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| 16250 Wausau Avenue South Holland, IL 60473 Phone: 708-331-5262 Fax: 708-331-6557 |
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Microcomputer
Policy | Regulations for Use A. The South Holland Public Library will make available a reasonable number of Microcomputers in the library to provide residents with access to current information which will assist them in their daily lives, in their quest for personal development and in pursuit of their educational objectives. 1. The reasonable number of computers available will be determined by usage of the computers by resident patrons, the funds available in the library budget for purchase and maintenance of the equipment and software, and the space available for provision of this service. 2. Computers will be designated for specific uses by the librarians in an effort to provide equitable and efficient service for the library’s patrons. The librarians have the right to deny use of a microcomputer to any individual who is using it for purposes other than its designated use. a. Designated Use Stations include the following: 1) Catalog Stations include access to the SWAN catalog of library materials. They also provide access for patrons to place holds on materials and view their own records. The SWAN Consortia may make other functions available from time to time. Links from catalog records may allow patrons to access further information on the Internet. Because these stations are the main means of accessing locations of materials within our library, priority will be given to those finding material locations. These stations are available on a walk-up basis. Users are asked to limit their time on these stations to 15 minutes. There is no printing available from these stations. 2) Resource Stations include selected links to databases and resources that have been determined by a librarian to have basic reference value. Junior Resource Stations are located in the Youth Services Department. Resource Stations are not intended to provide open Internet Access. They are available on a walk-up basis. Users are asked to limit their time spent on Resource Stations to 30 minutes when others are waiting. 3) ExpressNet Stations provide filtered Internet access. These stations are available for searching the web and accessing e-mail. They are available on a walk-up basis to use for a maximum of 15 minutes per session. Concurrent and consecutive sessions on ExpressNet Stations, by an individual, are not permitted. 4) Multi-Access Stations include access to the Internet and provide a limited number of basic software titles for patrons to use. Users have the ability to select filtered or unfiltered Internet access. Junior Multi-Access Stations are available in the Youth Services Department and provide only filtered Internet access and selected software. All Multi-Access Stations are available through our reservation system. Walk-up users may fill unreserved time. 5) Laptop Stations are provided for a limited number of users. Users may bring their own laptops and related peripherals, to use in the library, at these stations. The library does not supply laptops for patron use. b. Computers located in the Youth Services Department of the library are primarily for use by children 13 years of age and younger. c. Computers located in the Adult Services Department of the library are primarily for use by patrons 14 years of age and older. B. Regulations for Use of South Holland Public Library’s Microcomputers. 1. Use of South Holland Public Library’s Microcomputers is a privilege and not a guaranteed right. It is the user’s responsibility to comply with all library policies and procedures when making use of microcomputers. It is the user’s responsibility to comply whether they have read the policy or not. Failure to do so will result in a suspension of the privilege of using microcomputers in the library. Copies of policies are available at library reference service desks. 2. It is the responsibility of the user, not the library, to confirm that the user has adequate training for the proper use of computer equipment. Library Staff may offer basic assistance to patrons but cannot offer personal instruction in the use of computer software. Library Staff will be available to offer general guidance to users in forming search strategies as time permits. So as not to disrupt public service, Library staff members are not available to perform requested searches on demand. 3. Normally, only one person will be allowed to use a microcomputer at a time, except a child under 8 years of age that is accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Because unusual situations arise where it is necessary for two people to have access to a computer for a joint project, assistance in using or learning a software package, etc., the librarian at his/her discretion, may allow two users to access a single computer for such purpose. 4. Users who are perceived to be under 18 years of age must present their library cards to the librarian on duty upon request. Users under the age of 18 who do not have a signed South Holland Public Library Multi-Access Station User Agreement on file will not be allowed to use the multi-access stations in the library. 5. Only library-owned software that has been designated for in-house use may be used on the South Holland Public Library’s Microcomputers. Users may not install any software on South Holland Public Library’s Microcomputers. 6. Users may not save data on the hard drives or alter the desktop of South Holland Public Library’s Microcomputers. Alteration, damage or destruction of the library’s computer equipment, software or security will result in suspension of a user’s privilege to use South Holland Public Library’s Microcomputers. The user is responsible for all charges to repair, replace, restore or reconfigure equipment resulting from their misuse. 7. Copying of any computer program or documentation provided by the South Holland Public Library, which is not in the public domain, is not allowed. 