property will result in charges for the repair or
replacement of damaged property and may result in loss of permission to use
the meeting rooms.
j.. Failure to comply with the room capacity limits may result in the
loss of privileges. According to the fire code, the meeting area may not
hold more than 20 people.
k.. No nails, tacks, scotch tape or other items may be used on wall or
doors.
l.. Meeting room users must bring their own supplies. The Library is not
responsible for equipment, materials or other items owned by organizations
or individuals using the meeting rooms.
m.. Smoking or open flames are strictly prohibited.
n.. Food is permitted.
o.. Alcohol is strictly prohibited anywhere on the premises without
prior approval; violation will result in loss of permission to use library
meeting rooms.
p.. The library is not responsible for lost or stolen items.
q.. The library reserves the right to revoke meeting privileges at any
time for failure to follow these rules. Appeal of this decision should be made in writing to the
library Board of Trustees.
r. All users will sign the attached form agreeing to these rules. This form
will be kept on file at the library.
Patron Behavior Policy
Our mission is to offer access to quality educational, literary,
technological and professional materials and programs to assist community
residents of all ages in meeting their personal, educational and
professional information needs. For the library to be safely enjoyed by all
patrons, the following rules and regulations must be observed. Patrons who
exhibit behavior inconsistent with the following rules may be asked to leave
the library.
1.. Many patrons use the library as a place for quiet study. Patrons
should respect the rights of others and not engage in loud conversations or
noisy activities. Please turn cellular telephone ringers off while in the
building, and place any outgoing calls from outside the building.
2.. All patrons, regardless of age, must wear appropriate clothing,
including shoes, while in the library.
3.. With the exception of those assisting patrons with a disability,
animals are not permitted in the library building without the approval of
the Library Director.
4.. Parents are responsible for the behavior and supervision of their
children. Children under the age of nine should not be left unattended in
the library. (Please see "Unattended Children Policy")
5.. No one may interfere with another person's right to use the library or
with the library staff's performance of their duties.
6.. Threatening the safety or rights of another person, including but not
limited to, violent or disorderly behavior, threats of violence or use of
abusive language and possession of weapons are not acceptable.
7.. Patrons are responsible for their personal property. Please do not
leave items unattended.
8.. Bicycles, roller blades, skateboards, scooters, or similar equipment
may not be used in the building or the parking lot. Bicycles should be left
on the side of the building and clear from walkways.
9.. Use of tobacco is not permitted anywhere in the library building or on
library grounds.
10.. Solicitation and distribution of non-library materials is not
permitted without the permission of the Library Director.
11.. The library staff reserves the right to contact the police department
for assistance related to the removal of a patron.
12.. Patrons who consistently disregard this policy may have their library
privileges revoked.
13.. The Board of Trustees does not permit use of alcohol in the library
with the exception of special events, which requires prior approval.
June 2003
Safe Child Policy
The Elkins Public Library welcomes children of all ages to use and enjoy the
facilities, collections and programming offered by the library. The library
attempts to provide a safe environment for children to select books and
other materials and to attend library programming. However, young children
are not safe when left unattended in the library. The staff cannot know if
children are leaving the building with their parents or with strangers. For
the safety of minor children and the enjoyment of all patrons using the
library we have developed a specific policy regarding unattended children.
1.. Children under the age of nine may not be left unattended at the
library. A child is unattended if he/she is in the library without a parent
or responsible adult over the age of fifteen. This includes children
participating in library programming; a parent or other responsible adult
over the age of fifteen must remain in the library during the program.
2.. At the discretion of a responsible adult, a child age nine to fourteen
may be left unattended for the period of time needed to select materials,
complete a homework assignment, read, or attend a program. The child must
know how to reach the adult in case the need should arise. Children should
not be left for longer than two hours; the library does not provide
childcare services.
3.. Parents are responsible for the behavior of minor children at all
times, even if they are not in the library with the child. Library staff
does not serve in loco parentis, in place of the parent. If a child's
behavior is inappropriate for the library, and he/she does not respond to
appropriate guidance from library staff, the parent will be contacted to
remove the child from the library. If the parent cannot be reached and the
child's behavior is deemed dangerous or unduly disruptive, the police
department will be called.
4.. If a child is left at the library without a way home one half hour
prior to closing time, library staff may call the child's home or place of
business using information provided by the child, the patron database, or
the telephone directory. If contacted, the parent will be told that their
child must be picked up immediately. If the parent cannot be located or if a
parent has not picked up the child within one half-hour, the library staff
may contact the police department.
