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The Mathews Memorial Library's Mission is to provide the highest quality library services to fulfill informational, educational, recreational and cultural needs of the citizens in the dynamic and changing community of Mathews County.
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Patron Computer and Internet Access Use PolicyTERMS OF SERVICE AND ACCEPTABLE USE Types of computer use at the Library:
Adult public computers with filtered
Internet access
Location:
Adult Wing
Age: Adults age 18 and
older
Access to:
library databases, Internet searching,
MS Office® products
Youth public computers with filtered
Internet access
Location:
Youth Wing
Age:
Juveniles and young adults under age 18
Access to:
library databases, Internet searching, learning games, MS Office®
products
Wireless Access from Patron-Owned
Computers or Other Wireless Devices
Location:
Anywhere in the library and on library premises
Access to: library databases,
Internet searching, VPN and more!
Access to the Service
All computers accessible to the public are equipped with technology
protection measures to filter or block Internet access to material
that is defined by the Code of
Virginia as child pornography (§18.2-374.1:1), obscenity
(§18.2-371) or harmful to juveniles (§18.2-390).
Requests to bypass the technology protection measure for
purposes of enabling access for bona fide research or other lawful
purposes must be made to authorized library personnel.
Acceptable Use Guidelines
Use of the computers at Mathews
Memorial Library, requires that individuals be a registered patron
of the Mathews Memorial Library with designated computer use
privileges based on acceptance of the terms of this policy.
Temporary use is granted to non-patrons who produce a picture ID and
substantiating identification.
Wireless Guidelines
Unauthorized Use
Unauthorized use of the Internet Access Service will result in the
loss of access privileges. Parental notification may be sent
if a child under age of 18 violates guidelines. Restoration of
privileges may be requested after one year. The following are
prohibited: Illegitimate Use of Internet Services
Using another person's library card, or other forms of
misrepresentation to gain access to library workstations or wireless
service.
Personal Software
Using or installing personal software on library workstations.
Spamming and Invasion of Privacy
Intellectual Property Right Violations
Obscene or Indecent Speech or Materials
Defamatory or Abusive Language
Disruption of Other Library Patrons
Forging of Headers
Hacking
Intentional Damage
Damaging or attempting to damage any Mathews Memorial Library
computer equipment or software.
Distribution of Internet Viruses, Trojan Horses, or Other
Destructive Activities
Distributing information regarding the creation of and sending
Internet viruses, worms, Trojan Horses, pinging, flooding,
mail-bombing, or denial of service attacks or like matters.
Consuming Excessive System Resources
Facilitating a Violation of this Agreement of Use
Export Control Violations
Other Illegal Activities
Children & the Internet
Parents or guardians must sign application to allow children under
age 18 to use the library’s computers. Children with permission will receive a library card indicating parental consent. This card must be presented each time to use the library’s computers with Internet access.
Juveniles and young adults under age 18 are allowed to use only the
public access computers located in the Youth Wing of the Library. Parents are responsible for monitoring their child's use and selection of all library materials and services, including the Internet on the Library's workstations. Parents are responsible for ensuring their child understands and abides by the terms of this policy. Wireless access is not permitted for children under age 18.
Staff Assistance:
Library staff will assist patrons with computer and Internet use as
time permits. Staff assistance is available primarily to help
patrons with computer functions that carry out the library’s mission
of providing access to information. Formal computer
instruction may be provided at designated times. Trained staff
may not be available at all times and cannot be considered “experts”
Rights of Patrons:
The standards of the Board of Trustees of The Mathews Memorial
Library for traditional library media shall apply to electronic
media as well, Including the Internet. Library staff will
treat the contents of electronic files as private and confidential.
Applicable Federal and
Notice of Policy Violations The Mathews Memorial Library requests anyone who believes that there is a violation of the Patron Computer and Internet Access Use Policy to notify the staff immediately or direct the information to: staff@mathewslibrary.org.
Updated 7/19/2007
Disruptive Behavior Policy
The mission of the Mathews Memorial Library is to provide the highest quality library services to fulfill the informational, educational, recreational and cultural needs of the citizens in the dynamic and changing community of Mathews and further, to recognize changes that occur in the community and to adapt these changes to the delivery of people-oriented library services.
Disruptive Behavior is any activity which endangers the perpetrator or others, interferes with the library business of other patrons or staff, or is illegal. This may include any activity which results in harm to library equipment or services.
