Community Library of the Shenango Valley

Collection Development and Management Policy

Mission Statement:

The library is a patron-focused resource center, enhancing the lives of people of all ages and backgrounds by providing outstanding materials, programs, and technology in a safe, inviting environment.

Collection Development Goals and Objectives:

The objective of the Collection Development and Management Policy is to guide library staff in the selection and maintenance of materials which support the Library’s mission.

Responsibility for Selection:

The selection of library materials is the responsibility of assigned staff members. However, the ultimate responsibility for the selection of materials rests with the Director, who operates within the policies established by the Board of Directors.

General Principles:

● Basic to the Library’s Collection Development and Management Policy is the Library Bill of Rights, the Freedom to Read Statement, Freedom to View and the Code of Ethics adopted by the American Library Association. (Appendix)

● Selection of a given item for the Library's collections should not be interpreted as an endorsement of a particular viewpoint. No material is excluded because of the age, race, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, political or social views of the author. In following this policy, neither the Library nor its Board of Directors endorses every thought, expression or belief represented in the Library's collections.

● Library staff will maintain the privacy of all patrons and will not share any information about the patron or the items checked out to that patron with anyone other than the individual patron.

● The responsibility of supervising a minor’s selection of reading material or other library material rests solely with their parents or legal guardians. The Library will not act “in loco parentis.” Selection of materials for the adult, tween/teen, and children’s collections or their display is not restricted by the possibility that children may obtain or view materials that their parents consider inappropriate. Information regarding items checked out on a minor’s library card will only be shared with a parent/legal guardian.

● All patrons with library cards in good standing may check out any and all materials.

Selection Criteria:

● Relevance to the library’s mission and to community needs and interest

● Relevance to the existing collection’s strengths and weaknesses in the same subject field.

● Extent of publicity, critical review, and current or anticipated demand.

● Authority, currency, and timeliness of content.

● Significant reputation of the author, publisher, producer, or other creative contributors.

● Contemporary materials which represent expression of controversial or minority points of view.

● Cost and availability of funds.

● Suitability of format to library circulation and use.

● Staff members rely on a number of professional tools including library and publisher journals and reviews as guides for selection of materials.

● Electronic materials play an increasingly important role in the library's collections and are selected in accordance with this Materials Selection Policy. These materials include, but are not limited to, databases, internet-based tools, downloadable and e-books, and downloadable and streaming music and video. In addition to standard criteria used in selecting other formats, special selection criteria include ability to offer to remote users, availability of content in other formats, compatibility with existing technical set-ups, vendor usage statistics, and cost.

Collection Maintenance:

Replacements:

Items missing or withdrawn from the Library’s collection are not automatically replaced. Instead, a decision to replace an item is based on the number of other copies in the collection, adequacy of coverage in the subject area, cost, and availability.

Patron recommendations:

Patrons may request items the Library does not own by completing a request form. Each request is evaluated using the established selection criteria, and there is no guarantee that the item will be purchased for the collection.

Patron Donations:

Gifts of books and other materials accepted by the Library will be judged upon the same basis as purchased material. Factors such as physical condition, duplication, lack of community interest, processing costs or inadequate shelf space may prevent a gift’s addition to the collection or permanent retention on the shelves. Gifts are accepted with the understanding that the Library may at any time discard them in any way that it sees fit.

Materials donated to the library qualify as tax-deductible charitable donations, but the IRS regulations prohibit the library from assigning a dollar value to the donation. Please consult current IRS regulations for more information.

Criteria for Weeding and Withdrawal:

The following criteria are used in identifying materials for withdrawal:

● Damage and poor condition

● No longer relevant to the needs and interests of the community

● No longer accurate

● Excess multiple copies

● Circulation statistics

● Existing coverage of the subject area within the collection

● Physical space

Request for Reconsideration of Materials:

● The Library will review the selection of a specific item upon the request of a member of the community. Patrons may request a Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials form, a copy of which is available at the circulation desk or on our website at www.clsv.net/policies.

● Patrons should complete this form and return it to the Library. It will be reviewed by the Director with a recommendation for action. The Community Library of the Shenango Valley Collection Development and Management Policy will be used as a basis for the review. The Director will respond within thirty days to the person requesting the review. If necessary, the request for reconsideration will be reviewed by the Board of Directors.

