All computer users must have a valid North Country Library System card and be a patron in good standing*.
BY SIGNING INTO THE COMPUTER THE PATRON AGREES TO THE FOLLOWING TERMS:
There is no time limit on the computer. However, if there are several people waiting to use the computer, the user’s computer time may be shortened at the discretion of the Library Director and/or staff. A user who is gaming/surfing the web may be asked to give up their workstation for someone who has homework or is pursuing other work-related activities.
Students (K-12, college and continuing education) are allowed to make free prints/photocopies for schoolwork purposes with a limit of 5 copies per day.
Users must be off the computer 15 minutes before closing.
Reservations of a computer may only be made for work or school purposes.
Payment for all printouts must be paid at the desk.
Users will accept responsibility, including financial compensation for loss, damage, labor, or charges that may result from their use of the computer system.
As all Internet stations are in view of other patrons and staff in a public, multi-aged environment, users are not permitted to display pornography, obscenity, or extreme violence.
Children under the age of 12 may use the computer under the direct supervision of a responsible caregiver or a parent/guardian.
Parents/guardians or caregivers of children under the age of 18 are responsible for their children’s use of the Internet and for deciding what resources are appropriate for their children.
The Annie Porter Ainsworth Memorial Library is not responsible for the supervision of a minor’s use of the Internet.
Computer users will refrain from any activity that unreasonably interferes with the Library’s patron and staff’s comfort, safety, use, and/or quiet and peaceful enjoyment of the Library, including but not limited to:
- Criminal and illegal acts, including, but not limited to, viewing obscenity (as defined in New York State Penal Law Section 235.00**) and/or child pornography, theft, and unauthorized access.
- Misuse of the computer equipment.
- Violation of copyright.
Failure to follow these rules or instruction from the library staff may result in the loss of library privileges (See Procedure in the Acceptable Patron Behavior Policy).
Privacy
The Library does not retain information on websites visited by patrons. To preserve user privacy, the Library will never share individual personal information gathered by the Library, except as required by law.
Security
Communication through the library’s network should not be considered secure. Library users are responsible for selecting and installing security protection on their wireless devices. The Library is not responsible for damage to hardware or software, transmission of computer viruses, loss of data or email, or any harm resulting from the use of an unsecured server. It is strongly advised that personal, financial or otherwise sensitive information not be transmitted through the wireless network.
Filtering & CIPA Compliance
The Library receives federal funding in support of public Internet access, which requires compliance with the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA). Federal law requires libraries receiving such funding to install filters that block access to Internet material that:
- Contains visual depictions that are obscene
- Contains child pornography
- Is harmful to minors
Upon request, the filter can be removed to allow access to sites that may unintentionally be blocked.
Internet sites which pose a threat to the library’s networks or computers are also blocked, including:
- Malware
- Malicious software and actions
- Phishing
- Spyware
*A patron in good standing is a patron who is not over the $5.00 fee limit.
**Obscenity; definitions of terms: “Any material or performance is “obscene” if (a) the average person, applying contemporary community standards, would find that considered as a whole, its predominant appeal is to the prurient interest in sex, and (b) it depicts or describes in a patently offensive manner, actual or simulated: sexual intercourse, criminal sexual act, sexual bestiality, masturbation, sadism, masochism, excretion or lewd exhibition of the genitals, and (c) considered as a whole, it lacks serious literary, artistic, political, and scientific value.
Approved and adopted by the Board of Trustees on May 16, 2007; amended March 21, 2017; December 6, 2022.