Use of the Library

Kilgore Memorial Library Policy Manual

The library will serve all interested persons.

Library service will be provided in the time, place, and manner which best meet the needs of the community.  Library hours will be set by the library director, with input from the Citizen’s Advisory Board.

Individuals shall be engaged in activities associated with the use of a public library while in the building.  Individuals shall respect the rights of others and shall not harass or annoy others through noisy or boisterous activities, by staring at another person with the intent to annoy that person, by following another person about the building with the intent to annoy that person, by playing audio equipment so that others can hear it, by singing or talking to others in monologues, or by behaving in a manner which reasonably can be expected to disturb others in the building.  Law enforcement may be called in to deal with situations that may pose a threat to library staff or other library users.  Law enforcement will be called to deal with illegal behavior.

Use of the library, its services and materials may be denied for due cause, i.s. failure to return materials, unpaid service charges, illegal use of electronic resources, or disruptive or threatening behavior.  Individuals shall not be permitted to enter the building without a shirt or other covering of their upper bodies or without footwear.  Individuals whose bodily hygiene is offensive so as to constitute a nuisance to another person shall be required to leave the building.

Potentially vulnerable children who appear to be left in the library unattended can be asked to contact a parent, guardian, or another responsible adult.  If none can be located, police will be notified

The library staff monitor local weather conditions and other public safety concerns and will keep library users in the building apprised as appropriate.

Residents of the City of York and other political subdivisions which support the library may obtain a free library borrower’s card.  Institutions within the library’s service area may designate authorized representatives as borrowers.  Some non-residents may borrow materials from Kilgore Memorial Library under the provisions of the NebrasKard reciprocal borrowing program.  Others may obtain a library borrower’s card upon payment of a fee.  Interlibrary loan can be used to enable non-residents to borrow through the intermediation of their local library.

Records relating to the identity of individuals or institutional representatives using the library and its resources are confidential and will only be revealed to appropriate legal authority through due legal process.

LOAN OF MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

All materials, except those which are in special demand or cannot be duplicated (rare and fragile items), will be lent for home or institutional use under library policies and procedures.  The Library may set limits on the number of items loaned. Normal Loan periods for books, audio-visual media, magazines, and cake pans are three weeks with three concurrent renewals.  Newspapers and audio-visual equipment are loaned for overnight with no renewals.  Charges equal to the cost of repair or replacement will be levied for lost or damaged materials and equipment.

After the maximum renewal limit is reached, accounts are sent four notices regarding the status of their account.  The first message is sent by the electronic method selected when the account is established.  Second and third overdue notices are sent, through the US Postal Service, to the address on file at the library.  The fourth notice is the bill for the items that have not been returned.  Two weeks after the Billing Statement is mailed, delinquent accounts are sent to the City Clerk’s office for collections.  The library charges a $3.00 service fee for each lost or damaged item.  When an item is lost, or simply not returned, the account is also charged the cost of the item generated by the Library Management System (LMS) from the catalog records.  Price data is supplied by the vendor when the item is purchased.  Damaged items are charged the $3.00 service fee plus an amount up to the cost of the item for the supplies needed to repair or replace the item.  Items are replaced at the discretion of the library director.

Extended loans and renewals may be made by special arrangement with the Library Director.

Interlibrary Loan materials will be loaned subject to the stipulations of the owning library.  A fee to offset the cost of returning items to the lending library will be set by the Library Director and adapted by the Board of Trustees.  This feel will be reviewed by the board annually.

ELECTRONIC RESOURCE ACCESS

Access to electronic resources such as downloadable audio and e-books is provided to residents and others within the library’s primary service area for whom Kilgore Memorial Library is their primary library by payment of non-resident fees.  In accord with the licensing agreements for such resources, access is not extended to those residing outside the library’s primary service area who are using Kilgore Memorial Library through reciprocal arrangements such as NebrasKard.  Access is also subject to the provisions of these policies.