● Policy Revision: This policy will be revised as needed.

Appendix A:

Library Bill of Rights

The American Library Association affirms that all libraries are forums for information and ideas, and that the following basic policies should guide their services.

I. Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.

II. Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.

III. Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.

IV. Libraries should cooperate with all persons and groups concerned with resisting

abridgment of free expression and free access to ideas.

V. A person’s right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views.

VI. Libraries which make exhibit spaces and meeting rooms available to the public they serve should make such facilities available on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting their use.

VII. All people, regardless of origin, age, background, or views, possess a right to privacy and confidentiality in their library use. Libraries should advocate for, educate about, and protect people’s privacy, safeguarding all library use data, including personally identifiable information.

Adopted June 19, 1939, by the ALA Council; amended October 14, 1944; June 18,

1948; February 2, 1961; June 27, 1967; January 23, 1980; January 29, 2019.

Inclusion of “age” reaffirmed January 23, 1996.

Appendix B:

Freedom to Read Statement

The freedom to read is essential to our democracy. It is continuously under attack. Private groups and public authorities in various parts of the country are working to remove or limit access to reading materials, to censor content in schools, to label "controversial" views, to distribute lists of "objectionable" books or authors, and to purge libraries. These actions apparently rise from a view that our national tradition of free expression is no longer valid; tha censorship and suppression are needed to counter threats to safety or national security, as well as to avoid the subversion of politics and the corruption of morals. We, as individuals devoted to reading and as librarians and publishers responsible for disseminating ideas, wish to assert the public interest in the preservation of the freedom to read.

Most attempts at suppression rest on a denial of the fundamental premise of democracy: that the ordinary individual, by exercising critical judgment, will select the good and reject the bad. We trust Americans to recognize propaganda and misinformation, and to make their own decisions about what they read and believe. We do not believe they are prepared to sacrifice their heritage of a free press in order to be "protected" against what others think may be bad for them. We believe they still favor free enterprise in ideas and expression.

These efforts at suppression are related to a larger pattern of pressures being brought against education, the press, art and images, films, broadcast media, and the Internet. The problem is not only one of actual censorship. The shadow of fear cast by these pressures leads, we suspect, to an even larger voluntary curtailment of expression by those who seek to avoid controversy or unwelcome scrutiny by government officials.

Such pressure toward conformity is perhaps natural to a time of accelerated change. And yet suppression is never more dangerous than in such a time of social tension. Freedom has given the United States the elasticity to endure strain. Freedom keeps open the path of novel and creative solutions, and enables change to come by choice. Every silencing of a heresy, every enforcement of an orthodoxy, diminishes the toughness and resilience of our society and leaves it less able to deal with controversy and difference.

Now as always in our history, reading is among our greatest freedoms. The freedom to read and write is almost the only means for making generally available ideas or manners of expression that can initially command only a small audience. The written word is the natural medium for the new idea and the untried voice from which come the original contributions to social growth. It is essential to the extended discussion that serious thought requires, and to the accumulation of knowledge and ideas into organized collections.

We believe that free communication is essential to the preservation of a free society and a creative culture. We believe that these pressures toward conformity present the danger of limiting the range and variety of inquiry and expression on which our democracy and our culture depend. We believe that every American community must jealously guard the freedom to publish and to circulate, in order to preserve its own freedom to read. We believe that publishers and librarians have a profound responsibility to give validity to that freedom to read by making it possible for the readers to choose freely from a variety of offerings.

The freedom to read is guaranteed by the Constitution. Those with faith in free people will stand firm on these constitutional guarantees of essential rights and will exercise the responsibilities that accompany these rights.

We therefore affirm these propositions:

1. It is in the public interest for publishers and librarians to make available the widest diversity of views and expressions, including those that are unorthodox, unpopular, or considered dangerous by the majority.

Creative thought is by definition new, and what is new is different. The bearer of every new thought is a rebel until that idea is refined and tested. Totalitarian systems attempt to maintain themselves in power by the ruthless suppression of any concept that challenges the established orthodoxy. The power of a democratic system to adapt to change is vastly strengthened by the freedom of its citizens to choose widely from among conflicting opinions offered freely to them. To stifle every nonconformist idea at birth would mark the end of the democratic process. Furthermore, only through the constant activity of weighing and selecting can the democratic mind attain the strength demanded by times like these. We need to know not only what we believe but why we believe it.

