Goshen Public Library (NY) General Policies

Other Policies and Regulations: Library Operating Policies | Appendices

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I. Rules of Conduct

The Library building and services are available to the general public for purposes consistent with the Library’s mission. We request your cooperation with regard to the following rules of conduct which prevail:

The rights, opinions and property of all people will be respected.
Patrons will not engage in unlawful behaviors on library property.
Patrons will not obtrude nor interfere with the use of the Library by all people, including Library employees.
The reading room is reserved for research, reading, and study. Loud conversation, use of cell phones, audio devices without headphones, eating, drinking, smoking, game playing, loitering and sleeping are not allowed.
In so far as all materials in the reading room are open to public view, patrons should be aware that viewing adult content images, graphically violent images or images depicting criminal sexual conduct, is inappropriate conduct and if, within the proximity of minors, will be viewed as endangering the welfare of children, and will be treated as such.
All library equipment will be operated in accordance with established posted policies. A pay telephone is available for public use.
Library materials will be properly signed out before being removed from the building.
Soliciting, selling and petitioning are not permitted.
Shirts and shoes will be worn at all times.
Pets, except seeing eye dogs, will remain outside the building.
The Library is not responsible for children left unattended.
The picture book room is equipped with puzzles and stuffed toys for the entertainment of young children while their care givers select library materials in the picture book area.
Library staff is responsible for assisting customers with their information needs. Care givers are responsible for the safety and conduct of children in their care while in the Library or on its grounds. Children will not play on the stairs, run, crawl, pound on the computer keyboards, or move library materials from one shelf to another.
Children under the age of 10 will be supervised by their care giver at all times in the reading and stack areas of the Library, and must not be left in the Library unattended. Preschoolers and elementary school age children enrolled in Library programs will remain in the meeting room until picked up by their care giver.
Care givers are expected to be aware of the Library’s hours of operation and to pick up children prior to closing. In the event a child is left at closing, the Goshen Village Police will be contacted to provide supervision for the child.
Children expected to call home from the Library should be provided with 35 cents for use of the pay phone.
The parking lot is available for people on library business only. Cars will be parked in marked spaces only. Staff and handicapped parking will be respected.
Restrooms will not be used for laundry or bathing. Nothing other than the tissue provided will be flushed in Library toilets.

Any violation of the above rules may result in denial of services and expulsion from the Library.

Approved June 10, 2002
Revised May 12, 2003

II. Library Services

The Library staff will provide guidance and assistance for all people to obtain the information they seek.

Library Programs

The Library will initiate programs, exhibits, book lists, etc. to stimulate the use of library materials for the enlightenment of people of all ages.

Regularly scheduled programs offered at the Library under the auspices of the Library staff will have limited registration as dictated by space and staffing considerations. These considerations include public safety and the educational value of the program. When high demand for participation is anticipated, registrations for such programs will be limited to Library cardholders.

All programs offered by the Library will be free of registration charge. In some instances materials fees may be charged or registrants may be required to provide their own materials.

Grant funded programs will be subject to the regulations of the grantor.

Children’s Programs

Children’s programs are held to foster a love of books and reading, to encourage appropriate library behavior, to offer an opportunity to socialize and to teach new skills.

Toddletime (18-36 months) - This program offers an initial experience for socialization skills and an opportunity for young children to become comfortable in a library environment. Parents and toddlers have a chance to interact with each other in a learning environment and to become acquainted with appropriate books, authors and other materials that the library has to offer. This program helps small children learn that they are welcome in the Library and prepares them for the more structured atmosphere of Story Hour.
Circletime (3 years) - This is an introductory Story Hour program. It includes stories, songs, and fingerplays in a small group setting. Three-year-olds must attend this program before they can register for Preschool Story Hour. Children are encouraged to attend on their own.
Preschool Story Hour (3½ - 4 and 5 years not in Kindergarten) - This program consists of stories, songs, films and crafts usually based on a theme. This is a chance for the preschooler to be on his/her own without a parent or guardian.
Afterschool Specials (school age) - These programs are designed to encourage continued attendance at the Library once they are too old for Story Hour. Each set of programs is based on a theme which is brought out in books, songs, games, crafts and films.
Craft-a-longs - These programs provide a hands-on experience for children to use their creativity in working with different materials and to learn some traditional craft techniques.
Summer Reading Club (school age) - This is an annual event with a state-wide theme designed to foster a year round love of reading and encourage library use. The club involves reading (or being read to), games, crafts, some library skills and lots of fun.

