The Board of Trustees of the Stevens County Rural Library District recognizes that within the library district are groups and individuals with diverse interests backgrounds and needs. The Board further recognizes and emphasizes that the library was established to serve all of the people within its service area.

It is the policy of the Stevens County Rural Library District to make electronic and Internet resources, together with its collection of library materials, available to its customers as a means of providing information in support of its mission.

The Stevens County Rural Library District is part of the national information infrastructure providing people with access to global electronic resources and the opportunity to participate in the electronic arena. Access is not the same as selection. Connection with electronic information, services and networks provides access and information transfer rather than selecting and acquiring materials in the traditional sense.

Library staff will provide training on electronic resources usage for patrons, as they do for other resources. Staff will also make available information to help parents and guardians in efforts to exercise their rights and responsibilities regarding their own children’s use of electronic resources. As with other library materials, the library affirms the right and responsibility of parents or guardians to guide, determine, and monitor their children’s use of the Internet.

Congress passed the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) in December 2000. In June 2003, the U.S. Supreme Court declared it to be constitutional. The SCRLD Board of Trustees has determined that SCRLD shall comply with the provisions of this Act as interpreted by the Supreme Court.

All patrons will be offered filtered access. There is no provision in the Act for disabling the filter for a minor (age 16 and under). If an adult patron (17 years of age or older) wishes to opt out of filtering, he/she may request this of a SCRLD staff member. With proof of age, the SCRLD staff member may permanently change the adult patron’s card status to allow unfiltered access for “legitimate research or other lawful purposes.”

The use of all library resources, including electronic resources, is voluntary. Because of the Internet’s unstructured, unregulated and international nature, there is no assurance that any software will block access to all materials that fall within the selected blocked categories. It is also possible that the filter will block information that it should not. The library district believes that the library user is the best judge of what is appropriate for him/herself and his/her child.

Access to, use of or dissemination of constitutionally unprotected (illegal) materials is unacceptable in the library. Use of SCRLD computers for other unlawful purposes is also prohibited. Compliance with this policy is the responsibly of the user, or in the case of minors, it is a joint responsibility of the user and the parent or guardian.

The Rules of Conduct also apply to the use of electronic equipment and resources. Failure to follow the Rules of Conduct may be cause for a temporary or permanent prohibition from use of library equipment or facilities. In cases of threatening behavior or illegal activities, law enforcement will be notified.

The District’s Director is responsible for establishing procedures to carry out this policy.

Revised July 24, 2008
Adopted March 18, 2004
Replaces Policy on Public Access to
Electronic Resources & the World Wide Web
adopted on July 9, 1998.