A patron who is disruptive will be notified that the behavior is inappropriate. If the behavior continues, the patron will be asked to leave the library. If the patron refuses to leave, local law enforcement officials will be called. Disruptive behavior on the part of a library patron may result in the suspension of an individual’s library privileges for a length of time to be determined by the Library Director. Revised 4/10/2006
Policy on Unattended Children The Mathews Memorial Library is not responsible for unattended children. The library expects that children under age ten will be accompanied at all times by their parent(s) or an adult responsible for them. If there are unattended children, who are under age thirteen, in the library at closing time who have no way to return to their homes or who are waiting for their parent(s) or a responsible adult to pick them up, staff will try to contact the children’s parents or guardian by telephone. If the children’s parent(s) or guardian can not be reached by phone, staff will notify the Mathews Sheriff’s Office of an unattended child at the library. Library staff will not provide transportation for library patrons, nor will staff be responsible for children after hours. Revised 5/30/2006
Library Loan Policy
Revised 5/30/2006
Videocassette and DVD Checkout Policy
Revised 5/30/2006
Collection Development Policy
I. General Policy The purpose of this policy is to provide the Mathews Memorial Library an institutional framework concerning the acquisition of library materials. Through the use of this policy and thoughtful review of potential library materials, the Library will strive to provide the community with various types of media containing valuable information and a wide choice of quality literature.
General Boundaries of the Collection The Library will acquire materials for the collection that serve the interest and informational needs of Mathews citizens. Currently, the collection stands at 34,000 items including all media. Due to strong public support, the Library has been able to grow at an annual rate of approximately five percent per year. The continued growth of the collection will reflect the broad range of interest and needs of our community, and the different educational levels will be addressed through the implementation of this collection policy.
II. General Priorities and Limitations Governing Selection Forms of Materials Collected/Excluded In this age of technological advancement, it is important that the library provide information in different mediums. With this in mind, the library offers its patrons a wide variety of choices and formats. Print formats include fiction and nonfiction books, periodicals, as well as local, national and international newspapers. Print reference materials are a very important part of the library collection and will be purchased on a regular basis.
Books on tape and CDs serve a wide variety of ages and are increasingly popular. The acquisition of items in these formats will also be purchased on a regular basis.
Materials will only be excluded from consideration if they do not provide a reasonable value-added or financial return on their purchase. The professional staff will make these collection decisions.
Languages, Geographical Areas Collected/Excluded The overwhelming majority of Mathews citizens are English speaking. Because this is the case, that will be the priority in our collection development. However, there is a small but growing population of Hispanic citizens whose needs should be addressed. By beginning to build-up a portion of the collection directed at these citizens, we will be able to better meet their needs.
There is a deep interest in our patrons about local and regional history/culture, and these interests will be reflected in the collection development process.
Chronological Periods Collected/Excluded It is the aim of the Library to keep the collection as “up-to-date” as possible. Given that many of our patrons are reading for enjoyment, it is important to maintain a collection of the latest and most popular fiction books. The same should be true for the fiction collection we maintain for our younger patrons. It is important that they have access to popular titles.
In the non-fiction section, the Library will concentrate on those materials that have a particular appeal to our patrons. Examples of such would be books on the marine environment, restoring old homes, gardening and home entertaining. These books should be reconsidered occasionally to ensure the accuracy and relevance of the information they contain.
Books that should be preserved regardless of copyright date are those that hold some other historical value, particularly those that have to do with the history of Mathews County and its surrounding areas.
Duplication of Materials The purchase of duplicate materials will be carefully considered. Given the limited funds available, multiple copies of a book should only be purchased if there is an overwhelming public interest in a title. When this is the case, paperback copies will be considered as an option. It is important to balance the budgetary needs of the institution with the organizational mission to provide patrons with what they want. This should not be done at the expense of the Library’s greater collection “integrity.”
Funding Consideration The most important funding consideration for the Mathews Memorial Library is the question of “integrity.” Patron interests and needs are important and must be balanced using available funds. Careful consideration should be maintained when deciding how to spend the money of benefactors and taxpayers. With the greater good in mind and a balanced collection the goal, collection and funding decisions lie at the heart of the library mission.
Regional, National and Local Cooperative Collection Agreements It is the policy of this institution to enter into those cooperative agreements that will prove beneficial to our patrons. Examples of these are well thought out regional interlibrary loan programs and participation in the “Find-It-Va” online database program that is made available through the Library of Virginia. Any program that may provide literary or educational benefit to our community should be examined for compatibility with the mission of the library. If found to be beneficial, participation in that program should be pursued.