The nature of these programs will change according to demand as an indication of the needs of the community. Behavior guidelines as stated in flyers and hand-outs must be followed.

Registration Policies

Programs are open to Library cardholders unless otherwise stated. First day registration is for residents of GCSD only.
The parent’s/guardian’s valid Goshen library card must be presented when registering.
Registration is in person at the Library for pre-school programs; by phone for K-12 programs (unless otherwise stated).
One adult per family unit must be present for registration. One adult may not register children from more than one family in the same program.
Children must be the specified age by the first session of program.
Spaces remaining after first day registration in K-12 programs may be filled by cardholders of other libraries.
Enrollment is limited by space requirements for each program.

Interlibrary Loan and Database Searching

The Library accepts responsibility for securing information beyond its own resources by:

Borrowing for patrons with valid ANSER cards, materials which are not owned by the Library and which will not be purchased.
Submitting requests to Newburgh for on-line database searches for Library cardholders.
Providing access to on-line services, and teaching patrons how to use them.

Denial of Service

The use of the Library or its services may be denied for due cause, such as violations of the policies herein, destruction of Library property, disturbance of other patrons or the Library staff.

Approved February 10, 1997
Revised April 10, 2000

III. Registration

All people are entitled to use the Library facilities and resources. However, to borrow materials, a library card is required.

GCSD Residents

Adults: All residents of more than 30 days and/or taxpayers of the GCSD, and residents of the Town of Goshen living in the Chester School District age 18 or older are eligible for an adult library card with Direct Access privileges free of charge. Two proofs of identity, address or ownership are required (Examples: driver’s license, non-driver or other photo ID, birth certificate, tax bill, utility bill, deed, closing statement or rent receipt).
Children: Residents of more than 30 days of the GCSD and residents of the Town of Goshen living in the Chester School District age 17 or younger are eligible for a juvenile library card with Direct Access privileges free of charge when they are entering Kindergarten and can print their first and last names. A parent/guardian is required to come into the library to sign the application form and show proof of residency on behalf of the child, as specified above, unless the application is submitted through the classroom teacher. Parents/guardians are responsible to see that their children obey Library rules.
Temporary Residents: Residents of the GCSD who are here temporarily (Examples: exchange students, au pairs, summer residents, residents of a juvenile home) are eligible for a library card without Direct Access privileges free of charge. The same proofs of identity and address are required. Juvenile application forms for the residents of the group home must be signed by the resident or counselor in charge.

Direct Access

All permanent cardholders in the RCLS service area are eligible for free direct access borrowing upon presentation of their home library card (or an RCLS Direct Access card)validated for the current calendar year.

Residents of communities outside the RCLS service area age 18 or older may obtain a library car upon payment in-lieu-of taxes (PILOT) equal to the per capita Library expenditure for residents of the GCSD.

Approved February 10, 1997
Revised May 13, 2002

IV. Replacement Cards

All new Library cards are barcoded for use with ANSER. The cost to replace a lost ANSER library card is $5.00.

There will be a waiting period of 30 days for subsequent cards after the first replacement card has been issued.
The cost to replace a damaged card is $1.00. Damaged cards will be replaced upon presentation and payment of the fee.
Replacement cards will only be issued to the individual named on the card.

The privilege of borrowing library material may be denied at anytime by the Director for abuses such as neglecting to return library materials when they are due, refusing to reimburse the Library for fines or lost materials or destruction of library materials.

Approved November 30, 1998

V. Confidentiality Statement

In recognizing the Library’s position of special trust with members of the public, the Board wishes to clarify its policy and responsibilities with regard to confidential information about patrons (and patron use of library resources) that comes into the Library’s possession.

