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Behavior Policy

Pleasant Hills Library Behavior Policy

I. Patron Guidelines

A. The Pleasant Hills Public Library provides free library services to all. Pleasant Hills Public Library was established as a place for circulation of public materials, quiet study, leisure, browsing, computer use and appropriate programming.

B. The library is not responsible for personal items left unattended.

C. Library patrons are responsible for materials checked out on their library cards. Parents/legal guardians are responsible for materials checked out to minor children.

D. Smoking is not permitted in the building or within five (5) feet as required by Allegheny County.

E. No sign may be placed on the exterior grounds of the library without the expressed consent of the library director. Notices of community interest may be posted on interior bulletin boards, subject to library director’s approval.

II. Patron Behavior.

A. Disruptive behavior

1. Definition: Disruptive behavior may include, but is not limited to: disorderly and boisterous conduct, threatening/harassing/intimidating behaviors or acting disrespectful toward other patrons or staff, use of offensive language, misuse of restrooms and refusing to comply with library policies.

2. A warning may be given in writing. Noncompliance will result in being asked to leave the library. Repeated offenses may result in exclusion from the library and/or library services or programs.

B. Library Theft

1. Retention of library property after notice to return – Section 6708 of Title 18, Pennsylvania Code makes it a summary offense to retain any item belonging to any public library for a period exceeding 30 days after such library has given written notice to return the same. This act is punishable by a fine plus cost of prosecution.

2. 18 P.S. Section 3929.1 states that person is guilty of library theft if he willfully conceals on his person or among his belongings any library material while still on the premises of a library or willfully and without authority removes any library material from the library with the intention of converting such material to his own use. A course of conduct from one library or several libraries may be aggregated in determining the grade of the offense.

3. Cutting, mutilating, marking or otherwise injuring any book, magazine, newspaper, or other property belonging to any public library is a misdemeanor.

III. Unattended Children

The Library is not a source of childcare for the community. Parents are responsible for their minor children’s actions whether they accompany the children to library or not. A child is defined to be a minor.

Children under the age of 8 are required to have adult supervision. A supervising individual cannot be anyone under the age of 13.

Children age 8 to 12 are required to have a supervising adult present in the library building.

Children age 13 years and older are not required to have adult supervision, but the library is not responsible for them and require them to follow all library rules and policies.

Computer, Internet Access and Internet Safety Policy

CIPA compliance

  1. 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 Internet access or computers used for Internet access. [Supreme Court decision: United States v. American Library Ass’n, Inc., No. 02-361 (June 23, 2003)] Pleasant Hills Public Library complies with the requirements of CIPA.
  2. All computers in the Pleasant Hills Public Library are filtered. Please be aware that filters are unreliable, at times blocking sites of legitimate informational or educational value, or allowing access to sites that are illegal, obscene, or sexually explicit within the meaning of 18 Pa. Cons. Stat. Sec 5903.
  3. Pleasant Hills Public Library uses filtering software that blocks or filters Internet access to some Internet sites that may not be consistent with the policy of Pleasant Hills Public Library.
  4. Parents or legal guardians, and not the Library or its staff, are responsible for monitoring their children’s use of the Internet and for the information selected and/or accessed by their children. The Library strongly encourages parents or legal guardians to supervise their children’s Internet use and to provide them with guidelines about acceptable use.
  5. Pleasant Hills Public Library computers cannot be used for any fraudulent or unlawful purpose, including any activities prohibited under any applicable federal, Pennsylvania, or local laws, including activities in violation of 18 Pa Cons. Stat. Sec. 5903, which prohibits certain acts of public indecency.
  6. Any adult (17 years of age or older) may request that the filter or technology protection measure be disabled without significant delay by a Pleasant Hills Public Library staff member, authorized by the Library Director.
  7. An authorized Pleasant Hills Public Library staff member may override the filter or technology protection measure for a minor (age 16 years or younger) in the event that the filter wrongly blocks or filters Internet access to a site with legitimate informational value.
  8. Pleasant Hills Public Library cannot be responsible for any patron’s unauthorized use of a computer with a disabled filter.
  9. Complaint Procedure

Any patron who wishes to file a written complaint about the filtering software on the library computers may do so within thirty (30) days to:

  1. The Library Director and/or the Library Board President;
  2. The Director of the Electronic Information Network;
  3. The Federal Communications Commission.

OTHER MEDIA POLICIES

CELL PHONES: Please be courteous and put all phones to vibrate and keep conversations at a level that won’t disturb others. If a conversation is longer than a few minutes, please use your cell phone in the lobby or outside.

LAPTOPS: Free Wi-Fi is offered as a service to patrons. Please do not string wires across the floor where patrons/staff will be walking. Remote printing is available from your device.

REMOTE PRINTING LINK

Please remember that the Library pays its own utility bills, be generous in supporting your library.

COPIER: A public copier is available for public use in the Library. Copies, printing from in-house computers, mobile printing, and document scanning are available.

Black & white copies are 20¢ a page and color copies are 50¢ a page.

FAX: The Library offers FAX services for the public – please ask at the front desk for this service. Faxing costs are 50¢ per page within the US and $1 per page internationally.