Patron Conduct

The Carbondale Public Library welcomes all residents and visitors and is dedicated to free and equal access to information, knowledge, and learning for our diverse community.

LIBRARY RESPONSIBILITY

With public service as the highest priority, the Board of Trustees has established rules and regulations governing the use of the library to ensure that all individuals can equally enjoy its benefits.

All library patrons can expect to:

1. Receive courteous service,
2. Be treated fairly and equitably by all library staff,
3. Contact staff for reference, readers advisory, and information services,
4. Have questions, comments, and concerns addressed in a timely manner,
5. Suggest new materials, programs and services,
6. Have staff make the library operate in the best interest of the taxpayers, and
7. Have a safe, clean, and comfortable building.

PATRON RESPONSIBILITY

To ensure that all patrons may have comfortable use of the Carbondale Public Library, appropriate behavior is expected. Violation of any of the following rules will result in a warning and/or ban from the property. Police will be contacted when necessary. The director and supervisory staff have the authority to carry out all provisions of this policy.

1. Patrons are prohibited from engaging in activities that disrupt other patrons’ use of library facilities, collections, or services or impede staff duties.
2. Patrons are prohibited from using loud, abusive, threatening, or insulting language with other patrons or staff. Additionally, language or behavior is not allowed that offends, threatens, or insults groups or individuals based on various protected characteristics, including but not limited to:
   
   race, creed, color, national origin, religion, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity/expression, physical appearance, physical or mental ability, socioeconomic level, education level and any other legally protected characteristics.
3. Patrons may not sexually harass other patrons or staff. Harassment includes, but is not limited to:
   a. making inappropriate personal comments or sexual advances;
   b. using obscene or lewd language or gestures;
   c. staring at, or following, a patron, volunteer, or staff in a manner that reasonably can be expected to disturb them,
   d. and exposing others to sexual internet content.
4. Solicitation is not permitted. Solicitation includes but is not limited to, verbal solicitation, selling, or sharing printed literature that is not approved for posting or distribution in the library.
5. Patrons are responsible for their personal belongings both in and outside of the building. Patrons may not place personal belongings in the library and then leave the building. Personal items found unattended will be placed in lost and found, removed, or discarded.
6. Library furniture, such as tables and chairs, may not be moved without permission of the staff. Furnishings are to be used for their intended purposes only (i.e., do not stand on chairs, do not put feet on tables, do not sit on tables).
7. Patrons are allowed to consume snacks and beverages with secure lids in moderation. However, messy or odorous meals or snacks are not permitted in the library.
8. Patrons must park bicycles in the bicycle racks.
9. Smoking of any kind, including e-cigarettes and vapes, is not permitted anywhere in the building. Smoking may take place outside at least 15 feet from the library entrance, and cigarette butts and vaping paraphernalia are not to be littered on library property. Furthermore, rolling cigarettes or having loose tobacco out in the library is not allowed.
10. Patrons may not use the library’s computers or devices, or personal computers, materials or devices on library property, to access or process obscene or inappropriate material, images or sound.
11. Children under the age of ten must be accompanied and directly supervised at all times by a parent/guardian or other responsible caregiver.
12. Adults may enter the children’s section in order to access the collection, but may not linger or loiter in the children’s area when not with a child in their care.
13. No prolonged sleeping is allowed in the library or on library property.
14. The illicit manufacture, use, possession, or distribution of controlled substances, look-alike drugs, drug paraphernalia, and the manufacture, use, possession or distribution of alcoholic beverages, marijuana and its derivatives as defined by Illinois and Federal statute at any time, is not permitted at any library location.
15. Weapons are not allowed in the library or on library property.

CONSEQUENCES OF POLICY VIOLATION:

1. Patrons who fail to abide by library policy and/or cause severe or repeated disturbance in the library may be asked to leave and not return to the library for an extended period of time.
2. If, following a request from library personnel, a patron fails or refuses to comply, or responds to the request in an abusive fashion, he or she may be required to leave the library premises.
3. In situations involving minors, incidents may be reported to the parent or guardian.
4. Library personnel will record instances in which patrons behave in a disruptive manner, and/or are required to leave the library, in a file maintained by the library for that purpose. In the instance of repeated or severe disruptive or abusive behavior, the Librarian or Manager on duty may ban the patron from the library’s property for a period of time to be determined by the Librarian or Manager, or until the Library Board can review the situation. The Library Board will review instances in which a patron is banned long term to determine the duration of the ban. The Library Board may consider any and all available information about the patron’s behavior, and may elect to ban a patron from the library until and unless there is further action from the board. In the instance of a long term ban, the library will notify the police, and attempt to notify the patron (or the patron’s guardian, if the patron is a minor) in writing. Entering library property, whether inside or outside, while banned, can result in an arrest for criminal trespass.
5. Patrons wishing to appeal a ban may do so upon written request to the Library’s Board of Trustees.

The library may change, modify, alter or rescind any part of this policy or adopt a new policy, at any time without notice.

Related policies with additional information may include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following policies: Electronic Information Network policy; Juveniles in the Library policy.

Adopted 02/95, Revised 06/97, Revised 07/99, Revised 09/00, Revised 02/02, Revised 08/03, Revised 07/15, Revised 04/24