As the choice of books and other library materials, along with the use of the informational resources of the Library is essentially a private endeavor on the part of each individual patron, the Library shall make every reasonable and responsible effort to see that information about that patron and his choices remains confidential. For people to make full and effective use of library resources they must feel unconstrained by the possibility that others may become aware of the books they read, the materials they use, or the questions they ask. The awareness of existence of such a possibility inhibits free usage of the library, its resources and facilities, and is contrary to the American Library Association (ALA) Library Bill of Rights and the Freedom to Read Statement. (see Appendices B and C)

Therefore, the Board has adopted the following guidelines concerning the disclosure of information about library patrons, to wit, no information shall be disclosed regarding or including:

A patron’s name (or whether an individual is a registered borrower or has been a patron).
A patron’s address.
A patron’s telephone number.
The Library’s circulation records and their contents.
The Library’s borrowers records and their contents.
The number or character of questions asked by patrons.
The frequency or content of a patron’s lawful visits to the Library or any other information supplied to the Library (or gathered by it) shall be given, made available or disclosed to any individual, corporation, institution, government agency or agency without a valid process order or subpoena or search warrant. Upon presentation of such a process order or subpoena, the Library shall resist its enforcement until such a time as proper showing of legal entitlement has been made in a court of competent jurisdiction.

All Library employees (and those volunteers who work in its behalf) are hereby instructed to comply with these guidelines.

All requests for information about library patrons will be directed to the Director or, in the absence of the Director, the Librarian-in-charge (LINC.). Requests for information not made pursuant to a process order, subpoena or search warrant will be denied.
If a law enforcement officer requests information about a library patron, the staff member approached should immediately contact the Director or LINC.
If the law enforcement officer has a process order, subpoena or a search warrant, the Director or LINC will contact the Library’s attorney for a review of the document’s legal sufficiency, and explain this procedure to the law enforcement officer. Review of the search warrant must be immediate.
The Library’s attorney may provide assistance on-site during the search.
If the Library’s attorney is not available, action on a subpoena will be deferred until it has been reviewed, but the search directed by warrant must be allowed to proceed.
Any above action which is handled by the LINC shall be reported to the Director.

The Board recognizes that it is only through continued public confidence in the fact that these guidelines are indeed being upheld, can the public maintain its confidence in the public library. It is this confidence that is vital to the Library’s role in the community and community’s right to know.

Approved September 22, 2003

VI. Loan Policies

Books, Magazines and Audio

New adult books, magazines and vertical files circulate for two weeks at a time. All other books (older adult books, juvenile, YA books, audio books and AV excluding videos, see separate policy for videos) circulate for four weeks.

An overdue fine of 25 cents per day for new adult books, 15 cents per day for adult books, 10 cents a day for children’s books, kits, and magazines, and 35 cents per day for audio books will be charged. (See separate policy for videos). The maximum fine will not exceed 50% of the replacement cost of the item (25% for audio books, magazines, and kits and 10% for children’s books).
Three renewals for a period equal to the initial loan period are permitted, unless there is a reserve request for the material.
Telephone renewals will be accepted if the patron provides his/her barcode number. Patrons may renew materials using Java WebPAC from their home computer, subject to system-wide restrictions.
Vacation loans of up to 6 weeks may be granted at any time of the year on patron request. New fiction and items for which there are reserves may not be charged out on vacation loan.
Reserve requests will be accepted for all materials which are listed in the catalog. Patrons may place holds on any item in the system from a PAC terminal or using JAVA WebPAC from home.
Print library materials not available in the RCLS collections may be requested through Interlibrary loan.
Patrons who have been notified that they have library materials overdue will have an ANSER status of delinquent. No further loans may be made to those patrons until they have cleared their records.

Video/DVD Loan Policy

All videos/DVDs will be loaned to all adult patrons with a library card in good standing and to all juvenile patrons with a library card in good standing who have parental permission on record.
New entertainment videos/DVDs are rented at $1.00 each for two days, weekend rentals at $1.50 each for three days (available during winter hours only). Older entertainment videos/DVDs and all instructional videos are circulated for 7 days at no charge. Video/DVD fees collected are used to expand the collection.
A fine of 50 cents per day per item will be charged for overdue videos/DVDs. Maximum fine will not exceed 50% of the cost of the video.
Videos/DVDs may be renewed twice for a period equal to the initial loan period, unless there is a reserve request, see rental cost above.
Videos/DVDs must be returned directly to the circulation desk at the Library. They may not be returned in the outside book drop. Rewind all videos before returning them.
Reserve requests may be placed on Videos/DVDs listed in the catalog - although some libraries do not send videos/DVDs through the delivery system.
Patrons who abuse their video/DVD borrowing privileges will be denied further video/DVD loans.
Patrons returning a damaged video/DVD are responsible for its replacement cost.
Patrons returning a defective new video/DVD within the loan period will be offered another selection at no cost.
Patrons are responsible for care of their own equipment and use library videos/DVDs at their own risk. The Library is not responsible for equipment damage attributed to library videos/DVDs.
Videos/DVDs which are reported to be damaged or defective are previewed and cleaned before they are returned to circulation. Please report damage.

