The abbreviated Patron Behavior Policy for the Schoolcraft Community Library is as follows:
Complete copies of the “Patron Appearance and Behavior Policy” are available at the circulation desk.
The Schoolcraft Community Library reserves the right to charge patrons for damaged and lost materials. The Library Director will establish a fee structure and a process for charging for lost and/or damaged materials.
Damaged items should be reported by patrons to the staff at the time of return. The extent of damage and the cost of repair or replacement will then be determined by the library staff. The amount of the replacement charge will be determined by the staff.
Patrons who do not pay for lost or damaged materials will have their borrowing privileges suspended until payment is made. See the Appeals policy for the process for addressing these instances.
The Schoolcraft Community Library’s fax machine, photocopier, scanner and printers are available for use by patrons. A library staff member will be responsible for sending and receiving all faxes and for making copies or producing printouts or scanned files/printouts for patrons when the devices are in good working order and needed supplies are available.
The Library is not responsible for the quality of the facsimile transmissions or print outs from the other devices. The Library does not provide fax, copier, printer or scanner service outside of regular library hours. The Library is not responsible for the security of information copied, scanned or printed.
It is the patron’s responsibility to promptly collect all incoming faxes, all materials used to transmit faxes and all other patron materials from the fax machine, copier, scanner or printer. Patron materials that are not collected within one business day will be discarded by the Library staff.
The Library Director will establish and post a fee structure for use of the fax machine, printer, scanner and copier which lists fees for types of faxes and other printouts which may include, but are not limited to:
A minimum charge will be set for all faxes (includes cover sheet charges). The charge structure for all categories of materials generated on Library devices may be revised to reflect changes in the operating cost of these services, devices and supplies at the discretion of the Library Director.
The Library will allow each school age patron (up to the age of 18) to make five free copies of text for use in school reports. Regular charges will apply to all other types of materials to be copied for school reports.
The Library is accessible during regular hours and programs for use by children with the following rules and regulations (established per Michigan Library Laws). It is the goal of the Library to provide for the safety of children at all times when using the library or while participating in a library program at the library or off-site.
It is the responsibility of parents, guardians, responsible family members or babysitters (at least 13 years old) to care for and watch children while using the library or while participating in library programs. The Library staff is not available for babysitting.
All children five (5) years or younger using the library or participating in a library program shall at all times be attended and adequately supervised by a parent, guardian, responsible family member or babysitter except during scheduled library programs for children five (5) years and younger as described below.
Children above five (5) years old, but less than ten (10) years of age may be left unattended, but within visual contact of a parent, guardian, responsible family member or babysitter at the library or during a library program off- site for up to 60 minutes or as noted below, subject to the patron conduct policy.
Children above ten (10) years old may use the library or participate in off-site library programs unattended subject to the patron conduct policy.
A permission to participate form signed by a parent or guardian and a note regarding who is authorized to pick up the children after the program other than the person signing the permission slip must be given to a library staff member for each unattended child that will be participating in off-site programs before they are dropped off.
The person(s) responsible for children less than ten (10) years old may elect to be absent from the library for the duration of programs for children in this age group. Emergency contact information will be given to the library staff BEFORE the person responsible for the child(ren) leaves the library.
If the person responsible for the child(ren) leave(s) the library or library grounds during the program they must return to retrieve their child(ren) by the scheduled ending time for the program. If they are unable to return in the specified time, they are to notify the library staff and make arrangements for temporary care of the child(ren) before the program ends.
Persons responsible for children who exhibit disruptive behavior will be expected to remain with their child(ren) at all times while on library property or at library programs off-site.
If children five (5) years and younger are left unattended for more than 15 minutes on library property the staff will first attempt to contact parents, guardians, responsible family members or emergency contacts. If these attempts are not successful, the local police will be notified that the child(ren) have been abandoned.