USE OF MEETING ROOMS AND EXHIBIT AREAS

  1. The public library meeting room(s) and exhibit areas shall be available for public meetings and exhibitions of a civic, cultural, or educational purpose appropriate to the facility.
  2. Groups using the meeting room(s) may not charge admission, except to cover the cost of not-for-profit activities.  Groups may restrict attendance to their members.  Groups using the meeting room(s) will report use and attendance on the Meeting Room Agreement and Use Log form.
  3. Advance registration of the meeting room(s) and approval of the same is required.  A group’s representative will complete the Use Agreement portion of the Meeting Room Use Agreement and Use Log form.  Recurring reservations are accepted for a calendar year.  Reservations to meet more than twelve times per year shall be made only by special arrangements with the library director.
  4. A calendar of the room(s)’ schedule is kept at the library circulation desk.  Scheduling priority is given to library programs and meetings scheduled by city agencies.  Preference is given to meetings which are open to the public.  Groups may request to have their event included in the library’s event calendar.
  5. School age groups using the library meeting room(s) must have an adult sponsor present at the meetings.
  6. Groups may use the meeting room(s) anytime during regularly scheduled library hours.  Meetings to be held outside the library’s regular hours require special advance arrangements wit the library director.  Staff cannot stay beyond scheduled open hours to accommodate meetings running beyond posted closing times.
  7. Individuals and groups using the meeting room(s) and exhibit areas are responsible for their property.  Each user is responsible for leaving the room(s) in good condition.  Tack strips, portable bulletin boards, and easels are available for temporary postings.  The library has a selection of equipment and services available for use in the meeting room(s) including a podium, a portable sound system with microphones, overhead projector, audio-visual connections and remote control access to the ceiling mounted projectors are available by request at the circulation desk.  Meeting room users are responsible for any library owned equipment used in the meeting room(s).
  8. As a general rule only light refreshments may be served in the meeting room(s).  If additional food is necessary, prior arrangements must be made with the library director.
  9. Smoking is not allowed at any time in the library building.
  10. Library staff and Friends of the Library volunteers coordinate scheduled displays in the Kent Bedient Hall Gallery and Elmer Baker Memorial Display Case.

PUBLIC ACCESS COMPUTER USE

Preamble:

The Internet is a global entity with a highly varied user population.  Those who use it do so at their own risk.  Many sources on the Internet provide inaccurate, un-authoritative, false or incomplete information.  It provides access to information which may be personally offensive, including sexually explicit materials, and materials which may be illegal.  Users are encouraged to be good information consumers and question the validity of the information found on the Internet.

Freedom to view

  1. Kilgore Memorial Library does not monitor information accessed.
  2. The user is responsible for content selected for viewing.
  3. All qualified users have equal access to Internet resources.
  4. Users with their own wireless-enabled devices can access the Internet via the public wireless network provided by the library.  The acdss is not secure.  Any registration required is soley for generating use statistics.  No printer is provided to wireless users.
  5. The library’s computer workstation with Internet access employ content filtering technology in compliance with the provisions of the Children’s Internet Protection Act (C.I.P.A.).  The library makes no claim that such technology is effective for preventing access to illegal or inappropriate content, or that it will not deny access to innocuous or highly desirable content.  Adults may request the filtering technology be disabled for the duration of their use of a library public workstation.

Usage guidelines

  1. Individual users are responsible to observe relevant Federal, State, and Local law including copyright, damage to equipment and software, and illegal content.
  2. Parents and legal guardians may restrict only their own children from access to Internet resources.
  3. Parents and legal guardians are responsible for oversight to ensure their children’s use of Internet resources is appropriate and safe.
  4. Individuals using the library’s public access workstations will sign-in.  The sign-in data is used only to gather usage statistics and enforce time limits.  The library does not maintain records about the identity of individuals using the library’s Internet resources.
  5. The library director may establish time limitations, usage schedules, and the like for use of the library’s public access workstations.
  6. The library’s public access workstations will shut down ten minutes before the scheduled closing time for the library.  Staff cannot stay past posted closing times to accommodate computer use.
  7. Online library catalog access and library staff use pursuant to reference inquiries have priority for use of the library’s public access workstations.
  8. Library staff will provide limited assistance with the use of Internet resources as time permits.
  9. Data may not be stored on library owned workstations.  Patrons must save their work to personal data storage devices or environments.

Printing

The library provides a public use printer.  Users need to verify the length of documents before printing.  Fees for printing or photocopying are:

  • 15-cents per black and white page
  • 25-cents per full-color page