RCLS Video ILL

All adult patrons with library cards in good standing may request RCLS nonfiction videos. These videos are subject to RCLS circulation policies.
An RCLS film/video registration form must be filled out by patrons wishing to advance a book, film, or video for a specific day. These forms should be kept in the RCLS registration file.

Revised November, 2002

VII. Overdue Materials

Notice

Patrons will receive notices of overdue materials. The first notice will be mailed no less than seven days after the item becomes overdue. The second notice will be mailed no more than two weeks after the item becomes overdue. These patrons will be listed as delinquent and borrowing privileges will be suspended until materials are returned and all fines paid or the patron has paid for the replacement of the overdue material.
The final notice, a bill, for unreturned, damaged or lost books will be sent no more than six weeks after item becomes overdue. Items are billed at the current replacement value.
Notices for all materials charged out on juvenile cards will be sent c/o of the parent/guardian of record.

Lost Items and Replacement

If a lost item is paid for and then returned in good condition within 30 days, the patron will be reimbursed for the amount of the replacement cost (but not the fine).
Patrons who claim they have returned overdue materials are encouraged to look again. Their claim is noted and the shelves are rechecked. If the material is not located, the patron is held responsible as long as his or her library card has not been reported missing.

See also VI, Loan Policies for specific fines.

Approved February 10, 1997

VIII. Returned Checks

Since any returned check incurs a bank fee assessed to the Library, any patron whose check does not clear will be charged the amount of that fee in addition to the original amount of the check. Until these charges are cleared, the patron will not be allowed to borrow library materials.

Approved June 10, 2002

IX. Materials Selection

The authority and responsibility for selection of specific materials rest with the Director, and, under his/her direction, to the professional staff who are qualified for this activity by reason of education, training, and experience. Selection decisions are governed by the following policy.

Procedure

The professional staff utilize their professional expertise and judgment, based on understanding of community needs and knowledge of authors and publishers, in the process of selecting materials. They are aided by authoritative professional reviews (including those provided in Library Journal, Booklist, New York Times Book Review, VOYA and School Library Journal), standard lists of basic works, recommendations of professional journals, and bibliographic essays prepared by subject specialists.
Recommendations from the public are welcomed and will be given careful consideration in terms of overall objectives and the existing book collection.

Principles of Selection

The principles regarding the selection and retention or withdrawal of library materials are designed to implement the Library objectives.
The ultimate goal is the development and maintenance of a well-balanced collection of the best and most useful materials available in terms of the overall needs of the community and within the limits of budgetary restrictions. Intrinsic to this goal are certain fundamental principles which will insure that the diversified interests and needs of all the community are met. The Library therefore endorses the "Library Bill of Rights" and "The Freedom to Read" statement of the American Library Association, See Appendices B & C attached.
All materials acquired should meet high standards of quality in content, expression and form. Factors to be considered in evaluating an item: factual accuracy and authoritativeness, effective expression, significance of subject, sincerity and responsibility of opinion, current usefulness, interest or permanent value. When judging the quality of materials several standards and combinations of standards may be used, as some materials may be judged primarily on artistic merits while others are considered on scholarship, value as human documents, or ability to satisfy the recreational and entertainment needs of the community.
Each work would be considered as a creative unified whole with consideration given to the total purpose of the item.
The form in which materials are acquired should be appropriate to the content and anticipated use.
Additional criteria include: insight into human and social conditions; present and potential relevance to community needs; suitability of subject and style for intended audience; relation to the existing collection; reputation and significance of the author; attention given by critics, reviewers, and the public.
The same criteria used in selecting materials apply to the systematic removal or replacement of outdated, no longer useful, seldom-used or worn items. Each withdrawal should be judged individually with reference to the standard library tools and the collection as a whole.