2. Publishers, librarians, and booksellers do not need to endorse every idea or presentation they make available. It would conflict with the public interest for them to establish their own political, moral, or aesthetic views as a standard for determining what should be published or circulated.

Publishers and librarians serve the educational process by helping to make available knowledge and ideas required for the growth of the mind and the increase of learning. They do not foster education by imposing as mentors the patterns of their own thought. The people should have the freedom to read and consider a broader range of ideas than those that may be held by any single librarian or publisher or government or church. It is wrong that what one can read should be confined to what another thinks proper.

3. It is contrary to the public interest for publishers or librarians to bar access to writings on the basis of the personal history or political affiliations of the author.

No art or literature can flourish if it is to be measured by the political views or private lives of its creators. No society of free people can flourish that draws up lists of writers to whom it will not listen, whatever they may have to say.

4. There is no place in our society for efforts to coerce the taste of others, to confine adults to the reading matter deemed suitable for adolescents, or to inhibit the efforts of writers to achieve artistic expression.

To some, much of modern expression is shocking. But is not much of life itself shocking? We cut off literature at the source if we prevent writers from dealing with the stuff of life. Parents and teachers have a responsibility to prepare the young to meet the diversity of experiences in life to which they will be exposed, as they have a responsibility to help them learn to think critically for themselves. These are affirmative responsibilities, not to be discharged simply by preventing them from reading works for which they are not yet prepared. In these matters values differ, and values cannot be legislated; nor can machinery be devised that will suit the demands of one group without limiting the freedom of others.

5. It is not in the public interest to force a reader to accept the prejudgment of a label characterizing any expression or its author as subversive or dangerous.

The ideal of labeling presupposes the existence of individuals or groups with wisdom to determine by authority what is good or bad for others. It presupposes that individuals must be directed in making up their minds about the ideas they examine. But Americans do not need others to do their thinking for them.

6. It is the responsibility of publishers and librarians, as guardians of the people's freedom

to read, to contest encroachments upon that freedom by individuals or groups seeking to impose their own standards or tastes upon the community at large; and by the government whenever it seeks to reduce or deny public access to public information. It is inevitable in the give and take of the democratic process that the political, the moral, or the aesthetic concepts of an individual or group will occasionally collide with those of another individual or group. In a free society individuals are free to determine for themselves what they wish to read, and each group is free to determine what it will recommend to its freely associated members. But no group has the right to take the law into its own hands, and to impose its own concept of politics or morality upon other members of a democratic society. Freedom is no freedom if it is accorded only to the accepted and the inoffensive. Further, democratic societies are more safe, free, and

creative when the free flow of public information is not restricted by governmental

prerogative or self-censorship.

7. It is the responsibility of publishers and librarians to give full meaning to the freedom to read by providing books that enrich the quality and diversity of thought and expression. By the exercise of this affirmative responsibility, they can demonstrate that the answer to a "bad" book is a good one, the answer to a "bad" idea is a good one.

The freedom to read is of little consequence when the reader cannot obtain matter fit for that reader's purpose. What is needed is not only the absence of restraint, but the positive provision of opportunity for the people to read the best that has been thought and said. Books are the major channel by which the intellectual inheritance is handed down, and the principal means of its testing and growth. The defense of the freedom to read requires of all publishers and librarians the utmost of their faculties, and deserves of all Americans the fullest of their support.

We state these propositions neither lightly nor as easy generalizations. We here stake out a lofty claim for the value of the written word. We do so because we believe that it is possessed of enormous variety and usefulness, worthy of cherishing and keeping free. We realize that the application of these propositions may mean the dissemination of ideas and manners of expression that are repugnant to many persons. We do not state these propositions in the

comfortable belief that what people read is unimportant. We believe rather that what people read is deeply important; that ideas can be dangerous; but that the suppression of ideas is fatal to a democratic society. Freedom itself is a dangerous way of life, but it is ours.

