Click Here To View The Checkout Policy
Click Here To View The Internet Policy
Click Here To View The Statement on Library Use of Filtering Software
Click Here To View The Confidentiality of Patron Records Privacy Policy
Click Here To View The Bulletin Board and Distribution of Materials Policy
Click Here To View The Freedom To Read Statement
Click Here To View Patron Library Card Information
Click Here To View Library Bill of Rights
Click Here To View Confidentiality Of Personally Identifiable Information about Library Users
Click Here To View Libraries an American Value
Click Here To View The Class Visits Policy
Click Here To View The Material Selection Policy
Click Here To View The Wireless Network Policy
Check out Policies - Library Card Policy
To receive a library card, bring proof of permanent home residence into the library and fill out library card application. Once registered you will be a member of SAILS, a non-profit consortium of over 40 libraries in 41 communities in Southeastern Massachusetts. YOUR LIBRARY CARD IS REQUIRED FOR ALL TRANSACTIONS. YOU MUST BRING IT WITH YOU TO THE LIBRARY!
Books and Magazines may be checked out for a two week period. Reference books are for use in the libraries and may not be checked out. A patron is limited to forty books per card. Renewals may be done either by phone, or in person, allowing that no holds have been placed on the item(s). You can also review your record, place books on hold and make renewals from home by logging into the Website and using your barcode and PIN number.
Patrons, regardless of age, may borrow videos or DVD's. Parents may place restrictions on their children's borrowing privileges. Fiction and non-fiction videos/DVD's circulate for seven days. Holds can be placed at any SAILS library; however, each SAILS member library reserves the right not to allow holds on new or selected items. A late fee of $.10 per day per item will be charged. They may be returned to any library in the SAILS network.
The lending period for CDs is two weeks and holds can be placed on them from any SAILS library. A late fee of $.10 per day per disc will be charged. All titles come with both disc(s) and literature. You are responsible for all materials. If any piece of the package is lost or damaged, patrons will be charged for the cost of replacing the title. Patrons paying by check for lost or damaged materials should make checks payable to: TOWN OF DARTMOUTH.
Books on Tape circulate for a two-week period.
There is a one-time only renewal for all Books on Tape. A late fee of $.010 per day per title will be charged. Patrons will be charged for any missing or damaged Books on Tape.
There is a fee for damaged cases.
Tape replacement: $6.50 Each.
Case replacement: $5.00 Abridged $10.00 Unabridged.
Patrons paying by check for lost or damaged materials should make checks payable to: TOWN OF DARTMOUTH
INTERNET USE POLICY
The Internet is a rich and educational resource for information, ideas and entertainment. No other medium has provided us with so much information so easily. The Library recognizes these developments pose new challenges as well as new opportunities for the library trustees, the library staff, and library users and their families. The Library believes that these challenges and opportunities are best addressed by adherence to the fundamental principals of traditional library use and the principles of a free society. These new methods of receiving information do not change the mission of the Dartmouth Public Libraries, which is: “to develop collections, resources, and services that meet the diverse, cultural, informational, recreational, and educational needs of the Dartmouth Community.”
Responsibilities of the Library
Congress and the courts have recognized that there is no single organization to govern, control, or select information for the Internet. Because of this freedom of information, the breadth of information on the Internet, the unstructured and unregulated nature of the Internet, and the unreliable state of filtering, The Dartmouth Public Libraries cannot control the content of the resources available on the Internet. The Library does not select the material on the Internet and has no means or statutory authority to assure that only constitutionally protected material is available on the Internet.
As stated in the American Library Association's Statement on Library Use of Filtering Software (adopted by the Dartmouth Public Libraries Board of Trustees, 2005)
“…the use of filtering software by libraries to block access to constitutionally protected speech violates the Library Bill of Rights”; therefore the Dartmouth Public Libraries do not impose blocking or filtering software to limit access to Internet sites.
Confidentiality
Dartmouth Public Libraries upholds the right of confidentiality and privacy for all library users. Users are urged to respect the sensibilities of others when accessing information that may reasonably be offensive to someone else. However, absolute privacy for patrons using electronic resources in the Libraries cannot be guaranteed. The Libraries' “Patron Behavior” policy applies to the behavior of patrons using electronic equipment and resources.
