SERVICE POLICY

**Table of Contents**
AUDIOVISUAL MATERIALS	CENSORSHIP	CIRCULATION RECORDS
DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR	FREEDOM TO VIEW	GENERAL LIBRARY OBJECTIVES
GIFTS	GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS	LIBRARY BILL OF RIGHTS
MAINTENANCE	OUTREACH SERVICE	PERSONNEL
PHYSICAL FACILITIES	POSTERS	SAFE CHILD
SELECTION POLICIES	SERVICE STANDARDS	STAFF AND BOARD
UNATTENDED CHILDREN	WHO MAY USE THE LIBRARY

This document sets forth the principles on which the Harnett County Public Library has been constructed and the policies of operation that result from these principles.

The purpose or goal of the Harnett County Public Library is to make available to all people in the service area books and other materials that will assist and encourage them

In order to achieve this goal, the general objectives of the Harnett County Public Library shall be as follows:

The library will provide its services to all residents of Harnett County in the main library in Lillington and the municipal libraries and the Outreach Services van. Membership will not be denied or abridged because of religious, racial, social, economic or political status. Library materials may be borrowed by any resident of Harnett County. Persons residing outside the county but owning property, employed, or attending an educational institution in the county shall have the same status as residents. Persons residing in contiguous counties may also have membership privileges at the library.

Specifications concerning library use are included in the Harnett County Public Library Procedures Manual.

The library will attempt to provide enough materials to make it a reliable and dependable source of information and recreation for the people of Harnett County. Books and nonbook materials such as tapes, periodicals, pamphlets, films, documents, music scores, recordings, slides, microforms, etc. shall be provided in adequate supply and be of high quality to meet minimum NCLA standards as set forth in the Standards for North Carolina Public Libraries, 1988.

The library will keep informed of other available resources of books and other materials in the area in order to avoid unnecessary duplications.

The library will not attempt to furnish materials needed for formal courses of study offered by elementary and secondary schools and by institutions of higher learning. The public library has materials for individual programs of study but is not equipped to furnish research and professional journals required for most academic study.

All library materials will circulate except the reference books and some rare local history materials reserved for library use only.

In accordance with its sincerely held objective of providing equal service to all, this library subscribes to the Library Bill of Rights of the American Library Association (which appears in its entirety in Appendix II of this document) and to the Freedom to Read statement adopted by the American Library Association (Appendix III of this document).

Selection of books and all nonbook library materials is the culmination of a process that begins with suggestions from staff and patrons and with recommendations made in the professional literature. The selection procedures are explained in full in The Harnett County Public Library Procedures Manual.

If a patron objects to any library material, he or she should make a written request for the material to be reconsidered. A form " Reconsideration of Library Material" is included as a part of the selection procedures outlined in the Harnett County Public Library Procedures Manual, in the section on "Book Censorship."

Gift material will be accepted with the understanding that the books or materials may be added to the collection, sold, exchanged, given to other libraries, or discarded. The Harnett County Public Library Procedures Manual details the way in which the Library handles gifts, in Section IV: Gifts to the Library.

The Harnett County Public Library recognizes the need for continuous evaluation of its collections in response to the changing nature and needs of its community; this collection maintenance is accomplished through the weeding (i.e., removal from the collection), replacement, and duplication of its titles.

The Harnett County Public Library attempts to maintain a balanced supply of audiovisual materials. The library subscribes to the Freedom to View, a policy statement of the American Library Association, which is reproduced in its entirety in Appendix IV of this document.

A. To achieve the goal of good library service, the board of trustees accepts the responsibility to strive for public library building facilities that adequately meet the physical requirements of modern, aggressive library service: such facilities offer the community a compelling invitation to enter, read, look, listen and learn. Each building or outreach vehicle must fit an expanding program of library services.

B. The board of trustees will recommend acquisition of sites and/or new facilities only after (1) they have adopted a service program and (2) the library director has written an outline of the community's library building needs.