This statement was originally issued in May of 1953 by the Westchester Conference of the American Library Association and the American Book Publishers Council, which in 1970 consolidated with the American Educational Publishers Institute to become the Association of American Publishers.

Adopted June 25, 1953, by the ALA Council and the AAP Freedom to Read Committee; amended January 28, 1972; January 16, 1991; July 12, 2000; June 30, 2004.

A Joint Statement by:

American Library Association

Association of American Publishers

Subsequently endorsed by:

American Booksellers for Free Expression

The Association of American University Presses

The Children's Book Council

Freedom to Read Foundation

National Association of College Stores

National Coalition Against Censorship

National Council of Teachers of English

The Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression

Appendix C:

Freedom to View

The FREEDOM TO VIEW, along with the freedom to speak, to hear, and to read, is protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. In a free society, there is no place for censorship of any medium of expression. Therefore these principles are affirmed:

● To provide the broadest access to film, video, and other audiovisual materials because they are a means for the communication of ideas. Liberty of circulation is essential to insure the constitutional guarantee of freedom of expression.

● To protect the confidentiality of all individuals and institutions using film, video, and other audiovisual materials.

● To provide film, video, and other audiovisual materials which represent a diversity of views and expression. Selection of a work does not constitute or imply agreement with or approval of the content.

● To provide a diversity of viewpoints without the constraint of labeling or prejudging film, video, or other audiovisual materials on the basis of the moral, religious, or political beliefs of the producer or filmmaker or on the basis of controversial content.

● To contest vigorously, by all lawful means, every encroachment upon the public's

freedom to view.

This statement was originally drafted by the Freedom to View Committee of the American Film and Video Association (formerly the Educational Film Library Association) and was adopted by the AFVA Board of Directors in February 1979. This statement was updated and approved by the AFVA Board of Directors in 1989.

Endorsed January 10, 1990, by the ALA Council

Appendix D:

American Library Association Code of Ethics

As members of the American Library Association, we recognize the importance of codifying and making known to the profession and to the general public the ethical principles that guide the work of librarians, other professionals providing information services, library trustees and library staffs.

Ethical dilemmas occur when values are in conflict. The American Library Association Code of Ethics states the values to which we are committed, and embodies the ethical responsibilities of the profession in this changing information environment.

We significantly influence or control the selection, organization, preservation, and

dissemination of information. In a political system grounded in an informed citizenry, we are members of a profession explicitly committed to intellectual freedom and the freedom of access to information. We have a special obligation to ensure the free flow of information and ideas to present and future generations.

The principles of this Code are expressed in broad statements to guide ethical decision making. These statements provide a framework; they cannot and do not dictate conduct to cover particular situations.

1. We provide the highest level of service to all library users through appropriate and usefully organized resources; equitable service policies; equitable access; and accurate, unbiased, and courteous responses to all requests.

2. We uphold the principles of intellectual freedom and resist all efforts to censor library resources.

3. We protect each library user's right to privacy and confidentiality with respect to

information sought or received and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired or

transmitted.

4. We respect intellectual property rights and advocate balance between the interests of information users and rights holders.

5. We treat co-workers and other colleagues with respect, fairness, and good faith, and advocate conditions of employment that safeguard the rights and welfare of all

employees of our institutions.

6. We do not advance private interests at the expense of library users, colleagues, or our employing institutions.

7. We distinguish between our personal convictions and professional duties and do not allow our personal beliefs to interfere with fair representation of the aims of our

institutions or the provision of access to their information resources.

8. We strive for excellence in the profession by maintaining and enhancing our own

knowledge and skills, by encouraging the professional development of co-workers, and by fostering the aspirations of potential members of the profession.

9. We affirm the inherent dignity and rights of every person. We work to recognize and dismantle systemic and individual biases; to confront inequity and oppression; to enhance diversity and inclusion; and to advance racial and social justice in our libraries, communities, profession, and associations through awareness, advocacy, education, collaboration, services, and allocation of resources and spaces.

Appendix F:

Procedure for Request for Reconsideration

Community Library of the Shenango Valley patrons requesting reconsideration and removal of items in the collection may submit a Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials form which is available at the circulation desk or online at www.clsv.net/policies. The request will be reviewed and a reply submitted within thirty days.