Responsibilities of Users
The Internet is a global entity with a highly diverse user population and information content. Though the Internet provides users with a wide array of excellent information, it also contains information that may be inaccurate, outdated, or personally offensive. Library patrons use it at their own risk. A good information consumer evaluates the validity of information found. Use of the Internet resources carries with it a responsibility to evaluate the quality of information accessed. The availability of information does not constitute endorsement.
Access, use, or dissemination of information via the Internet in the Library is the responsibility of the user. In the case of minors, it is a joint responsibility of the user and the parent or guardian.
Supervising Children's Use
The public library, unlike schools, does not serve in loco parentis (in place of a parent). Librarians cannot act in the place of parents in providing supervision of children as they explore the Internet. The responsibility for what minors read or view on the Internet rests with parents or guardians.
Statement on Library Use of Filtering Software
On June 26, 1997, the United States Supreme Court in Reno, Attorney General of the United States, et al. v. American Civil Liberties Union, et al. , issued a sweeping reaffirmation of core First Amendment principles and held that communications over the Internet deserve the highest level of Constitutional protection.
The Court's most fundamental holding was that communications on the Internet deserve the same level of Constitutional protection as books, magazines, newspapers, and speakers on a street corner soapbox. The Court found that the Internet “constitutes a vast platform from which to address and hear from a world-wide audience of millions of readers, viewers, researchers, and buyers,” and that “any person with a phone line can become a town crier with a voice that resonates farther than it could from any soapbox.”
For libraries, the most critical holding of the Supreme Court is that libraries that make content available on the Internet can continue to do so with the same Constitutional protections that apply to the books on libraries' shelves. The Court's conclusion that “the vast democratic fora of the Internet” merit full constitutional protection serves to protect libraries that provide their patrons with access to the Internet. The Court recognized the importance of enabling individuals to receive speech from the entire world and to speak to the entire world. Libraries provide those opportunities to many who would not otherwise have them. The Supreme Court's decision protects that access.
The use in libraries of software filters to block constitutionally protected speech is inconsistent with the United States Constitution and federal law and may lead to legal exposure for the library and its governing authorities. The American Library Association affirms that the use of filtering software by libraries to block access to constitutionally protected speech violates the Library Bill of Rights .
Confidentiality of Patron Records Privacy Policy
The Dartmouth Public Libraries is committed to protecting the privacy of your personal information as well as information regarding your individual use of services. The policy below addresses some specific privacy concerns.
Dartmouth Public Libraries adheres to Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 78, Section 7 which states that library records shall be confidential and shall not be disclosed except to the extent necessary for the proper operation of the library and shall be disclosed only upon request or consent of the user or pursuant to subpoena, court order or where required by statute. The Dartmouth Public Libraries will not sell, lease, or share any personal information to outside parties unless required by law.
Personal information gathered such as name, address, phone number and email address are gathered for the purpose of identification and accountability for use of library materials.
Bulletin Board and Distribution of Materials Policy
The Library maintains bulletin boards and brochure racks to post and/or distribute free materials such as community pamphlets, flyers, calendars of events, newsletters, and other information for public awareness and convenience.
Due to space limitations, materials will be posted and/or distributed as space allows at the discretion of the Branch Librarian, Assistant Director or Director. All materials for display or distribution must be submitted for approval. Any material found on the bulletin boards or in the brochure rack that has not been approved shall be removed and discarded.
Materials that will not be posted or distributed include personal requests, and commercial advertisements of products or services.
Approval of a display or distribution of handout materials does not indicate endorsement of any cause or activity.
THE FREEDOM TO READ STATEMENT
The freedom to read is essential to our democracy. It is continuously under attack. Private groups and public authorities in various parts of the country are working to remove or limit access to reading materials, to censor content in schools, to label “controversial” views, to distribute lists of “objectionable” books or authors, and to purge libraries. These actions apparently rise from a view that our national tradition of free expression is no longer valid; that censorship and suppression are needed to avoid the subversion of politics and the corruption of morals. We, as citizens devoted to reading and as librarians and publishers responsible for disseminating ideas, wish to assert the public interest in the preservation of the freedom to read.
