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Library Policies Tarpon Springs Public Library

1. Objectives

The Tarpon Springs Public Library has been established by Chapter 10 of the Tarpon Springs Code of Ordinances to provide"... a free library and reading room to the inhabitants of the city."

The objectives of this service are to develop a collection of materials, the space, staff and programs that will meet the immediate educational, informational, cultural and recreational interests and needs of the varied and growing population.

To accomplish this purpose, the Library's goal is to acquire books, cassettes, microforms, CD-ROMs, online databases and other new formats, when available and appropriate, in a quantity recommended by state and federal standards and in a ratio that reflects the different groups of library users.

Additional materials, as required, will be obtained through the Pinellas Public Library Consortium and the OCLC interlibrary loan system. Materials are selected in accordance with the Library's "Materials Selection Policy," "Library Bill of Rights," and "Freedom to Read" policy of the American Library Association.

"A Vision for the 21st Century; Standards for Florida Public Libraries" will be the optimum goal in all areas. These are Leadership and Funding, Personnel, Access, Materials and Collections, Services, Facilities, Cooperation and Resource Sharing, and Community Relations.

2. Who May Use The Library

The Library will serve all residents of the county. This service will not be denied or abridged because of religious, racial, social, economic, or political status. Users shall include residents of Pinellas County, either the unincorporated area or of cities participating in the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative. These people are to receive free cards when verified by a picture identification and by tax receipt, voter's registration, utility bill, lease, property deed or other appropriate identification with current address. Cards expire in three years.

Juveniles shall be required to have their applications signed by one parent or guardian. It is to be understood that "juvenile" shall include all children under 14 years of age (who are not in High School).

Persons without the necessary identification may obtain a six month card for $10 for use at the Tarpon Springs Library only, or a Pinellas Public Library Cooperative card for three months for $25 or $100 a year.

Residents of Hillsborough, Pasco, Citrus, and Hernando Counties have reciprocal borrowing privileges. Participating members of the Tampa Bay Library Consortium and students of the St. Petersburg Junior College system also have borrowing privileges through reciprocal borrowing agreements. Persons may check out materials without their library card if they have a picture identification. Persons may not use another patron's library card.

3. Circulation

New books stamped "7 Day" or "14 Day" may be borrowed for that period. Other books, including Audio Books, (except Reference) may be borrowed for four weeks. Extended loan periods are available for teachers or others with special needs.

Materials may be renewed twice (except CD-ROMs and DVDs) if not in demand by other patrons.

Materials may be reserved (except CD-ROMs and DVDs) by filling out a reserve slip, calling the library, or entering the reserve in the computer at the library or at home.

CD-ROMs, compact discs, audio music, and videocassettes may be borrowed for seven days. There is no limit except that Children's videos are limited to five and Adult Feature videos are limited to two.

Current year periodicals may be borrowed for seven days with the exception of the latest issue.

It is the policy of the Tarpon Springs Library to make Internet resources available to its patrons, together with its collection of Library materials and access to electronic databases, as a means of providing information in support of its mission.

The Library offers materials and information in a variety of formats and media, with selection guided by its Collection Development Policy. Its goal in providing Internet resources is to enhance its collection in size and depth with information that may not be otherwise available or as up-to-date.

As the Library limits its selection of materials based on Collection Development Policy criteria and fiscal constraints, the Library may limit patron access to Internet functions which it determines to be inconsistent with its mission and goals or consume more resources than the benefit derived in support of the mission and goals.

It is the Library's policy to comply with the requirements of the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) and the June 23, 2003 United States Supreme Court decision relating thereto. In doing so, the Library understands that the required technology protection measures may not be fully effective in blocking intended sites and may inadvertently block unintended sites.


Library Responsibilities

1. To assist patrons in finding useful information, the Library will provide on its Web site links to suggested resources that are consistent with its mission and goals, including youth-oriented resources with age-appropriate reading levels.

2. Library staff will be available to provide basic assistance. In addition, regularly scheduled Internet classes are taught by Reference Department staff.

3. As with other Library materials, services and programs, the Library affirms the right and responsibility of parents and guardians to determine and monitor their children's use of Internet resources.

4. The Library will assist parents and guardians in their exercise of their rights and responsibilities to limit their children's access to inappropriate matter on the Internet and the Web and restrict their children's access to materials harmful to minors by:

(a) Providing computer workstations, located in or near the Youth Services Department, with Internet access using technology protection measures that block, to the extent technically possible, visual depictions that are obscene, child pornography, harmful to minors (as defined in the United States Code [*] and case law), and chat functions.

(b) For all other Internet workstations, providing technology protection measures that block visual depictions that are obscene and child pornography for all patrons, and in addition for minors age 16 and under, visual depictions that are harmful to minors (as defined in the United States Code [*] and case law).

(c) Providing parents with the option of not allowing Internet access for their child(ren).

5. Because no filtering software employed as a technology protection measure can evaluate and block images, the least restrictive software blocking categories that by their definitions appear to include prohibited visual depictions will be used.

6. For patrons 17 and older, the Library will provide a method to allow the disabling of the technology protection measures.

7. To assure that patrons of all ages are able to access Internet sites that have been mistakenly blocked, the Library will provide a method by which they can request that such sites be unblocked and will unblock such sites in a timely manner.

8. The Library will make parents and guardians aware that it cannot assure their children's safety and security when they use electronic mail, chat rooms, and other forms of direct electronic communication; cannot protect against their children's unauthorized access, including "hacking,"and other unlawful online activities; and cannot protect against unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personal identification information regarding their children if their children provide it while using the Internet.

9. Information regarding Internet access restrictions will be available on the Library's Web site. Information on Internet youth safety will also be provided for minors and their parents on the Library's Youth Services site.