Community Library of the Shenango Valley General Guidelines

The primary purpose of the CLSV Community Rooms is to provide facilities for library-related activities. However, the rooms are available for use by outside groups for a fee.

Groups may use the Community Room either for private meetings or to present programs for the general public during regular library hours. The Library does not exclude any group based on the subject matter to be discussed or based on the ideas that the group advocates.

The Library does not advocate or endorse the viewpoints of meetings or Community Room users. The use of the Community Room by an outside group may not be publicized in such a way as to imply library sponsorship of the activity. The name, address, or telephone number of the Community Library of the Shenango Valley may not be used as a contact.

Groups using the Community Room must not disrupt the normal functions of the Library.

During a meeting or program that is open to the public, no admission fee or donation requests are permitted. Profit-making groups may use the room for public meetings at which their service or product is featured; however, no direct sales may be made in the Library.

Reserving the Community Room

Reserving the Community Room Reservations for use by private parties must be made in advance and will be honored on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations can be made by telephone or in person. The Community Room shall be booked by a responsible adult, over the age of 25, and this person must agree to assume full responsibility for any damage to Library property which may result from the group’s activity.

Fee Structure:

∙ $35 per day will be assessed for the use of the Large Community Room at CLSV ∙ $10 for the use of the CLSV Small Community Room

Payment is due at the time of the reservation.

Reservations are to be made with the director or staff and must include a completed Community Room Reservation Form Reservations may not be made more than three months in advance. Prompt notification to the Library of cancellation of a meeting/program is required.

Cancellation refunds:

∙ At least a week in advance - full refund.

∙ 3-6 days in advance – ½ refund

∙ 2 days or less – no refund It is the group’s responsibility to notify its members/audience of the cancellation.

Community Room Rules

Community Rooms are available during regular Library hours and must be vacated 30 minutes before closing time.

CLSV Library Hours: Monday – Thursday: 10 am – 8 pm Friday – Saturday: 10 am – 5 pm Sunday: Closed

The Library will furnish tables, chairs, a lectern, a projection screen, and a sound system. Furnishings may not be moved from the public service area to the Community Room.

No alcoholic beverages are permitted anywhere on the premises. Smoking is not permitted in the Library building.

No cooking is permitted; however, refreshments may be served. Each Community Room has a small kitchenette available for meeting/program use. The Library does not provide any coffee pots, kitchen equipment, utensils, paper products, or other supplies. Cleanup is the responsibility of the group.

The Library assumes no responsibility for damage or loss of property belonging to individuals or groups using the Community Room.

Accidents must be reported to the staff person in charge, who will report the incident according to Library procedures.

Failure to abide by these rules may be justification for denying the group further use of the Community Room.

If you have any questions or would like to reserve the use of the Library’s Community Room, please contact the CLSV Library at 724-981-4360.

Community Library of the Shenango Valley Computer Policy

The Community Library of the Shenango Valley is a patron-focused resource center, enhancing the lives of people of all ages and backgrounds by providing outstanding materials, programs and technology in a safe inviting environment. It is within this context that the Library offers public computers with Internet access and selected applications and databases.

General Usage

• All computer users must first sign in at the Circulation Desk.

• Computers are available AS IS – there is no guarantee that they contain all of the programs that patrons may wish to access.

• Patrons must present a valid library card or pay a $3.00 temporary access fee each session in order to use the Internet.

• Patrons may not use the computer if they have a fine of $5.00 or more.

• Public access computers will log off after one hour of use. If no one is waiting, you may log in for additional time. If you need to take a test, complete an application, or use word processing, please tell us so we may work out other arrangements.

• The Library cannot guarantee that users will have enough time to complete online tasks.

• Public computers will be shut down 15 minutes prior to the Library closing.

• Patrons may download to a flash drive, but not to the hard drive.

• Flash drives are available for purchase at the front desk for $5.00 each.

• Patrons may print from public computers for a cost of $0.25 per page. If printing double-sided, the cost is $0.25 per side.

Age requirements

• Children under 18 years of age must have a parent or legal guardian sign their Internet Permission Form and are not allowed to use temporary access cards.