Most attempts at suppression rest on a denial of the fundamental premise of democracy: that the ordinary citizen, by exercising critical judgment, will accept the good and reject the bad. The censors, public and private, assume that they should determine what is good and what is bad for their fellow citizens.
We trust Americans to recognize propaganda and misinformation, and to make their own decisions about what they read and believe. We do not believe they need the help of censors to assist them in this task. We do not believe they are prepared to sacrifice their heritage of a free press in order to be “protected” against what others think may be bad for them. We believe they still favor free enterprise in ideas and expression.
These efforts at suppression are related to a larger pattern of pressures being brought against education, the press, art and images, films, broadcast media, and the Internet. The problem is not only one of actual censorship. The shadow of fear cast by these pressures leads, we suspect, to an even larger voluntary curtailment of expression by those who seek to avoid controversy.
Such pressure toward conformity is perhaps natural to a time of accelerated change. And yet suppression is never more dangerous than in such a time of social tension. Freedom has given the United States the elasticity to endure strain. Freedom keeps open the path of novel and creative solutions, and enables change to come by choice. Every silencing of a heresy, every enforcement of an orthodoxy, diminishes the toughness and resilience of our society and leaves it the less able to deal with controversy and difference.
Now as always in our history, reading is among our greatest freedoms. The freedom to read and write is almost the only means for making generally available ideas or manners of expression that can initially command only a small audience. The written word is the natural medium for the new idea and the untried voice from which come the original contributions to social growth. It is essential to the extended discussion that serious thought requires, and to the accumulation of knowledge and ideas into organized collections.
We believe that free communication is essential to the preservation of a free society and a creative culture. We believe that these pressures toward conformity present the danger of limiting the range and variety of inquiry and expression on which our democracy and our culture depend. We believe that every American community must jealously guard the freedom to publish and to circulate, in order to preserve its own freedom to read. We believe that publishers and librarians have a profound responsibility to give validity to that freedom to read by making it possible for the readers to choose freely from a variety of offerings. The freedom to read is guaranteed by the Constitution. Those with faith in free people will stand firm on these constitutional guarantees of essential rights and will exercise the responsibilities that accompany these rights.
We therefore affirm these propositions:
1. It is in the public interest for publishers and librarians to make available the widest diversity of views and expressions, including those that are unorthodox or unpopular with the majority.
Creative thought is by definition new, and what is new is different. The
bearer of every new thought is a rebel until that idea is refined and tested.
Totalitarian systems attempt to maintain themselves in power by the
ruthless suppression of any concept that challenges the established
orthodoxy. The power of a democratic system to adapt to change is vastly
strengthened by the freedom of its citizens to choose widely from among
conflicting opinions offered freely to them. To stifle every nonconformist
idea at birth would mark the end of the democratic process. Furthermore,
only through the constant activity of weighing and selecting can the
democratic mind attain the strength demanded by times like these. We
need to know not only what we believe but why we believe it.
2. Publishers, librarians, and booksellers do not need to endorse every idea or presentation they make available. It would conflict with the public interest for them to establish their own political, moral, or aesthetic views as a standard for determining what should be published or circulated.
Publishers and librarians serve the educational process by helping to make available knowledge and ideas required for the growth of the mind and the increase of learning. They do not foster education by imposing as mentors the patterns of their own thought. The people should have the freedom to read and consider a broader range of ideas than those that may be held by any single librarian or publisher or government or church. It is wrong that what one can read should be confined to what another thinks proper.
3. It is contrary to the public interest for publishers or librarians to bar
access to writings on the basis of the personal history or political
affiliations of the author.
No art or literature can flourish if it is to be measured by the political views or private lives of its creators. No society of free people can flourish that draws up lists of writers to whom it will not listen, whatever they may have to say.
4. There is no place in our society for efforts to coerce the taste of others, to confine adults to the reading matter deemed suitable for adolescents, or to inhibit the efforts of writers to achieve artistic expression.