8. No hook-up of non-library equipment is allowed. 9. The South Holland Public Library is not responsible for damage to media storage devices brought into the library or for losses, which result from use of library equipment, programs or documentation. 10. Printing a. Users will be given the choice of printing in color or grayscale. 1) The charge for printing in grayscale is 10 cents per page. 2) The charge for printing in color is 25 cents per page. 3) If no choice is given, the cost for printing is 10 cents per page. b. Users are responsible for all pages they print and must pay for pages that they send to print, whether they intended to or not; and whether its appearance is desirable or not. It is recommended that users use print preview functions where available to determine how their output will print. They should also note the number of pages before sending it to the printer. c. Printing may only be done on library-supplied paper. C. Multi-Access Station Regulations 1. Multi-Access Stations are available for use by patrons holding a valid Public Library Card, State Driver’s License, State I.D. Card, Passport, or Military I.D. and who have agreed to accept the terms of the South Holland Public Library’s Microcomputer Policy. Users under 18 years of age must agree to accept the terms of the South Holland Public Library’s Microcomputer Policy and have a signed South Holland Public Library Multi-Access Station User Agreement (See Appendix G) on file that includes parental permission to use the Multi-Access Stations of the South Holland Public Library. User Agreements for users under 18 years of age require the permissive signature of a parent or legal guardian. Children under 8 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or guardian when using the library’s Multi-Access Stations. 2. The Reservation System a. Multi-Access Stations may be reserved for one-hour sessions between the following hours:
Monday-Thursday
10:00 a.m.- 8:30 p.m. b. Additional computer time may be offered on an availability basis up to two additional hours per session. The maximum amount of time a patron may use a multi-access computer is three hours per day. c. Residents of the Village of South Holland, who have a valid South Holland Public Library Card, may reserve Multi-Access Computer time through the South Holland Public Library's PC Reservation System. All others must reserve their time by signing in and presenting their identification to the librarian on duty upon each usage. The only acceptable forms of identification are those mentioned in C.1. d. Reservations are encouraged to ensure computer availability. 1) Computer time may be reserved up to one week in advance. 2) Users are allowed to book a maximum of two nonconsecutive sessions per week. 3) Patrons are encouraged to call the library if they are unable to keep a reservation. e. Reservations will be held for ten minutes only. The computer’s clock will be used to determine the correct time. f. Only the individual for whom the reservation was made may use reserved time. Time may not be traded or given to another family member or person. g. Walk-up patrons may fill unreserved time. h. If a computer malfunctions during a user’s time block, every effort will be made to reschedule that user’s time, but the existing schedule will not be altered. 3. Because unusual situations arise where it is necessary for two people to have access to a computer for a joint project, assistance in using or learning a software package, etc., the librarian at his/her discretion, may allow two users to access a single computer for such purpose. Both users must have agreed to the terms of the South Holland Public Library’s Microcomputer Policy. All users under 18 years of age must have the permissive signature of their parent/legal guardian on the South Holland Public Library’s Multi-Access Station User Agreement that is on file at the library. 4. Fee for use of Multi-Access Computers a. There will be a charge of $2.00 per hour or fraction thereof for using the Multi-Access Computers. This fee will be waived for residents of the Village of South Holland who have reserved their Multi-Access Computer Time through the South Holland Public Library’s PC Reservation System using their South Holland Public Library card. b. Computer time must be paid for in advance. To enhance and supplement the resources that are available locally, the South Holland Public Library makes available resources on the Internet for educational and informational use. Because the Internet is a worldwide resource of information, the South Holland Public Library cannot be held responsible for its content, timeliness or accuracy. Links to information may not always be valid and particular sites on the Internet may sometimes be unavailable. The South Holland Public Library does not provide direct access to electronic mail. Only access to web-based e-mail will be allowed. Certain information obtained via the Internet may be considered offensive, disturbing, controversial and/or illegal by some library patrons. Users access the Internet and use it at their own risk. Because the Internet is accessed in public areas of the library, users are encouraged to be considerate of those around them. Although staff members do not monitor Internet use, South Holland Public Library reserves the right to ask users to discontinue display of information or images, which may cause a disruption in the library. Illegal use of the Internet is strictly prohibited. The South Holland Public Library is not responsible for damages, indirect or direct, arising from a library user’s use of the library’s Internet connection. Library staff members are unable to monitor use of the Internet by children. Parents are expected to monitor and supervise their children’s use of the Internet.
Being sensitive to community desires, the South Holland Public Library uses a
full commercial filtering package on all computers located in the Youth Services
Department Approved 2-12-07
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