C. The board of trustees accepts the responsibility to see that funds are obtained for needed facilities.

D. The library director, the architect, the board of trustees, and county commissioners--as a planning team with the assistance of consultants--will endeavor to plan facilities to meet recognized standards and needs of the community.

E. Meeting rooms in the library may be reserved for use by educational, civic, cultural, business and government groups when no admission fee is charged. The specific rules regarding the meeting room are set forth in the Harnett County Public Library Procedures Manual.

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

1. 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.

2. 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.

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

4. Libraries should cooperate with all persons and groups concerned with resisting abridgment of free expression and free access to ideas.

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

6. 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.

This statement was approved by the Intellectual Freedom Committee on 22 January 1980 and adopted by the American Library Association on 23 January 1980.

hat they are good, 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 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. Revised January 28, 1972, by the ALA Council.

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, we affirm these principles:

1. It is in the public interest to provide the broadest possible access to films and other audiovisual materials because they have proven to be among the most effective means for the communication of ideas. Liberty of circulation is essential to ensure the constitutional guarantee of freedom of expression.

2. It is in the public interest to provide for our audiences films and other audiovisual materials which represent a diversity of views and expression. Selection of a work does not institute or imply agreement with or approval of the content.

3. It is our professional responsibility to resist the constraint of labeling or prejudging a film on the basis of the moral, religious or political beliefs of the producer or film maker or on the basis of controversial content.

4. It is our professional responsibility to contest vigorously, by all lawful means, every encroachment upon the public's freedom to view.

The personnel policies that appear in the Personnel Ordinance apply to all employees of Harnett County. See the staff handbook training manual for detailed up-to-date job descriptions, classifications, recommendations, details of library routine, and job pay range guidelines.

The library board has official authority to supervise and formulate policies for the library. The board delegates to the library director the responsibility of administrating the library and all its services. The library director serves as the liaison between the county manager, county commissioners and county library board of trustees and the library staff. The library director is responsible for determining the needs of the library public by regularly undertaking a planning process to set goals and objectives. The library director serves as secretary for the county library board, which meets quarterly, or as needed.

The board, consisting of nine members plus the representative from the county commissioners, actively assists in the preparation of the budget. The board periodically reviews and adopts library policies and makes recommendations regarding staff. The library director assumes full responsibility for the staff of the library. (With advisement from the county manager, the library director has authority to hire and dismiss personnel). No important library business shall be transacted between any individual member of the staff and the county library board or the county commissioners without the knowledge of the library director.

The library board of trustees recognizes that adequate financial support is basic for good library services; and as the legally appointed governing board, it accepts the responsibility for securing this support.

The library board of trustees also acknowledges its responsibility to make periodic reports to the governing officials. These reports will cover services rendered and will include new services for which need is recognized. The county auditor will submit monthly computer printouts on financial status of the library budget.

Authority delegated by the government unit to the library board will not be relinquished because of political or financial pressure; nor will it be used in a high-handed and arbitrary manner by the library board.

The following authorities have been officially delegated to the library board of trustees:

l. to formulate and adopt programs, policies, and regulations for the government of the library;

2. to make recommendations to the governing body concerning the construction and improvement of buildings and other structures for the library system;

4. to advise the county personnel committee in the appointment of a chief librarian or director of the library system. If some other body or official is to appoint the chief librarian or director of library services, to advise that official body concerning that appointment;

5. to establish a schedule of fines and charges for late return of, failure to return, damage to, and loss of library materials, and to take other measures to protect and regulate the use of such materials;

7. to extend the privileges and use of the library system to nonresidents of the county on any of the conditions the board may prescribe;

The board of trustees shall make an annual report on the operations of the library to the Harnett County Commissioners and shall make an annual report to the North Carolina State Library as required by G.S. 125-5. If the board of trustees is abolished, the County Commissioners shall make the annual report to the State Library.

The library is a public forum for ideas and information. Because access to information is fundamental to our social, political and cultural heritage, the library holds the position that posters, pamphlets and flyers should be permitted whenever possible, in the designated display areas.

Regulations regarding the posting of information are set forth in the Harnett County Public Library Procedures Manual.