To some, much of modern expression is shocking. But is not much of life itself shocking? We cut off literature at the source if we prevent writers from dealing with the stuff of life. Parents and teachers have a responsibility to prepare the young to meet the diversity of experiences in life to which they will be exposed, as they have a responsibility to help them learn to think critically for themselves. These are affirmative responsibilities, not to be discharged simply by preventing them from reading works for which they are not yet prepared. In these matters values differ, and values cannot be legislated; nor can machinery be devised that will suit the demands of one group without limiting the freedom of others.
5. It is not in the public interest to force a reader to accept with any expression the prejudgment of a label characterizing it or its author as subversive or dangerous.
The ideal of labeling presupposes the existence of individuals or groups with wisdom to determine by authority what is good or bad for the citizen.
It presupposes that individuals must be directed in making up their minds about the ideas they examine. But Americans do not need others to do their thinking for them.
6. It is the responsibility of publishers and librarians, as guardians of the people's freedom to read, to contest encroachments upon that freedom by individuals or groups seeking to impose their own standards or tastes upon the community at large.
It is inevitable in the give and take of the democratic process that the political, the moral, or the aesthetic concepts of an individual or group will occasionally collide with those of another individual or group. In a free society individuals are free to determine for themselves what they wish to read, and each group is free to determine what it will recommend to its freely associated members. But no group has the right to take the law into its own hands, and to impose its own concept of politics or morality upon other members of a democratic society. Freedom is no freedom if it is accorded only to the accepted and the inoffensive.
7. It is the responsibility of publishers and librarians to give full meaning to the freedom to read by providing books that enrich the quality and diversity of thought and expression. By the exercise of this affirmative responsibility, they can demonstrate that the answer to a “bad” book is a good one, the answer to a “bad” idea is a good one.
The freedom to read is of little consequence when the reader cannot obtain matter fit for that reader's purpose. What is needed is not only the absence of restraint, but the positive provision of opportunity for the people to read the best that has been thought and said. Books are the major channel which the intellectual inheritance is handed down, and the principal means of its testing and growth. The defense of the freedom to read requires of all publishers and librarians the utmost of their faculties, and deserves of all citizens the fullest of their support.
We state these propositions neither lightly nor as easy generalizations. We here stake out a lofty claim for the value of the written word. We do so because we believe that it is possessed of enormous variety and usefulness, worthy of cherishing and keeping free. We realize that the application of these propositions may mean the dissemination of ideas and manners of expression that are repugnant to many persons. We do not state these propositions in the comfortable belief that what people read is unimportant. We believe rather that what people read is deeply important; that ideas can be dangerous; but that the suppression of ideas is fatal to a democratic society. Freedom itself is a dangerous way of life, but it is ours.
This statement was originally issued in May of 1953 by the Westchester Conference of the American Library Association and the American Book Publishers Council, which in 1970 consolidated with the American Educational Publishers Institute to become the Association of American Publishers.
Adopted June 25, 1953; revised January 28, 1972, January 16, 1991, July 12, 2000, by the ALA Council and the AAP Freedom to Read Committee.
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PATRON LIBRARY CARD INFORMATION
A patron must present a valid library card to check out items. If you forget your card, the staff will be glad to set the items aside for a few days until you return with your card.
DARTMOUTH RESIDENTS
Any resident of Dartmouth may apply for a free card. Children under the age of thirteen must have the application signed by a parent or legal guardian. Proof of residence must be presented, preferably with a photo I.D. The Library will accept canceled mail, rent receipts, listings in the street directory, or similar documents that show proof of address. If you lose your card please notify the Library. Replacement fee for lost cards is $3.00.
NON-RESIDENTS
Non-residents may apply for a library card at any SAILS library. Once they are in the SAILS network, they may use the card to borrow items in Dartmouth as well as at any SAILS member library.
Non-residents who have lost their borrower's card may go to any SAILS library for a replacement card.
LIBRARY BILL OF RIGHTS
The American Library Association affirms that all libraries are forums for information and ideas, and that the following basic policies should guide their services.
I. Books and other library resources should be provided for
the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people
of the community the library serves. Materials should not
be excluded because of the origin, background, or views
of those contributing to their creation.
II. Libraries should provide materials and information
presenting all points of view on current and historical
issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed
because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.
III. Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of
their responsibility to provide information and
enlightenment.
