Purpose - Responsibilities - Supervision of Children - Library Assistance - Legal - Copyright - This Policy

Purpose and Disclaimer

· The Mount Horeb Public Library provides access to a broad range of information resources, for learning and recreation, including those available through the Internet. Therefore, library customers may have access to both research-related opportunities, as well as chat rooms, games and email while using the computers in the computer lab.

· The library strives to serve people of all ages at all levels of need and considers its endorsement of the Library Bill of Rights and the Freedom to Read documents to apply to the use of electronic information. The library also upholds public access to information in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of the United States.

· The Internet offers access to ideas, information, and commentary from around the world that can be personally, professionally, and culturally enriching. The library does not warrant information found on the Internet to be accurate, authoritative, factual, timely or useful for patrons' purposes.

· The library assumes responsibility only for the information on its homepage. We do not monitor, have no control over, and do not accept responsibility for the material in other sources on the Internet. The availability of networked information via library terminals does not constitute the library's endorsement of the content of that information.

· The library has no means or statutory authority to assure that only constitutionally protected material is available on the Internet. The authority to determine what is illegal content rests with the courts as defined in Wisconsin and federal statutes.

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Responsibilities of the Users

· In choosing and evaluating Internet sources, users should evaluate them just as they do print materials, questioning the accuracy and completeness of the information.

· Users must search the Internet at their own risk, realizing that beyond the library's home page and supporting documents they may encounter material they find offensive.

· Access, use, or dissemination of information via the Internet in the library is the responsibility of the user.

· In the case of minors, it is a joint responsibility of the minors and the parents or guardians. Because parents or guardians may feel that information available through the Internet is not suitable for viewing by children in their care, supervision is advised.

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Supervising Children's Use

· The public library, unlike schools, does not serve in loco parentis. Librarians cannot act in the place of parents in providing constant care and supervision of children as they explore the Internet. Mount Horeb Public Library supports the right for each family to decide appropriate Internet use for their children.

· The responsibility for what minors read or view on the Internet rests solely with parents or guardians. Parents or legal guardians must assume responsibility for deciding what materials are appropriate for their children and are responsible for placing restrictions on their children's access to the Internet. In supervising children's use of the Internet, parents or legal guardians should provide children with guidelines on acceptable use of electronic resources, including email and chat rooms.

· The following are recommended guidelines for parents and legal guardians to ensure that children have positive online experiences, whether at home or in the library:

1. Use the Internet as a family. Join your children in Internet exploration.
2. Explore the wide range of available information and tell your children about the types of sites you consider inappropriate for them.
3. Encourage children to use sites recommended on the library's homepage and counsel them to avoid sites you consider unsuitable.
4. Provide guidelines for your children on the amount of time they spend online, just as for television viewing.
5. Instruct children NEVER to give out personal information (name, address, password, telephone number, credit card number) online.
6. Provide children with guidelines on acceptable use of electronic resources, including email and chat rooms.
7. Teach children to evaluate the quality of information. As with print information, consider the source, date, and accuracy of online information.

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Library Assistance

· The library will provide training on electronic resources via scheduled classes and some limited one-on-one sessions. The library also makes information available to help parents and guardians in their efforts to exercise their rights and responsibilities regarding their own children's use of electronic resources via the “Parents’ Place” web page.

· Parents and children are encouraged to start their exploration of the Internet with the library's homepage and the “Internet Sites” links on the “Youth Services” and “Parents’ Place” pages. There they will find web sites for children, teens and parents chosen by children's librarians.

· For more information on children and the Internet, see Child Safety on the Information Highway (http://www.safekids.com/child_safety.htm) and Teen Safety on the Information Highway (http://www.safekids.com/safeteens/safeteens.htm) jointly produced by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and Interactive Service Organization.

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Legal and Acceptable Uses

· People may only use the library's computers for legal purposes.

· Policy restrictions apply to users of all ages.

· If an individual or group of Internet users creates a disturbance that limits the effective use of the computer lab or library by others, they will be asked to correct their behavior, disband, and/or leave the building as appropriate.

· Examples of unacceptable uses include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. transmitting of threatening or harassing materials;
2. not respecting the privacy of others by misrepresenting oneself as another;
3. libeling, slandering or maliciously offending other users;
4. exposing children to harmful materials (Sec. 948.11 of the Wisconsin Statutes, among other things, makes it a crime to expose children to pictures or images of nudity, sexually explicit conduct, or physical torture or brutality that appeal to the prurient, shameful or morbid interests of children, are patently offensive to prevailing adult standards regarding materials suitable for children, or lack serious literary, artistic, political, scientific or educational value for children);
5. violation of copyright laws or software licensing agreements;
6. obstruction of other people's work by overuse of system resources;
7. attempting to crash or degrade performance of or gain unauthorized access to the library's computer system and networks;
8. damaging equipment, software or data belonging to the library or other users.

· Violations may result in loss of Internet or library privileges.
· Illegal uses of computers may also be subject to prosecution by local, state, or federal authorities.

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Copyright

· U.S. copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code) prohibits the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of copyrighted materials, except as permitted by the principles of fair use. Users may not copy or distribute electronic materials (including electronic mail, text, images, programs or data) without the explicit permission of the copyright holder. Any responsibility for any consequences of copyright infringement lies with the users; the Library expressly disclaims any liability or responsibility from such use.

· The Library expressly disclaims any liability or responsibility arising from access to or use of information obtained through its electronic information systems, or any consequences thereof, such as debts incurred from for-pay services.

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Reevaluation of Public Access Computer Policy

· This policy will be reviewed and amended, if needed, on at least an annual basis.

Adopted by the Library Board on May, 1998
Revised by the Library Board on September, 2002