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POLICIES Borrower's Guide These are the general guidelines for checking out books and obtaining library cards. Please contact the circulation desk (334-5279) for further information. Circulation Policy Most materials circulate for 21 days. Exceptions include:
Renewals
Most materials may be renewed twice; either in person or by phone. Videos, DVD's and A/V equipment may be renewed once. Materials with hold requests, educational software and holiday books may not be renewed. Please have your library card number ready when renewing or placing holds by phone. Fines Fines are calculated per day/per item. The itemization is as follows:
Patron Responsibilities
Each library patron has the responsibility to know the library policies and abide by them. Fines are charged to encourage prompt and safe return of materials. We appreciate your cooperation. Library Cards Anyone may use resources in the library. A library card is needed to check out materials. Anyone in one of the following categories may have a library card at no additional charge:
Library cards are available for a fee to those not in one of the above categories. The fee is $15.00 for 90 days or $60.00 for 1 year per household (gift certificates are available). A photo ID and proof of address are required when applying for a card. Proof of address can be: your driver's license with your current address listed; a piece of mail addressed to you and postmarked within the last 10 days; or a lease agreement listing your name and address and dated within the last month. Please present your library card to check out items. You are responsible for all items checked out on your card. Please notify us if your card is lost or stolen, or if there are changes in your information we have on file. Unattended Children During and After Library Operating Hours For the purpose of this policy, children shall be defined as library patrons under the age of sixteen. The library is a public building available for use by everyone. Because it is a place where children gather, it may attract people whose interest in children is not entirely wholesome. The safety and security of children left on their own without supervision is of serious concern to the Cape Girardeau Public Library Board of Trustees, administration, and staff. For the protection and well-being of children who visit the library, the following policy has been established: The responsibility to supervise a child using the library rests at all times with that child’s parent or legal guardian. CGPL staff has other necessary duties that prevent them from providing that level of individual supervision for children using the library. CGPL staff also lacks legal standing to provide such supervision since they may not act in loco parentis. When children attend activity programs sponsored by the library they are supervised by CGPL staff only during the scheduled time of the program and only in the room or area where the program is presented. Because the supervision library staff can provide is limited, we strongly recommend that children of all ages should be accompanied to the library by their parent or legal guardian or a caregiver designated by the parent or legal guardian. For their own safety and security, children 6 years old and younger must be continually attended by a parent or legal guardian, or a caregiver (over the age of 16) designated by the parent or legal guardian, at all times while in the library. A parent or legal guardian or caregiver (over the age of 16) must accompany children between the ages of 7 and 10 but does not need to continually attend them so long as the parent or legal guardian or designated caregiver is present and available in the building. Children ages 11 and older who are left on their own at the library should have with them a phone number where a parent or legal guardian or designated caregiver may be reached as needed. Parents and legal guardians or designated caregivers must understand that they are still responsible for the behavior of their children while the children are using the library. Children who misbehave, refuse to follow directions of library staff, disrupt the orderly conduct of the library, interfere with staff carrying out their duties, or prevent other patrons from using the library may not remain in the library. Library staff will notify their parent or legal guardian or designated caregiver to remove the children from library premises. If children refuse to give library staff a phone number where the parent or legal guardian or designated caregiver can be reached, or if the parent or legal guardian or designated caregiver cannot be reached, or when reached, is unable or unwilling to remove the children from the library in a timely manner, library staff may require the children to remain seated under the direct supervision of a library staff member until the parent or legal guardian or caregiver arrives. The library staff may at that time give the parent or legal guardian or caregiver written notice that the children have been suspended from using the library for a period of time appropriate to the disruption caused. If the parent or legal guardian or designated caregiver is unable or unwilling to remove the children from the library in a timely manner, and the children continue to disrupt the orderly conduct of the library, the library staff may invoke the provisions of this policy that apply to unattended children after library operating hours (see below).
Unattended Children After Library Operating Hours
The Cape Girardeau Public Library’s Board of Trustees believes that the fundamental responsibility for children’s physical well being remains with the parent or legal guardian of that child. This policy is enacted because of numerous incidents involving children left at the library after the announced closing time. Parents, legal guardians, and caregivers designated by parents and legal guardians should be familiar with the library’s hours of operation and should not leave children on their own and unsupervised before the library opens or after it closes. Also, parents, legal guardians, and caregivers should be aware that the library may be closed or close early due to scheduled holidays or unscheduled occurrences such as severe weather or other emergencies. Prior arrangements and contingency plans for IMMEDIATE pick-up in such instances should be discussed with children in advance. The Cape Girardeau Public Library can assume no responsibility for children on library property who are not physically within the library building at closing time, nor can the library assume responsibility for children on library property outside the building before the library’s opening time. If children are in the building at the time of closing and have no means of transportation, the library staff will obtain their names and addresses, their phone numbers, and the names of their parents or legal guardians or caregivers designated by the parents or legal guardians. Library staff will telephone the parents or guardians or caregivers and request immediate pick-up of the children. Library staff will follow up with letters to the parents or guardians explaining closing hours, library responsibility for the children’s safety, and other specifics delineated in this policy. Two staff members should stay with the children until the situation is resolved. If the children are not picked up within twenty (20) minutes after the parent, guardian, or designated caregiver has been contacted, the library staff will contact the police department and request that the police take custody of the children Library staff will leave a note prominently displayed on the exterior door to inform the parent or guardian or designated caregiver that the children have been turned over to the custody of the police.
