Stanly County Public Library: Policies

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Internet Policy

Stanly County Public Library recognizes the central position that freedoms of speech and expression occupy in our society, and the fundamental roles of intellectual freedom and the Library Bill of Rights in public libraries. These rights of freedom of access to information extend to minors as well as adults. Access is provided to children under the age of 8 when accompanied by a parent or adult care giver. For persons from the age of 8 and up to the date of their 18th birthday, the signature of a parent or guardian allowing unsupervised Internet access will be required and must be on file with the library. Access to information is critically important to the establishment of an informed citizenry.

Many think of a public library primarily in terms of books, but public libraries in general, and Stanly County Public Library in particular, have long offered other types of information resources. For example, resources such as microfilm, microfiche, books on tape, music cassettes, and filmstrips have long been available to library patrons. Although patrons are encouraged to access the Internet, the information needed may be more easily available through the printed world. While library staff are happy to assist patrons in accessing the Internet, each user is nevertheless responsible for his or her own search.

Electronic information research skills are becoming increasingly important to students, workers, and ordinary citizens. Internet access empowers the average citizen with the ability to explore thousands of libraries and databases while exchanging messages with people throughout the world. For these reasons, is is obvious that Stanly County Public Library's patrons should benefit from this enormously valuable and pertinent resource. The purpose of library-provided Internet access is to offer the user educational, informational, and recreational materials. Access is a privilege, not a right.

The Library addresses the following Internet safety issues through its Acceptable Use Agreement and Parental Permission Form:

access by minors to inappropriate matter on the Internet and World Wide Web;
the safety and security of minors when using electronic mail, chat rooms, and other forms of direct electronic communications;
unauthorized access, including "hacking," and other unlawful activities by minors online;
measures designed to restrict minors' access to materials harmful to minors.

Use of the Internet must be compatible with the Mission of the Library, and guided by the following principles:

Respect for the privacy and sensibilities of others
Parental guidance to minor children for use of the Internet
Attention to the legal protection provided by copyright and license to programs and data
Consideration for the integrity of computing systems. For example, users must not intentionally develop programs to harass others or infiltrate a computer or computing system, or develop programs that may damage or alter the software components of this or other computing systems.

Stanly County Public Library cannot be responsible for the accuracy, authority, or quality of information found on the Internet. Neither will the library be held responsible for any unauthorized financial obligations resulting from patrons' use of the Internet.

Guidelines for Computer Use

Internet access is granted to minors when:
(1) the minor is accompanied and directly supervised by a parent, legal guardian, or caregiver; or
(2) the minor is at least eight years of age, a signed parental permission card is on file, and the minor can present his Library card with a valid Internet sticker; or
(3) the minor is at least eight years of age, and a parent or legal guardian signs the Library's One-Day Agreement for Internet Access
All patrons wishing to use a computer must sign-in with a Library staff member:
(1) in Albemarle, go to the Information Services Desk or the Youth & Children's Services Desk; after 5:00pm and on Saturdays, go to the Circulation Desk.
(2) in Badin, Locust, Norwood, and Oakboro, go to the Circulation Desk.
All computers are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Computers at Badin, Locust, Norwood, and Oakboro are generally available for one-hour sessions; after fifty minutes, the user may request an additional session if no other Patron is waiting.
The Information Services computers in Albemarle are available for a single, two-hour session.
The Youth & Children's Services computers in Albemarle are generally available for thirty-minute sessions; after twenty minutes, the user may request an additional session if no other Patron is waiting.
The Word Processing computer in Albemarle is available for three-hour sessions; after 2 hours & 50 minutes, the user may request an additional session if no other Patron is waiting.
The Youth & Children's Services computers in Albemarle are reserved for minors/students through twelve years of age; the Information Services computers are reserved for adults and minors/students thirteen years of age and older.
Computers are shut down fifteen minutes before closing.
Please monitor the timer clock and save all work to a floppy disk -- any files open and in use when time expires may be lost.