Areas of Special Interest

Works of fiction should meet the literary standards of the period in which they were written. The language and style should be suitable to the content and the authors purpose.
The Library will not attempt to furnish materials needed in connection with school assignments. Textbooks are generally not acquired except in cases where suitable material is not available in other forms. The public library collection will serve as a complement to the school library collections, enriching the students resources for personal interest and individual projects.
The Library does not attempt to develop a comprehensive research collection in any one field except local history. Books of a highly technical or specialized nature are inappropriate to the general needs and interest of the Library community.
An attempt is made to acquire authoritative materials representing all points of view and all sides of controversial issues. The Library does not promote particular beliefs or views, but presents opposing views for examination by the public. The presence of an item in the Library collection does not indicate an endorsement of its contents by the Library.
The Library will not include proselytizing works representing political, economic, moral, religious or other vested positions when these materials do not conform to the selection criteria.

Censorship

Once an item has been accepted as qualifying under the selection policies and rules it will not be removed at the request of those who object to it unless it can be shown to be in violation of these policies.
There is a formal procedure for reconsideration of materials. A written request, see Appendix D attached, must be completed, signed and submitted to the Director who will refer it to the Board with a recommendation for appropriate action.

Approved April 15, 1991

X. Gifts

The Library encourages gifts and donations for memorial purposes. The standards of selection that govern all library materials purchases are applied to gifts. Gifts of materials will be accepted on the condition that the Director (and/or the Historical Committee in the case of the historical materials) may select those items desirable for the collection and dispose of unwanted items as is deemed best.

The Library cannot value donations of books for income tax purposes. Gift books will become part of the existing collections and will not be shelved separately.
Gifts of money, real property and/or stock will be accepted if the conditions attached thereto are acceptable to the Board.
The Library will not accept for deposit or permanent display materials which are not outright gifts.

Approved April 15, 1991

XI. Physical Facilities

Library facilities, as specified below are available for use by non-profit community groups or representatives of the Goshen Central School district. Library facilities are NOT available for the conduct of private (for profit) business, including sale presentation, business meetings, tutoring, etc.

Meeting Room

The meeting room of the Library is primarily for the use of the Library. When not required for library use, other non-profit community groups are encouraged and welcome to use the room, subject to the following regulations:

The meeting room may be used by groups (and individuals) engaged in educational, recreational, cultural and informational activities.
Scheduling priorities are as follows: Library sponsored and cosponsored activities; Friends of the Library sponsored activities; activities sponsored by groups from the GCSD; other activities.
Meetings and programs must be open to the general public.
The legal occupancy of the room is 14 persons.
Non-profit organizations using the room may not charge admission fees, solicit contributions, nor sell or take orders of any kind. The Library meeting room is not to be used by other groups for fund-raising purposes.
All announcements, press releases, flyers, etc. must clearly state that the meeting is not sponsored by the Library.
An assigned staff member, Friends of the Library executive Board member, or Library Trustee, must be present on the premises for all non-library activities. Groups using the Library during scheduled hours must be out of the building by closing time (8 p.m.). Groups using the room after hours must assume responsibility for all salaries and operating costs incurred by the Library in being open.
Groups holding meetings will meet in the designated meeting room only, and will assume responsibility for any damage to the facility or its contents.
The Library assumes no responsibility for private property used in an activity scheduled in the meeting room.
Light refreshments may be served at the group’s expense. The group is responsible for providing all equipment and for immediate clean-up.
Smoking is prohibited.
The use of the Library meeting room does not constitute an endorsement of an organization’s policies and beliefs.
The organization on behalf of which the application is made shall, and by execution of the application, does assume joint and several responsibility and liability for any injury to people or any breakage, damage, or loss of supplies, equipment, buildings or grounds of the Library and any or all injuries sustained at or because of the activity at the Library.
Application for use of the meeting room must be made on the form provided by the Library and will be subject to the approval of the Director. The form of application is attached hereto as Appendix E.
Scheduling of the meeting room for use by outside groups may be restricted to specific days and times depending on the Library’s program schedule.
Nothing in the foregoing shall be deemed to give any organization an absolute right to use of the meeting room. The Board has the sole and final responsibility to prescribe policies regulating such use and may refuse any or all such requests if, in their opinion, there is possibility of public disorder, damage to Library property, or other sufficient case to restrict or refuse such use.
Groups violating any of the above policy will be denied further use of the facility.

Revised November 15, 2004

XI. Physical Facilities (continued)

Insurance and Indemnity

Whenever the Library facilities are used, there is the possibility that persons may be injured and may bring legal action against the Library and sponsoring organization for personal injury. The Library carries a public liability insurance policy to protect the Library against such action. Since it is possible that the organization may also be sued for such liability, the organization should protect itself by obtaining a temporary insurance policy protecting said organization and naming the Library as an “additional insured.” Any such organization agrees to indemnify and hold the Library harmless against any and all damages, costs, and expenses, including reasonable attorney’s fees, which the Library may incur as a result of the sponsoring organization’s use of the Library.