10. Patrons' use of Internet resources will be managed in a manner consistent with the Library's Code of Patron Conduct.


Patron Responsibilities

1. Individual Library users are responsible for determining the suitability of content for their purposes. The Library does not control or monitor information that may be accessible from Internet sources. Information may be reliable and current, or it may be inaccurate, offensive, or illegal.

2. Adults are responsible for determining whether they wish to use or disable the technology protection measure. CIPA requires that everyone age 16 and under use the technology protection measures; parents may not authorize that they be disabled for their children.

3. Parents and guardians have a right and responsibility to use personal supervision and/or the technological means provided by the Library to:

(a) Limit their children's access to inappropriate matter on the Internet and the Web;

(b) Assure their children's safety and security when using electronic mail, chat rooms, and other forms of direct electronic communication;

(c) Protect against unauthorized access, including "hacking," and other unlawful online activities by their children;

(d) Protect against unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personal identification information regarding minors; and

(e) Restrict their children's access to materials harmful to minors.

4. Patrons are requested to exercise appropriate discretion in viewing materials. The Library will not guarantee privacy for individuals using Library public access computers to search the Internet and computer screens may be visible to people of all ages, backgrounds, and sensibilities.

5. Patrons are to honor Library procedures and security measures, and to follow Federal and State laws applying to use of the Internet.

Violation of this policy may be cause for a temporary or permanent prohibition from future use of Library equipment or facilities, consistent with the Code of Patron Conduct.

The Library's director is responsible for establishing procedures to carry out this Policy.

[*] The Children's Internet Protection Act provides United States Code citations for the definitions of "obscene" (18 U.S.C. § 1460) and "child pornography" (18 U.S.C. § 2256). The Act itself defines "harmful to minors" in Section 1703 (b)(2).

1. Links to Third Party Sites

In an attempt to provide as much information as possible and for the convenience of the Tarpon Springs Community, the Tarpon Springs Library has included links to other Web pages on our Web site. When these links are accessed, the pages leave the Tarpon Springs Library's own Web site and connect with another Web site on the Internet. The Tarpon Springs Library attempts to link to sites of community interest and those that meet our governmental and library purpose, but once you leave Tarpon Springs Library's site and link to another site these linked sites are not under the control of the Tarpon Springs Library. Therefore, the Tarpon Springs Library is not responsible for the contents of any linked site or any additional links within those sites. In addition, the Tarpon Springs Library is not responsible for any other form of transmission received from any linked site. In addition, the inclusion of links to our Web site does not imply endorsement by the Tarpon Springs Library or the City of Tarpon Springs.

2. Disclaimer/Limitations

The Tarpon Springs Library makes every attempt to provide information that is accurate, complete, timely, and relevant to the Library mission, but the library does not warranty or pledge the site will be free from errors. The Tarpon Springs Library makes no pledge to suitability, timeliness, or accuracy of the links. The information contained within our Web pages is provided as a service on an "as is" basis with the understanding the user will access the information discriminately. 

3. Linking to the Tarpon Springs Library Web Site

(a) Copyright

The Tarpon Springs Library Web site is copyright protected and includes, but is not limited to, all the design, HTML code, text, and images, unless otherwise stated. All rights are reserved. 

(b) Guidelines

In view of the ever changing nature of the Internet, the Tarpon Springs Library requests that
you comply with the following guidelines when linking to our Web site.

1. Please link to our Tarpon Springs Library home page at www.tblc.org/tarpon
2. Please contact our Webmaster at tslref@tblc.org to advise us that you are linking to our site. Also indicate the URL on your site that links to our site. The Tarpon Springs Library reserves the right to revoke our consent to the link to our site at any time and without specific reason being stated.
3. Do not incorporate any of our content into your site with the use of framing or in-lining. Do not misrepresent our site with association to your site.
4. If you republish any portion of our site's content, please contact our Webmaster at tslref@tblc.org to request a written release prior to publication. This does not insure permission will be granted.
5. Images from our pages including, but not limited to, the City Seal, photos, etc. may not be duplicated or downloaded. Misrepresenting the City or the Library will be deemed fraud.

(c) Proprietary Rights

You acknowledge that content contained within this Web site may be protected by copyrights, trademarks, service marks, patents or other proprietary rights and laws. A copy can be made for your personal, non-commercial use only, as long as copyright or other notices are kept intact. You may not modify, copy, reproduce, republish, upload, post, or transmit for distribution in any way the content found on this Web site unless it is public domain or public documents, i.e. agendas, etc.

Access to Pinellas Public Library Cooperative (PPLC) libraries will not be denied to any individual based on age, sex, education, philosophy, occupation, economic level, or ethnic origin. Hewever, patron who violate the rights of others or create disorder in the library may be asked to leave. The following Code of Patron Conduct must be followed.

The following activities are NOT allowed in the library:

1. Eating, drinking, smoking, or playing audio equipment so others can hear it.
2. Carrying a weapon into the library unless authorized by law. Any patron authorized to carry a weapon must notify library staff of the fact.
3. Solicitation within the library or its grounds.
4. Bringing in animals , except those needed to assist a patron with a disability.
5. Misusing the restrooms (i.e., using as a laundry, washing or cooking facility).
6. Talking loudly, making noise, or engaging in other disruptive conduct.
7. Interfering with another person's use of the library or with library personnel's performance of their duties.
8. Leaving a child under the age of 7 unattended by an adult.

Library privileges may be limited or suspended for the following reasons:

1. Damaging or defaacing library property.
2. Stealing library materials.
3. Physically harming staff or patrons.
4. Threatening or harassing staff or patrons.

Appropriate attire, to include shoes and shirts, must be worn.

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