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Policies

Children and the Library

The Board of Library Trustees hopes that the children who use the library will find the facility to be a warm and inviting place to develop a love of books, reading and the library.

Many programs are offered to make the library enticing to children, but, when children are left unattended for several hours when no library programs are offered, they often become disruptive.

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. In order to create an environment of safety, and maintain an atmosphere where reading and study can be encouraged, the following policy has been created:

CHILDREN ARE EXPECTED TO ADHERE TO THE SAME RULES AS STATED FOR ALL PATRONS WITH THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONS:

  1. Parents or guardians are responsible for the behavior of their children in the library, and may not leave children under the age of 8 unattended.
  2. If a problem arises with children of any age and we are unable to locate the parent(s) or if the library is closing and the parent(s) cannot be located, the police will be called at the discretion of the staff.
  3. Children age 8 and older may be left unattended (at the discretion of their parent(s) for a period of time (not to exceed 2 hours) to complete homework assignments or special projects. Children left unattended should know how to reach a parent or guardian, and parents should be aware of the closing time of the library.
  4. When children are left unattended repeatedly and/or for long periods of time, the staff will notify parent(s) of the library's policies.
  5. When children are attending library programs, parent(s) must be aware of the times of the programs, so their children do not have to wait for unreasonable amounts of time to be picked up. Parent(s) should have them wait inside the building to avoid the hazards of the street.
  6. It is the policy of the Library that staff members will not transport children from the library to any other location.