Adults using the Internet for bona fide research or other lawful purpose may request that filtering be disabled; the parents or guardians of minors so using the Internet may similarly request on behalf of the minor that filtering be disabled.
Patrons who believe that a website has been incorrectly blocked may notify a Library staff member or contact the Library via e-mail at scpltech@carolina.rr.com; the website will then be reviewed by the Library's Internet filter vendor.
If the computer does not appear to be operating normally, please inform a Library staff member; do not turn off or reboot the computer.
Patrons with personal computers or laptops will not be given access to the Library network.
Access to Internet chat rooms is not permitted.
Computer users do not have the authority to give their time to another user.

Other unacceptable uses of the computers include but are not limited to:

violating all applicable state and federal laws regarding copyright, intellectual property rights, and software licensing;
any other purposes prohibited by local, state or federal regulation, statute, or law:
tampering with, altering, editing, damaging, or installing unauthorized computer hardware and/or software;
viewing content of a graphic sexual or violent nature;
misrepresenting yourself by name, age, Library card, or signature in the attempt to obtain unauthorized access to the Internet or other networks, computers, files, data, or passwords; or
storing personal files or data on the hard drive of the computer.

The Library cannot guarantee confidentiality or privacy in regards to either the monitor display or any Internet transactions.
The Library cannot guarantee the performance or availablility of the PC, the reliability of the Internet connection, or the availability of outside Internet resources.
The Library reserves the right to limit the number of people sitting at a computer.
The Library will not be responsible for damage to personal floppy disks or files.
There is a $.10 per page charge for printing.

Activating the computer timing software constitutes agreement to these terms. Refusal to abide by these guidelines or the instructions and requests of Library staff members in the performance of their duties will be grounds for revocation of Internet privileges and may result in the suspension of Library privileges and/or criminal charges.

(Adopted May 15, 1996; Revised October 15, 1997;
Revised October 17, 2001; Revised June 2, 2004)

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Library Card Policy

You must have a valid proof of address to be issued a library card.

You must present your library card in order to check out materials.

Maximum fine for each overdue item is $10.00 per item.

The cost for a lost library card is $2.00 per occurance.

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Materials Selection Policy

Statement of Community
The Stanly County Public Library system acknowledges the importance of knowing the community in order to select the most appropriate materials. Stanly County is an agricultural-industrial community of 56,000 persons. Because the community will continue to change, the need to re-evaluate this policy at two-year intervals exists.

Statement of Purpose
The purpose of the library is to provide information for recreational, educational, and cultural purposes in a variety of media, to encourage the use of this material, and to make it accessible to all citizens.

Relation to Other Libraries in the Community
There are fifteen elementary, two middle, and four high school libraries in the county along with Pfeiffer University, Stanly Community College, some industrial collections, and two professional (law and medicine) libraries. These facilities are limited in access and have specialized information for specific groups or interests. A special responsibility in collection development lies in selecting materials to support kindergarten through twelfth grade education goals within the county. The Library does not directly purchase materials to support the educational activities of Pfeiffer University or Stanly Community College. The Stanly County Public Library system seeks to have a comprehensive collection in order to serve all Stanly County citizens.

Responsibility
The selection of materials is made by the professional library staff using primarily book reviews and best seller lists but also considering suggestions by patrons and other staff members. The ultimate responsibility for selection rests with the Director of the Library, who is guided by the policies approved by the Library Board of Trustees.

Criteria
The Library Bill Of Rights and the Freedom to Read Statement are our primary selection guidelines. The materials are selected according to professional reviews, community standards, and whether works are by local authors or of local significance. The Library will also consider the physical quality of the materials.

Children's Materials are selected from critical reviews. Great emphasis is placed on material that stimulates the imagination and material that provides valid information. Responsibility for the material a child reads or uses rests with his/her parents or legal guardian.

Young Adult Materials are chosen to meet the special needs and interests of teenagers with emphasis on various perspectives of the teenage and adult world.

Adult Materials

Fiction is selected on the basis of the author's literary reputation, critical or commercial success, or the degree of patron interest. The Library will strive for a balance between original, creative writing and light fiction and recreation.

Non-Fiction is selected with an emphasis on recent, valid, and authoritative information in all subject fields in an attempt to broaden and balance our information capabilities. Materials are also selected to provide ready access to current information in various field of study.

Reference Materials are selected to provide ready access to current information in various fields of study.

Local History and Genealogy represents a primary responsibility of the Library: to preserve the published works of local authors and of materials which deal with local subject matter. Since the preservation of Stanly County history, genealogy, and cultural heritage is of such special interest to the community, the Library makes every effort to collect and preserve all materials identified.