In cases where a child or children are not picked up within 5 minutes of the posted closing time of the library the staff will first attempt to contact parents, responsible family members guardians or emergency contacts. If this is unsuccessful, the local police will be notified that the child(ren) have been abandoned.
Two (2) or more library staff members are to be present at all times when children are using the library or participating in a library program. Library staff are not permitted to take children away from the library and grounds or from a library program off-site except in the case of an emergency evacuation.
If such an emergency occurs parents, guardians, responsible family members or emergency contacts will be notified by the library staff as soon as possible where the assembly point for the emergency evacuation is located so the child(ren) may be picked up as soon as possible.
Violations of this policy may lead to suspension of a family’s library privileges at the discretion of the Library Director. The Director is authorized to bill parents or guardians for damages caused by unattended children.
The Schoolcraft Community Library reserves the right to suspend or cancel some or all of a patron’s library privileges and the right of patrons to challenge library material. The Library recognizes the need for a step wise appeals process that allows all parties to voice their concerns and that allows the Library to operate under applicable laws and current policies.
The appeals process noted here is intended to provide opportunity to work through an informal discussion at the beginning of consideration of a particular concern through steps that may lead to a formal challenge by a patron followed by a systematic review and delivery of a written reply that describes the Library’s final decision on a concern.
Patrons in good standing are entitled to several library privileges which may include but are not limited to:
Patron behavior or actions that may result in temporary suspension or cancellation of privileges are addressed in several Library policies such as, but not limited to patron conduct, computer use, wireless access and library cards. The appeals process described here is also applicable to formal applications to challenge materials. The Library Director or library staff will show library policies to patrons upon request. Copies of policies are to be paid for by those who request a copy.
The appeals process will consist of the following steps:
The Library Director will be the first contact with the patron who has a concern that may lead to a challenge of material or who faces suspension and/or cancellation of privileges.
The first step will be an informal discussion between the Director and the concerned patron or challenger of materials. This informal discussion will be documented and dated by the Library Director.
If the informal discussion in the previous step does not resolve the concern, the patron may file a formal application to challenge materials or to challenge the suspension or cancellation of privileges, as applicable. All such formal challenges will be in writing, signed and dated by the patron/challenger, and will include information regarding the concern and sufficient contact information to allow the Library to contact the challenger by written communication. Formal challenges will only be accepted from residents of the library district or current non-resident card holders. The library will consider the lack of a formal challenge within two weeks of initial contact to be the closing of the discussion on a particular concern and any suspension or cancellation of patron privileges will stand or patron challenges to material will be considered to be dropped.
The President of the Library Board or a member of the Library Board designated by the President will review a formal challenge within two weeks of receipt of the formal challenge. The challenger may be contacted by the President or the designated Board member for a discussion of the challenge. If the concern is resolved by that discussion, the formal challenge will be considered closed upon notification of the Director and the patron in writing by the President or the designated Board member. This may lead to support of the challenger’s concern or of the library’s position on the concern. The written notification will be kept as a record of the closure of the discussion for 7 years by the Library Director.
If the concern is not resolved by the discussion in the previous step, the President of the Library Board or the designated Board member will meet and review the formal challenge with the Library Director and formulate a written response to the challenge.
A written response to the challenge will be mailed to the challenger within two weeks of the discussion in step 3.
The patron is invited to attend the next regularly scheduled Library Board meeting and to make a case for the challenge. The Library Board will address this as an agenda item at the next business meeting.
The President of the Library Board will appoint an ad hoc committee consisting of three Board members to formulate a final review and decision regarding the challenge at the meeting where the challenger makes the case.
The ad hoc committee will come to a final decision regarding the challenge and provide a written final review regarding the outcome to the patron by mail within two weeks of the Board meeting in step 6. Decisions taken by the ad hoc committee will be considered final. The written final review will be signed and dated by the ad hoc committee members and the Library Director and will be held for seven years by the Library Director before it is destroyed. The results will also be noted under Old Business at the next regularly scheduled Board meeting.