Legal, Regulatory and Policy Requirements of the Institution The County Board of Supervisors appoints a library governing board of trustees consisting of members. The Board of Trustees is granted all powers necessary for the management and control of a free public library system. The members have control of the expenditures of all money available to the Library, and their decisions will be made in accordance with local, state and national law.
III. General Collection Practices
Collection Responsibilities and Selection Procedures The Board of Trustees is legally responsible for the selection of all materials for the public library. The Board delegates this responsibility to the library director.
Gifts Policy The Mathews Memorial Library encourages gifts of materials or currency from groups and individuals in any form. These gifts must meet collection development policy guidelines before being put in the collection. Gifts donated become the property of the Library. The Library retains the right to dispose of unneeded materials or gifts by selling, exchanging, giving away or disposing of the donation.
The Library cannot be responsible for the appraisal of gifts for income tax or other purposes.
Collection Maintenance Weeding and withdrawal are important aspects of the collection development policy. The director and staff are responsible for the timely deselection of the collection.
Criteria for weeding are based on content, condition and use patterns of library materials. Items that are outdated, superseded, obsolete or inaccurate will be weeded. Careful examination will be given to materials older than three years in the fields of science, health, medicine, finance, law and inter-related topics. Items that are worn, books whose pages are torn, soiled or missing or with broken spines, torn covers or frayed bindings will be weeded from the collection. These items may be considered for binding or repair if the expense is minimal in light of replacement costs. Materials not circulated for three to five years, unused duplicates, subject not within the scope of collection policy or unneeded volumes or sets of books will be deselected.
Complaints and Censorship Mathews Memorial Library tries to provide free access for the public to all points of view as long as budget, space and availability of materials will allow. Items will not be included or excluded in the collection because of political views, language; controversial content; the race, religion, or nationality of the author or other responsible party; or the approval or disapproval of an individual or group. The Library will attempt to impartially select materials that represent a wide range of views.
When a complaint is made, the following procedure is to be followed by staff:
Listen calmly and courteously to the complaint. Remember the person has a right to express a concern. Communicate with complainant to explain the need for diversity in library collections and the use of library resources. In the event the person is not satisfied, advise the complainant of the library policy and procedures for handling reconsideration of materials. If patron continues to object to any item in the collection and wants to have the item formally reconsidered, the following procedures will be followed:
Revised 6/12/2006
John Warren Cooke Conference Center POLICY AND GUIDELINES
OVERALL POLICY
The Mathews Memorial Library maintains the John Warren Cooke Meeting Room for the use of all Mathews residents. The room has two main functions: to accommodate programs sponsored by the library and to serve as a community meeting room. The Library is a cultural and educational center for our county, and offers this room as an ideal place for the interchange of ideas.
GUIDELINES FOR USE OF THE JOHN WARREN COOKE ROOM
The room has a total capacity of approximately 50 people, but can be divided into two separate rooms for smaller meetings. The room is open to the general public by reservation, on a first come first serve basis. Reservations for its use may be made by calling the Library at 725-5747.
Tables and chairs, projector, screen and a wireless Internet connection are available for patron use. The room also contains a small kitchenette with a sink and coffee maker.
Meetings should be planned for normal library operating hours which are as follows: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Mon., Tues, Wed, & Fri.; 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM on Thursday. 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM on Saturday and 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM on Sunday. If meetings must be held after library hours, special arrangements may be made by contacting the Library Director.
Groups using the meeting room will be responsible for returning the room to its original furniture arrangement and state of cleanliness. Groups will reimburse the library for any cost associated with loss, damage or extra cleaning.
Alcoholic beverages are not allowed in the library at any time.
The meeting room is intended primarily for nonprofit groups or organizations. Commercial organizations or individuals may use the meeting room, but will be charged a fee of $10.00 per hour for a small meeting room or $20.00 per hour for the large room.
Any plans for decorations or storage of material prior to a meeting, must be approved in advance by the library director.
Groups using the meeting room are held responsible for keeping meetings quiet and orderly. The library is not responsible for injuries occurring during use of the meeting room.
For more information call the library and ask to speak to the library director. Revised 5/30/2006
Policy on the Use of Photographic Images of MinorsWhen preparing work for external publications or on the Internet, it is the practice of the Mathews Memorial Library to seek parental permission before including a minor’s photograph. Names of minors are never used when placing photos on Internet publications. Should the library wish to include a minor child’s photo in conjunction with any library project, the library requires a signed parental permission form. Revised 9/18/2007
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Last modified: 05/06/08 |