Approved February 10, 1997

Tutoring Policy

Tutoring is an activity which relates to the Library’s third role, that of an Educational support center. Use of Library meeting room space is permitted for non-profit (e.g. Literacy Volunteers) or GCSD sanctioned tutoring activities, subject to availability. This policy will be disseminated to the directors of the Literacy Volunteer program at Middletown Thrall Library, the GCSD Special Education and Guidance programs. The following guidelines are to be observed:

Tutors will contact the Library office to reserve use of the meeting room space. A Meeting Room Request form (See Appendix D) will be kept on file for each tutor.
The Library reading room is not available for tutoring as this space is reserved for research, reading and study.
School aged students being tutored in the Library are the responsibility of the tutor while on the Library’s property until released to parent/guardian or authorized transportation.

Approved April 14, 1997

Proctoring Policy

The Library reading room is not available for proctored examinations as this space is reserved for Library services, including research, reading, study and programs. At this time there is no additional space in which to schedule such examinations.
Library staff are not available to proctor examinations, as their time is scheduled to support library services and programs.

Approved June 10, 2002

Sharts and Wallace Rooms

The Library’s artifact and local history collections have been stored to allow room for more heavily used Library services. The local history collection is available on a limited basis with the assistance of the reference staff. Policies regarding the use of Sharts Room materials still apply. The rest of this policy is suspended until further notice.
The Historical and Genealogical Committee (the “Committee”) is responsible for recommending policy with regard to the Elizabeth Sharts Room and the Wallace Room. The Committee shall also annually appoint an Archivist to work with the Director in developing the Sharts Room Archives and shall solicit volunteers to work with the historical collection.
The Elizabeth Sharts Room was established to house the local history and genealogical collection of the Library. This collection consists of books, videotapes, vertical files and archives. The book, video and vertical file materials in the Sharts Room consist primarily of materials concerning Goshen and its environs, including key sources of New York State history. The archives shall be defined as primary source documents including: manuscripts, diaries, journals, ledgers, minutes, reports, maps, blueprints, agreements, memoranda, deeds, case files, correspondence, photographs, and other materials of enduring value to individuals or institutions concerned with the history of Orange County and particularly Goshen. The archives shall be housed in closed cabinets, their use restricted.
Local history material shall be subject to the same collection development criteria as other library materials (see Material Section Policy).
The Sharts Room must be staffed (by a paid staff member or volunteer) at all times it is open to the public. Use of the Sharts Room is proscribed as follows:
1. Patrons must sign the register.
2. Patrons have free access to all materials in the unrestricted area of the room.
3. The archives are housed in closed cabinets and are microfilmed. All patrons may use the microfilm upon application, only one reel at a time being taken from the storage cabinet.
4. Photocopies and microfilm prints may be made and the fees therefore are payable at the front desk. Staff assistance is suggested for photocopying from rare books.
5. Use of the archives is limited to research for publication and/or advance academic study and must be arranged with the Director or the Archivist.
6. Photocopying of archival material must be done by an authorized person.
7. Photographing and microfilming, on premises, of items in the collection may be done only with the approval of the Committee under whatever conditions it deems necessary and provided that the Archivist or the Director is present and supervises the procedures throughout.
8. In the event archival material, either by photocopy or by quoted note-taking is to be used in a published work, permission must be obtained from the Director, the Archivist or the Committee, See Appendix F.
9. Note-taking is by pencil only and no tracing is allowed.
10. Borrowing of material, either in person or by interlibrary loan is not permitted except in those instances where multiple copies of a high-demand book are available and one copy may be designated for circulation for a two week, non-renewable period.
11. Patrons are expected to handle all materials with care.
12. No food, drinking or smoking is allowed.
13. The Library reserves the right (in its sole discretion) to exclude from use any original material in its archives.
14. Professional genealogists from Orange County, who are familiar with the organization of the Sharts Room may be allowed access to the collection at times when the room is closed to the general public.
The Wallace Room was established to house the artifact collection of the Library. The artifact collection consists primarily of items of historical value to Goshen and Orange County. This collection will be developed in accordance with the Material Selection Policy. The Wallace Room is open by appointment, and for selected events. It must be staffed at all times when open by the Director, a staff member, a member of the Committee or its designee.