Library Staff will exercise appropriate procedures when the library is closing to ensure the safety of unattended children fifteen years of age and younger (see the Harnett County Public Library Procedures Manual).

The library will protect, as far as possible, the privacy of any patron who uses the library and not make any inquiry into the purposes for which a patron requests information or books. Records which may be required in lending books or answering reference questions are for the sole purpose of protecting public property. Under no circumstances shall the staff of the library ever answer to a third party about what a patron of the library is reading or calling for from the library's collection. Furthermore, it is the policy of the library not to yield any information about its patrons or their reading to any agency of government, whether local, state or federal, without an order from a court of competent jurisdiction.

It is the policy of the Harnett County Public Library to offer the full range of library service to all residents of the community, regardless of age, sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion, economic status, etc. It is the intent of the library to provide its services with a minimum of regulations and restrictions, adopting only those which are absolutely essential to the library's operation.

The library recognizes that the users of the library are in fact the owners of the library. As user/owners, the public has certain expectations of the library. These include an outstanding collection of library materials; pleasant, attractive surroundings; and courteous, efficient and effective service from the staff. Library users have a right to assume that visits to the library will be free from harassment; free from physical discomfort and danger; free from psychological and emotional stress.

The library staff has basically the same rights. Each member of the staff should be able to do his/her work free of harassment, abuse, discomfort, and undue psychological stress.

The rights of both the public and the staff are sometimes violated by the attitudes and behavior of a very small minority of persons.

THEREFORE, it is the policy of the library board of trustees to support the library staff in their efforts to maintain in the library system a quiet, pleasant environment conducive to serious study as well as casual use. To ensure the successful implementation of this policy, the board holds that the following are examples of unacceptable behavior:

1. Loud conversation or laughter which is disturbing to other users
2. Obscene or abusive language.
3. Use of radios, record players, etc., if not using headphones.
4. Willful destruction of or damage to any library property.
5. Blocking or in any way interfering with the free movement of any person or persons.
6. Bringing animals other than lead dogs into the building.
7. Consumption of food or drink in any public-access area unless the director has specifically authorized it.
8. Removal of any library property from the building without authorization through established lending procedures
9. Soliciting or selling of any kind, if disruptive to the normal use of the library.
10. Distribution of leaflets or posting of notices in areas not authorized for this purpose.
11. Use of library telephones not authorized by library personnel.

G.S. 14-132 Disorderly conduct in and injuries to public buildings and facilities.

The purpose of the outreach program is to provide basic public library services to individuals confined to their homes, nursing facilities and day care centers and who are unable to come to the county library or municipal libraries in the county.

Services include programming for preschool children in day care centers, registering library users, lending materials, readers advisory service, very general reference service, and reserves.

The Outreach Service operates as a part of the Harnett County Public Library System under the direct supervision of the Director of the Harnett County Library.

Outreach Service is provided by the Harnett County Public Library to the homes of persons who meet the criteria for homebound service as established by the Harnett County Public Library Board of Trustees. These criteria are similar to those of other counties, as well as to the Medicare Home Health restrictions and the Meals on Wheels guidelines.

Exceptions to these conditions will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the Outreach Library Assistant and the county library director.

During his entire visit to the library, a child seven years of age or younger must be accompanied by a parent, legal guardian, or adult of at least 16 years of age who acknowledges responsibility for the child. These parents and/or adults are responsible for their children's behavior while in the building.

The Harnett County Public Library welcomes children of all ages. It is a doorway through which life-long learning takes place. The public library is however, a public building. As such, anybody can come into it--law abiding or otherwise.

Library staff have many duties to perform in order to serve all citizens of Harnett County. They cannot monitor the behavior or whereabouts of any patron--including children. Staff do not take over parental responsibilities for children who come into the library.

A child could be tempted to go off with a stranger. A child could become ill. A child could get lost. Any of these or other emergencies could take place in a public building. It is for the safety of each child that the Harnett County Library has adopted this Safe Child Policy.

All persons are subject to the POLICIES AND PROCEDURES of the library which are posted in the library.