The priority with which the Library develops the collection is:

All published works by local authors regardless of the subject matter or literary merit.

All historical or genealogical works on Stanly County and its communities.

Historical or genealogical works on those counties from which Stanly was formed or has been inextricably associated.

Historical or genealogical works on the State of North Carolina, or its various regions, counties, etc.

Works of a general nature in local history and genealogy which support this research.

Audio-Visual Materials are selected on the same criteria as printed material. The Library recognizes the importance of including non-print material in order to reach a wider segment of our population.

Gifts, Memorials, and Honors are welcomed by the Library, but these items must be evaluated in the same manner as other acquired materials. Further guidelines on gifts can be found in the library's Gift Policy. In order for staff to maintain a balanced collection, donors of honor or gift materials are encouraged to choose from items or subject areas suggested by the professional library staff with regard to professional standards.

Materials are removed from the collection when they become outdated or superseded by updated editions.

The same selection criteria applies to the acquisition of new editions and revisions of older works as applies to new materials.

Duplicate copies of materials in continuing demand are retained in storage for future use.

When materials are in poor physical condition and a continuing demand exists, consideration will be given to replacement or rebinding.

Reconsideration of Materials
Anyone wishing to file a request for reconsideration of library materials should fill out a Request for Reconsideration of Library Material form. You will find a copy of this form at the link below.

The requests will be reviewed according to the guidelines set forth in the Procedure for Dealing with Request for Reconsideration of Materials. Appeals will be directed to the Director and the Board of Trustees.

(Approved December 3, 1981; amended June 10, 1993
amended October 18, 2000)

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Meeting Room Policy

Authority

Authorization for use of the library facilities shall come form the Director.

Priorities

Library-sponsored programs and activities have priority.

The library reserves the right to cancel other meetings if necessary to present our own programs. Such action should be avoided if possible.

Restrictions

The library facilities may be reserved for use by educational, civic, cultural or governmental groups when no admission charge is made or contributions are solicited.

The library facilities may not be reserved for commercial use.

The Library Director will determine usage of the library facilities by groups not cited above. The library facilities are not available for purely social gatherings or private meetings not open to the public.

Use of the main library facilities after regular library hours is not permitted.

Reservations for a series of meetings that would designate the library as a regular meeting place may be scheduled, but such meetings would be subject to cancellation by the library for library-sponsored programs.

Procedures of Reserving the Library Facilities

The room must be booked in advance, preferably seven days.

Come in or call the library:

Main 704-986-3764

Badin 704-422-3218

Norwood 704-474-3625

Oakboro 704-485-4310

Locust 704-888-0103

Any staff member can take the required information and check the scheduling calendar for availablility. A meeting may only be booked for the calendar year. A group must re-book a time on an annual basis. The library does not automatically reserve the library facilities for groups.

Give the following information:

Desired date and hours

Name of Organization

Number of Participants expected

Your name and phone number as a representative of the organization

Whether any extra equipment or materials will be brought into or borrowed from the library

Wait for confirmation. Do not assume the Library facilities are booked until the above information has been recorded on the library scheduling calendar.

Rules of Conduct

The individual booking the library facilities must be responsible for seeing that all library regulations are observed. This person must obtain a library facilities use form, complete the form, and turn it in to a library staff member when the meeting is over.

Only previously prepared foods such as light refreshements, box lunches or covered dish meals may be served in the library facilities. There are no kitchen facilities available and no food may be prepared on site. The consumption of alcoholic beverages on library property is prohibited.

Groups using the library facilities must agree to arrange the chairs and tables needed; must agree to take care of the facilities, and agree to leave the room clean.

Posters, charts, pictures, etc may be hung from the picture molding, using only the hardware provided for this purpose. No tape, no tacks, no nails, no plastic tack or similar materials may be used on the walls without the permission of the library director.

The library reserves the right to refuse the use of the library facilities to groups which abuse these privileges.

The fact that a group is permitted to meet or an individual is permitted to speak in the library, does not constitute an endorsement by the library board of trustees or library of the group's or individual's beliefs, policies, or programs. The group shall not be permitted to issue publicity or advertising indicating library sponsorship, and the library reserves the right to ost disclaimers, as applicable, in the meeting area, as well as in other such areas as it deems appropriate.