• Permission Forms must be completed at the Circulation Desk in the Library.

• Children under the age of 12 must have a parent or legal guardian sit with them at the computer.

Behavior and conduct

• Patrons must: -Use their own library card to access the public computers; use of another patron's library card in order to gain access to Library computers is considered to be a form of identity theft and will result in both the computer user and the cardholder being banned from all computer access. Observe copyright laws, including those related to computer software. -Respect the rights and privacy of others. -Recognize that electronic transactions are not secure. -Play music or sounds with the use of headphones so as to not disturb others.

• Patrons may not attempt to retrieve, view, or disseminate any obscene, offensive, or illegal materials.

• Patrons may not threaten, abuse, or harass any other user.

• Patrons may not create or run any program with the intention of accessing or bypassing computer security systems.

• Patrons may not tamper with any computer or attach any unauthorized device to the computer equipment.

• Patrons may not alter the desktop or computer hardware or software in any manner. (This includes making shortcuts or automatic start-up of programs.)

• Patrons may not install any programs without permission of the Library staff.

• Patrons may not use the computer in a way that violates local, state, or federal law.

Browsing Limits and Filtering

• The Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) is a federal law that requires all computers in a public library to be filtered if that library accepts any federal funds for computers used for Internet access.

• In compliance with this law, the Library has filters installed on all Internet access computers.

• Please be aware that filters are unreliable, and may block sites of legitimate informational or educational value, or allow access to sites that are illegal, obscene or sexually explicit.

• Online Public Access Computers (OPACs) are available for searching the library’s collection, and may not be used to access the Internet.

• Library staff cannot monitor and control information on the Internet and therefore cannot be held responsible for what is obtained through the Internet, or any consequences arising from such use.

E-mail

• The Library does not provide email services to patrons.

• Use of public computers for sending unsolicited email (“spam”) is prohibited.

Help and Technical Support

• Library staff may not be available to provide in-depth Internet or personal computer training; however, they will attempt to provide other resources for assistance.

• Library staff have the right to decline helping patrons when the request relates to passwords, personal information, or other instances which make the staff uncomfortable.

Compliance with the Library Policy and Guidelines

• Violation of the library’s Computer Policy will result in suspension or loss of the privilege to use the public computers.

• Illegal use of Library computers may also be subject to prosecution by local, state, or federal authorities, and will be reported by the Library to the appropriate authorities.

• The Library fully cooperates with legal investigations regarding computer use.

• The Library reserves the right to take appropriate action to ensure compliance with this policy.

Community Library of the Shenango Valley Digital Sign Advertising Policy

Advertise your special day on the Library’s Digital Sign! On the day of your choice (subject to scheduling availability), your message will be displayed throughout the day, from midnight to midnight. This is a great way to advertise businesses, celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, engagements, memorials, or other events by individuals or organizations. All-day messages must meet the following criteria:

1. Length

Up to three lines of text, or one digital “slide.”

2. Frequency

Your message will display on our digital sign approximately every 4 slides, or every 2 minutes. This comes to over 720 displays in a 24-hour period. The sign sits at a major intersection, and is visible from most vehicles at the traffic light.

3. Content

• Announcements may be used as business advertisements, memorials, celebrations, or to publicize events by non-profit organizations.

• They should be restricted to answering the basic who, what, when, and where questions (not necessarily why).

• All-day advertisements may not contain any calls to action or political messages.

• The content should not be controversial or contentious, although announcing an event for some organizations may inevitably be controversial to some people, something that cannot be avoided.

• Advertising promoting specific religious or political positions will not be accepted. However, messages publicizing a religious event or special day, and advertisements listing the services of non-profit businesses and organizations are acceptable.

4.Exclusivity

In order to provide the library with space to advertise its own programs, only two paid advertisements per day will be permitted, on a first come first served basis.

5. Cost

$25 for 1 day, $100 for a week (Monday-Sunday)

6. Schedule

Contact us at (724) 981-4360 or stop by the library to schedule your date and message.

Code of Conduct

The Community Library of the Shenango Valley seeks to provide quality library service to all patrons. The following code of conduct has been adopted for the comfort and protection of the rights of all those using and working in the Community Library of the Shenango Valley. The library staff will enforce this code in a courteous, but firm manner. We ask your cooperation in helping us provide a safe and pleasant environment for all our patrons and staff.

