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Introduction
The Internet is a worldwide
network of computers, providing access to a wealth of materials that
are personally, professionally, and culturally enriching. The Allen
Public Library provides its patrons with Internet access as an important
part of its mission to serve the educational, cultural, informational,
and recreational needs of Allen's diverse community.
Accessibility and Responsibility
Allen Public Library provides
computers with Internet access in both the adult and children's areas
of the library, and supports the right and responsibility of its patrons
to direct their own and their children's Internet usage. The library
recognizes, however, that the Internet is open to a diverse population
of users, and is not subject to any regulation or control of its content.
Some Internet sites may display material that is offensive, disturbing,
and/or illegal. Library staff cannot act in the place of parents in
supervising children's use of the Internet, or take responsibility
for the material they may encounter.
Balancing these rights and concerns,
Allen Public Library provides filtered access to the Internet in the
children's department, and offers parents the option of approving
unfiltered Internet access for older children or of sitting with the
child during Internet sessions. The library encourages parents and
guardians to work closely with their children in selecting materials
consistent with personal and family values, and in learning to evaluate
Internet resources for their currency, accuracy, and reliability.
Privacy and Confidentiality
The
Allen Public Library seeks to protect the First Amendment rights of
its patrons and their individual rights to privacy. However, limited
space for computer stations means that images on the screen are visible
by others in the area, and the library cannot provide absolute privacy
for its online patrons.
Users are also cautioned that the Internet is not a secure environment,
and that the library cannot take responsibility for protecting users'
personal information. Patrons should never give personal identification
information to unknown or unverified sources on the Internet, and
should take care to log off carefully at the end of each session to
prevent accidental access to transactions, files or communications
by unauthorized third parties.
The Allen Public Library respects the confidentiality of those using
its electronic resources and will only release library records as
required by law or for the library's operations.
Acceptable
Use
The
Internet access computers at Allen Public Library may not be used
by ANY user to access inappropriate or illegal materials, including
but not limited to materials of an obscene nature of child pornography.
In addition, minors are prohibited from accessing materials considered
to be "harmful to minors." Library Administration reserves
the right to determine those materials considered "harmful to
minors," based on community standards. (See United States Code,
Title 18, or Vernon's Texas Codes Annotated, Penal Code, Chapters
42 and 43.)
Materials obtained or copied from the Internet may be subject to laws
protecting those works from unauthorized reproduction. Unless the
proposed use falls within the definition of "Fair Use,"
a work protected by copyright may not be copied without the permission
of the copyright holder. Internet users are responsible for compliance
with all international, national, and state laws governing copyrighted
materials.
Revised November 2003