(Approved March 1, 1984
Amended June 10, 1993
Amended March 18, 1998)

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Overdue Materials Policy

Item Loan Period Daily Overdue Fines Rates Per Item Maximum

Books 21 Days $00.20 per day $10.00

Audio Books 21 Days $00.20 per day $10.00

Hooked on Phonics 21 Days $2.00 per day $20.00

Videos 21 Days $00.20 per day $10.00

Audio/Visual Equipment Variable $2.00 per day $100.00

Inter-library Loan Variable $1.00 per day $30.00

Service Fee

Out of County Card (valid for one year) $15.00

Library Card Replacement $2.00 per occurance

ILL Search $2.00 per request

Printing $00.10 per page

Library Card Search $1.00 per search

The following steps will be taken to retrieve overdue materials:

At one week overdue, an Overdue Notice will be mailed to the responsible patron.
At three weeks overdue, a second Overdue Notice will be mailed to the responsible patron.
At five weeks overdue, a Long Overdue Notice will be mailed to the responsible patron.
At any time thereafter, the library may report the account to a collection agency or small claims court. When the account is reported to a collection agency or small claims court, an additional $10.00 County Fee will be posted to the patron's account.

Additional Notes:

Long overdue materials may not be renewed.

Upon return of overdue materials, the patron will be responsible for payment of all accumulated fines.

Upon declaration of loss of overdue materials, the patron will be responsible for the cost of the material; if the lost material has been held long overdue, the County Fee will also be charged.

Check-out limits for materials shall be:

75 Books

15 Non-Print Media (which includes Books on Tape; Music Cassettes; Videos; and Computer Software)

3 Interlibrary Loan

2 AV Equipment

5 Magazines (Circulated at the branch libraries only)

(Approved by Stanly County Board of Trustees 10/07/95)
(Amended by Stanly County Board of Trustees 09/15/99)
(Amended by Stanly County Board of Trustees 09/19/01)
(Amended by Stanly County Board of Trustees 05/15/02)

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Safe Child Policy

Statement of Philosophy
The Stanly County Public Library welcomes children of all ages to utilize our materials and services. It is a doorway through which life long learning takes place. We encourage the use of the library by children and parents together, especially as children are introduced to the services the library can provide. We believe that parents are best able to make decisions about the books and materials their children would enjoy, as well as to decide when children are prepared to use the library alone.

The role of the staff at Stanly County Public Library is to assist children and parents in selecting materials, answering questions about library services and to encourage the use of additional programs and services as they are developed. In addition, our goal is to provide an atmosphere where children and adults alike feel welcome in the library. To accomplish this, we have established a Code of Conduct that applies to library users of all ages.

As parents prepare children for coming to the library alone, we highly recommend they review this Code of Conduct and the library hours of operation together. We encourage parents to discuss with children the pitfalls of being in a public building alone, and to equip children with knowledge about how to deal with strangers and how to use the telephone to contact a responsible adult at all times.

Statement of Policy
The library staff is concerned about the safety of young people who may remain at the library at closing time. Children will be encouraged to begin calling for a ride at least 20 minutes prior to closing time. If a minor child is alone at the time of library closing, a library staff person will wait with the child for fifteen minutes. Staff will call the local police to pick up the child if the child's ride does not come within that time. Staff are instructed not to offer transportation to those left at closing.

When children exhibit difficulty in managing their own behavior in the library, library staff will determine whether the child is accompanied by a responsible adult and request their assistance in applying the library's Code of Conduct. If it is determined that a child is alone, or without adult supervision, staff will ask if a child is waiting for a ride or has the ability to leave the library on their own. Those waiting for a ride will have the opportunity to wait in the administrative offices until a responsible adult can pick them up. Those who have walked or arrived on their own will be asked to leave.

Parents will be contacted when library staff observe that a child is having difficulty being alone at the library. The library director and parents will work together to decide what action should be taken to ensure positive library experiences for children.

(Approved by the Stanly County Public Library Board of Trustees October 6, 1988)

Parents seeking further guidance about children using the library alone may also read the following brochure, written by the Youth & Children's Services staff:

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