The Barrington Public
Library exists to serve the current informational, recreational, intellectual
and cultural needs of the community by providing information, materials, and
service, which is timely, accurate and useful.
The library serves all citizens of the town of
The Board of Trustees hopes that the children who
use the library will find it a warm and inviting place to develop a love of
books and reading. Many programs are
offered to make the library enticing to children, but when children are left
unattended for several hours they often become disruptive. The Board of
Trustees believes that library patrons have the right to use library materials
and services without being disturbed or impeded by other library users. In order to better serve all our patrons, and
ensure the safety of patrons of all ages, the following rules have been
established for use of the library by unattended children.
1) No child under the age of 6 may be left unattended
in the
·
Children under age 6 must be attended at all times, including while
they are in the children’s room and visiting the lavatories.
2) Children between the ages of 6 and 8 who are engaged in a
library-sponsored program may be left unattended for the duration of the
program only.
·
Parents should be aware of the duration of the program and be at the
library to meet their child at the time the program is scheduled to end.
3) Children aged 9 and up may be left unattended, at the discretion of a
responsible adult.
·
Children may be left alone for a period of time deemed necessary to
research an assignment, complete a homework task, attend
a library program or to select books and read in the library.
·
Children will be expected to display appropriate behavior conducive to
maintaining a peaceful atmosphere in the building for all patrons.
·
Both parents and children should be aware that the library cannot be
used as an alternative to after-school care, and that the library does not
provide supervision to children left unattended. If the adult feels it is unsafe for the child
to leave the building without adult supervision, the child should not be in the
library unattended.
·
Even in their absence, parents or guardians are responsible for the
conduct and safety of their children on library premises. Children are expected to adhere to the same
standards of conduct as adults.
·
Children who are not using the library appropriately or who require excessive
staff attention will have a parent or guardian called to pick them up
immediately. If a child is asked to
leave the library, they will not be allowed to come back to the library without
adult supervision until a parent or guardian has talked with the library
director and the parent and child have signed and returned a copy of the
library’s Appropriate Behavior Policy.
·
Library staff cannot be responsible for the safety or well being of
children left unattended.
·
Children left unattended should know how to reach a parent or guardian,
and parents should be aware of the closing time of the library.
4) Children must leave the library at closing time.
·
Children left to wait outside for a ride after the library closes are
placed in a vulnerable position. Staff
cannot be responsible for the safety of a child once the library has
closed. However, staff will attempt to
contact a parent or guardian.
·
For his or her own safety, any child left unattended after dark will
not be left to wait outside the building. A parent or guardian will be called to pick up
the child, and a babysitting fee of $25 per hour will be assessed.
·
Under no circumstances will a member of the library staff take a child
away from the building or transport children to another location.
5) Disruptive behavior that is prohibited in the library includes, but is
not limited to:
6) Parents or guardians who have a
grievance with the public library must inform the Library Director in writing
within 30 days. They will be scheduled
to attend the next Board of Trustees meeting to discuss their grievance.