5.. Under no circumstances will a staff member give a child a ride home.
6.. The Elkins Public Library and its staff do not assume responsibility
for any child left unattended in the library.
7.. All library patrons are subject to the "Patron Behavior Policy"
concerning disruptive behavior.
8.. As used in this policy, the term "parent" may include legal guardians
or other persons having custody or control of a minor.
June 2003
Policy for Access to Electronic Information
The Elkins Public Library is pleased to offer public access to the Internet
and CD-ROMs. These services make available a wealth of information to our
patrons, and illustrate our commitment to the role of the public library in
the information age. The following policy will be followed to equitably
allow access to all. All patrons must read and acknowledge this policy with
a witnessed signature on the Computer Registration Form before using the
computer.
Disclaimer: The Elkins Public Library and its Trustees and staff do not
control the Internet. The Internet is a global entity. Parents are
responsible for supervising their children's Internet sessions at the
library.
General:
1.. The computer is available to registered library cardholders in good
standing only. Access will be made available after the patron reads the
policy and agrees to it by signing the Application for Computer Registration
Card. This form with a valid signature will be kept on file at the
circulation desk. Users under the age of 18 must have a parent or guardian
come into the library and counter sign the application for computer use to
grant unsupervised access.
2. Users who abuse the computer services or equipment will find their usage
terminated at any time by a member of the Library staff. Users will be held responsible
for any damage to equipment caused by misuse. Malicious damage to equipment will
result in suspension of library privileges.
3.. The computer is provided for patron access to the Internet and Library
provided CD-ROMs. User provided software or downloading shareware is prohibited.
4.. The user agrees to obey all applicable federal, state, and local laws
governing copyright, licensing and content restrictions. The library reserves the
right to terminate or restrict the user's privileges for abuse of these conditions.
5.. These guidelines may be revised at any time. A current copy of this
policy will be available. It is the user's responsibility to check to make sure he/she
knows the latest policy.
Access/Reservations:
6.. The computers are available for use only during scheduled library
operating hours.
7.. The library recommends that users reserve the computer in advance. One
thirty minute time slot may be reserved up to one week in advance. Time may
be extended if no other patrons are waiting. Patrons who are ten minutes
late for their appointment will forfeit if another patron is waiting.
Patrons who fail to show up for a scheduled appointment twice will lose
their ability to reserve time slots.
8.. Unreserved time may be used on a walk-in basis for thirty minute time
slots. Time may be extended if no other patrons are waiting.
9.. Users sign in at the circulation desk. They must state their borrower
number and Library staff will verify that the patron has a signed Computer
Registration Card on file.
Downloading/Printing/Hard Disk Usage:
10.. Users may download only to diskettes (3.5 inch.) Only diskettes
purchased from the Library for a $0.50 fee may be used in the computer. No materials,
shareware, etc. may be downloaded to the hard drive.
11.. There is a $0.10 per page fee for black & white material printed and
a $0.25 fee for color prints.
12.. Any manipulation of the operating systems, set, or files will result
in the loss of privileges by the user.
Internet:
13.. Access will be provided to the World Wide Web (WWW). Access is not
provided To E-mail, chat rooms, use groups or bulletin boards.
14.. Not all sources on the Internet provide accurate, complete or current
information. Users need to be good information consumers, questioning the validity of
the information.
15.. Users should understand that the Internet provides a wealth of
information from thousands of computers world-wide. Some of the information may be
offensive to individual tastes. It is the responsibility of the user (parent or
guardian in the case of users under 18) to select appropriate information. Individuals who do not
comply with this provision will have their computer privileges revoked.
16.. Users will be personally responsible for any materials ordered via
the Internet. They will need to pay for these items on-line with a credit card. The
Library will not be responsible for these costs.
17.. Library staff cannot control the availability of communication links
or services of the Internet Access Provider, which may change rapidly and
unpredictably.
CD-ROM:
18.. Only Library-provided CD-ROMs may be used in the computer.
19. CD-ROMs are kept at the circulation desk and may be changed only by the
Library staff. Patrons may choose a CD-ROM from the posted list and request
it from the circulation desk.
CATALOG SERVICE
This website is the access to the New Hampshire State Automated Services
where searches for materials held in New Hampshire may be found. Materials
may be borrowed through the Interlibrary-loan service provided by Elkins
Library.
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