The following unacceptable behaviors are not permitted:

• Entering without shirt or shoes

• Entering with an animal except certified assistance animals or those pre-approved for library programs

• Bringing into the Library skateboards, roller-blades, bicycles, carts, bedrolls, blankets, suitcases, and large duffel bags. Unauthorized items may be subject to search upon departure.

• Loud talking or other noise including playing of audio equipment without the use of ear phones

• Abusive or foul language and gestures

• Physical threats or abuse

• Carrying weapons of any type on Library property unless by authorized persons and law enforcement officers

• Eating or drinking near the computers. Having an open drink container of any kind.

• Using a cell phone or earpiece except in designated area (Lobby)

• Running, disruptive behavior, and throwing objects

• Abuse or misuse of Library furnishings, equipment, or materials

• Disrespect for other peoples’ belongings and privacy

• Smoking/Chewing tobacco

• Possession of alcohol or illegal drugs

• Presenting poor personal hygiene, including offensive and pervasive odors which are a nuisance to others

• Solicitation or Loitering

• Littering

• Criminal activities

• Unattended children

- A parent, guardian, or other responsible adult must accompany children age 11 and under at all times in the Library and are responsible for monitoring the activities and regulating the behavior of their children while the children are in the Library.

- Children 12 years of age and older may use the Library unattended, subject to the rules and regulations of this library; however the Library is not responsible for the safety or security of children left unattended.

- TSS workers must be with their clients at all times

- All parents, guardians, and TSS workers are expected to clean up after the child they are accompanying

- The Library staff is not responsible to monitor the material checked out by children; this is the responsibility of the parent or guardian.

In the case that any of these unacceptable behaviors occur, the following consequences will be enforced:

• First Offense – verbal warning/ incident report

• Second Offense – written warning/ incident report/ 1 week banned from the library

• Third Offense – 3 months banned from library

• Additional offenses – permanent ban from the library.

• At any time, the library director and board may skip directly to a ban from the library if the offense is disruptive, abusive, or violent.

Community Library of the Shenango Valley Unattended Children Policy

The Community Library of the Shenango Valley is dedicated to providing a welcoming and safe environment for customers of all ages. Sharing this environment with other people requires that everyone follow The Library Code of Conduct established by the Library Board of Trustees and posted in the library building and on the library’s website.

The Community Library of the Shenango Valley wants children to use its facilities and services. Children in the library should always be accompanied by an adult parent/guardian or assigned adult caregiver. When children are left alone they may become frightened or anxious. If they wander through the building they may encounter hazards such as stairs, doors, furniture or electrical equipment. They may also become bored and restless and could disturb the enjoyment and work of others. The safety of children left alone in a library building is a serious concern of the library staff. The responsibility for the safety and behavior of children in the library rests with the parent/caregiver and not with the library personnel. Library employees cannot be responsible for children who are unattended or demonstrating inappropriate behavior. The following guidelines will be followed concerning the care and behavior of young library users:

Children under the age of 12 must have an adult parent/caregiver in the immediate vicinity of and in visual contact with the child. If a child under the age of 12 is found unattended in the library, the library staff will attempt to locate the parent/caregiver in the library and inform him/her of the rules, but if a parent/caregiver cannot be found in the library, or the child is found unattended again and without a parent/caregiver, the police will be called for assistance. An exception would be children attending a library program without a parent/caregiver in the room. However, the parent/caregiver is expected to remain in the library building and immediately join the child at the end of the program. If a child in this age group is found unattended, library staff will attempt to locate the parent/caregiver in the library and inform him/her of the rules. If the parent/caregiver cannot be found, or if the child is found unattended again, the police will be called for assistance.

Children age 12 and older may use the library on their own except during regular school hours. However, parents are still responsible for the actions and well-being of their child(ren). In accordance with CLSV’s Code of Conduct, customers, including children, using inappropriate behavior may be asked to leave the library. If a child 12 and older is not able to leave the library on his/her own then he/she should not be in the library without an adult parent/caregiver. All unaccompanied children at the library should have the telephone number of someone who can assist them in an emergency.