Code of Conduct and Appropriate Use of the Library The library’s mission is to provide an enriching environment where life-long habits of learning, self-improvement and self-expression are encouraged. The Missouri Revised Statutes [RsMo.] §182.230 (2000) provide that every library and reading room: …shall be forever free to the use of the inhabitants of the city where located, always subject to such reasonable rules and regulations as the library board may adopt in order to render the use of the library and reading room of the greatest benefit to the greatest number. The board may exclude from the use of the library and reading room any and all persons who willfully violate such rules. The following statutes, codes and rules governing use of the Cape Girardeau Public Library (CGPL) are for the purpose of assuring a reasonably safe environment for staff and patrons, protecting the public’s access to library service and materials, and protecting library resources and facilities.Children are encouraged to use the library, its resources and facilities. The safety and responsibility for the well being of children using the library, however, lies solely with their parent/guardian or assigned chaperon, and not with library personnel. Violation of any federal or state statutes or local ordinances while on the premises of the Cape Girardeau Public Library will be regarded as a violation of CGPL rules as well. It is the policy of the Cape Girardeau Public Library: 1. To prohibit conduct that disrupts or interferes with the normal operation of the library or disturbs library patrons and staff, including but not limited to, use of abusive or threatening language or gestures, unreasonable noise, or loud/or boisterous behavior or talking. 2. To prohibit using library materials, equipment, furniture, fixtures or buildings in a manner inconsistent with the customary use thereof, or in a destructive, abusive or potentially damaging manner, or in a manner likely to cause personal injury to the self or others. 3. To require cardholders to use their own personal CGPL card when using or reserving library computers. 4. To prohibit the access of non staff to non public areas, unless accompanied by a staff member. 5. To prohibit the consumption of food and alcoholic beverages except as authorized by the library for specified occasions, or in specified areas of the library. Nonalcoholic beverages are allowed in non-breakable lidded containers in specified areas of the library. 6. To ban animals from the library except for assist animals and as authorized for special events by CGPL. 7. To prohibit all campaigning, petitioning, canvassing, interviewing, survey taking, distribution of materials, photography or video taping, soliciting or sales in library buildings and on library property without written permission from library administration. 8. To require that patrons of all ages wear shirts and shoes at all times in the library, except babies being carried or in strollers and not walking or crawling on floors. 9. To prohibit bathing, doing laundry or other inappropriate behavior in CGPL facilities. 10. To require patrons whose bodily hygiene is offensive so as to constitute a nuisance to other patrons to leave the building. 11. To prohibit interfering with the free passage of library patrons or staff in or on library premises, including, but not limited to, blocking entrances, exits, stairways, aisles, and sidewalks, or placing objects such as bicycles, skateboards, backpacks or other items in areas that will interfere with free passage. 12. To prohibit placing personal belongings on or against library buildings, equipment, furniture or fixtures in a manner that will interfere with patron access. 13. To prohibit patrons from bringing in articles that are too large to fit underneath or behind one library chair so as to block aisles or otherwise interfere with patron access. Patrons may not use wheeled devices in library property, including skateboards, roller skates, rollerblades, scooters and shopping carts, except for wheelchairs, walkers and strollers. 14. To prohibit littering on all CGPL properties. 15. To prohibit begging or soliciting. Violators of paragraphs #1 - 15 are subject to withholding of CGPL privileges as follows:
CGPL privileges may be rescinded for one day or one week by the library director, or adult or youth services coordinators, for offenses numbers 1 through 15 for periods specified. Patrons will be notified verbally, and in the case of minors, parent or guardian will also be notified verbally. The police will be notified of the presence of patrons whose privileges have been revoked, as their presence shall be considered trespassing. Patrons will be notified of library privileges revoked for six months by written correspondence via certified mail to the patron’s last known address. In accordance with Missouri Revised Statutes, Cape Girardeau City Ordinances and CGPL Code of Patron Behavior, no person on library premises shall: 16. Be intoxicated. 17. Carry beverage bottles holding alcoholic beverages or consume alcoholic beverages at unauthorized times and places. 18. Summon or cause a false report to be made to the police, fire department or any other official agency. 19. Persist in disturbing the public peace by loud or aggressive conduct. 20. Solicit or accost any person for the purpose of inducing him or her to participate in an act of prostitution. 21. Harass any other person or cause alarm to another person or persons on the premises. 22. Promote or conduct gambling activity on CGPL premises. Persons who violate paragraphs #16 - 22 are subject to withholding of CGPL privileges:
Patrons will be notified of revoked privileges by written correspondence via certified mail to their last known address. Persons in apparent violation of federal, state or local law will be reported to the police by library staff. Legal action may be taken by the library through the filing of a criminal complaint.
In addition, on CGPL premises, no person shall: 23. Commit an assault or battery upon any person. 24. Engage in fighting. 25. Steal or take property not his/her own. 26. Deface, destroy, damage or remove any property if not authorized by CGPL. 27. Engage in any indecent or obscene conduct or make any indecent exposure of his/her body. 28. Use, give away or sell any controlled substance. 29. Possess a weapon unless authorized by state law. 30. Smoke (in areas other than designated) or carry ignited material. 31. Remain in the building after regular closing hours, except by invitation of CGPL. 32. Break federal or state statutes or local ordinances that cause disruption of library operations. Violation of statutes, ordinances and rules as listed in paragraphs # 23 - 32 are subject to withholding of CGPL privileges as follows:
Patrons will be notified of revoked privileges by written correspondence via certified mail to their last known address. If a patron has library privileges revoked or rescinded, staff shall document the incident on an incident report form.
APPROVED by the Board of Trustees of the Cape Girardeau Public Library this 26th day of June, 2008.
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