Revised June 10, 2002

Bulletin Board Policy

The Library bulletin boards are to be used for the posting of notices of:
1. library business or activities
2. public service items of educational or cultural interest to the community
3. Civil Service examination notices
4. local jobs and services
5. local legal notices
Members of the public are not permitted to post notices. Any notice to be considered for posting must be submitted to the reference desk for review and approval. Approved notices will be dated, initialed and posted by authorized Library personnel. Notices posted without authorization will be removed.
All notices intended for posting on the Library bulletin boards must contain the following:
1. name of sponsoring agency
2. address and telephone number of sponsoring agency or authorized representative.
Notice size (physical dimensions) can be restricted if deemed necessary to maximize available space.
Notices will be removed when they are no longer timely and may be removed after two weeks if space is required for more current items.
Authorization to post a notice does not constitute advocacy or endorsement of the viewpoints of the organization represented.
Failure to comply with these rules may result in denial of future posting privileges.
This policy is determined by the Library Board of Trustees and is subject to periodic review and/or revision at the discretion of the Board. Appeals may be submitted to the Board in writing.

Approved June 10, 2002

XII. Technological Services

Computer Use Policy

In keeping with its mission and with advances in information technology, the Library provides users with computer access to the Library catalog, word processing, and the Internet.
Only the software installed on the network by the Library may be used. Programs may not be downloaded from the Internet.
Internet service is available for research/education use. While the Library is not responsible for the sites patrons choose to visit, we are aware that some sites are prone to infiltration with cookies, unwanted pop-ups, spyware, malware, adware and viruses; or require enormous amounts of bandwidth for video streaming. Such sites have the potential in infect or hijack the computer, or slow down the entire network. The Library reserves the right to block such sites. Visiting a site which causes infiltration of the Library’s computers or network slowdown will result in loss of electronic resources privileges.
Visiting Internet sites containing graphic adult content images, graphically violent images or images depicting criminal sexual activity is inappropriate conduct, and may result in loss of electronic resources privileges. If such sites are viewed within the proximity of minors, it will be considered endangering the welfare of children and will be treated as such.
As with all formats of information, users must respect copyright laws and licensing agreements. Acts or behaviors which may be illegal, jeopardize a source’s files, or the Library’s account or access to resources, will result in loss of electronic resources privileges.
E-mail accounts will not be provided to the public by the Library.
Electronic resources are available on a first come, first served basis. Computer use is monitored. A time limit of 1 hour per session per patron and a maximum daily use of 2 hours will be enforced. A sign-in sheet is available at the reference desk for these purposes. Patrons must sign in and out at the beginning and end of each session. The sign-in sheets will be kept for two weeks and discarded.
Printers are available for copying information. There is a charge of 10 cents per page. The patron is responsible for print charges for all pages sent to the printer. Printing must be completed by 15 minutes before closing, when the printer is turned off.
Patrons must provide their own backup diskettes (3 ½ inch). Saving and/or printing of data should begin not less than 5 minutes before the end of the session or earlier if necessary to complete printing prior to the end of the session.
Library Reference staff will provide introductory instruction and assistance. In-depth instruction in the use of Library electronic resources may be scheduled at the reference desk.
Children age 9 or under must be accompanied by an adult when using electronic resources. Children age 10-18 who have a signed parental consent form on file (see Appendix G) may use the Internet unattended. It is strongly recommended that parents supervise the use of the Internet by their minor children.
Any malfunction or problem should be reported immediately to the reference desk. Patrons must not try to correct the problem themselves.
Patrons must abide by the Library’s rules of conduct.
Patrons abusing the equipment, or the Library policy, will be prohibited from further use.

Approved September 13, 1999
Revised April 12, 2004

XIII. Emergency Closings Under the Homeland Security Advisory System

Following the guidelines issued by the Goshen Central School District, the library will take the following actions under RED alert:

If a RED alert is issued before the library is opened, it will remain closed.
If a RED alert is issued while the library is open, and travel is still permitted, the library will close.
If a RED alert is issued while the library is closed, and travel is not permitted, the library will be locked down with no entry or exit until released by the County Executive.
If a RED alert is issued, and the library is desired as a shelter per the County Executive, it will remain open as directed.

Approved: May 13, 2003