IV. Libraries should cooperate with all persons and groups
concerned with resisting abridgment of free expression
and free access to ideas.
V. A person's right to use a library should not be denied or
abridged because of origin, age, background, or views.
VI. Libraries which make exhibit spaces and meeting rooms
available to the public they serve should make such
facilities available on an equitable basis, regardless of the
beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting
their use.
Adopted June 18, 1948. Amended February 2, 1961, and January 23, 1980, inclusion of “age” reaffirmed January 23, 1996, by the ALA Council.
Policy Concerning Confidentiality Of Personally Identifiable Information About Library Users
The ethical responsibilities of librarians, as well as statutes in most states and the District of Columbia, protect the privacy of library users. Confidentiality extends to “information sought or received and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired or transmitted,” and includes database search records, reference interviews, circulation records, interlibrary loan records and other personally identifiable uses of library materials, facilities, or services.
The First Amendment's guarantee of freedom of speech and of the press requires that the corresponding rights to hear what is spoken and read what is written be preserved, free from fear of government intrusion, intimidation, or reprisal. The American LibraryAssociation reaffirms its opposition to “any use of government prerogatives which lead tothe intimidation of the individual or the citizenry from the exercise of free expression. .[and] encourages resistance to such abuse of government power. . .” (ALA Policy 53.4).In seeking access or in the pursuit of information, confidentiality is the primary means ofproviding the privacy that will free the individual from fear of intimidation or retaliation.Libraries are one of the great bulwarks of democracy. They are living embodiments ofthe First Amendment because their collections include voices of dissent as well assent.Libraries are impartial resources providing information on all points of view, available toall persons regardless of age, race, religion, national origin, social or political views,economic status, or any other characteristic. The role of libraries as such a resource mustnot be compromised by an erosion of the privacy rights of library users.
The American Library Association regularly receives reports of visits by agents of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to libraries, where it is alleged theyhave asked for personally identifiable information about library users. These visits,whether under the rubric of simply informing libraries of agency concerns or for someother reason, reflect an insensitivity to the legal and ethical bases for confidentiality, andthe role it plays in the preservation of First Amendment rights, rights also extended toforeign nationals while in the United States. The government's interest in library usereflects a dangerous and fallacious equation of what a person reads with what that personbelieves or how that person is likely to behave. Such a presumption can and doesthreaten the freedom of access to information. It also is a threat to a crucial aspect ofFirst Amendment rights: that freedom of speech and of the press include the freedom tohold, disseminate and receive unpopular, minority, “extreme,” or even “dangerous” ideas.The American Library Association recognizes that, under limited circumstances, accessto certain information might be restricted due to a legitimate “national security” concern.However, there has been no showing of a plausible probability that national security willbe compromised by any use made of unclassified information available in libraries.Thus, the right of access to this information by individuals, including foreign nationals,must be recognized as part of the librarian's legal and ethical responsibility to protect theconfidentiality of the library user.
The American Library Association also recognizes that law enforcement agencies and officers may occasionally believe that library records contain information which wouldbe helpful to the investigation of criminal activity. If there is a reasonable basis tobelieve such records are necessary to the progress of an investigation or prosecution, theAmerican judicial system provides the mechanism for seeking release of suchconfidential records: the issuance of a court order, following a showing of good causebased on specific facts , by a court of competent jurisdiction.
Adopted July 2, 1991, by the ALA Council
LIBRARIES: AN AMERICAN VALUE
Libraries in America are cornerstones of the communities they serve. Free access to the books, ideas, resources, and information in America's libraries is imperative for education, employment, enjoyment, and self-government.
Libraries are a legacy to each generation, offering the heritage of the past and the promise of the future. To ensure that libraries flourish and have the freedom to promote and protect the public good in the 21 st century, we believe certain principles must be guaranteed.
To that end, we affirm this contract with the people we serve:
· We defend the constitutional rights of all individuals, including children and teenagers, to use the library's resources and services;
· We value our nation's diversity and strive to reflect that diversity by providing a full spectrum of resources and services to the communities we serve;
· We affirm the responsibility and the right of all parents and guardians to guide their own children's use of the library and its resources and services;
· We connect people and ideas by helping each person select from and effectively use the library's resources;
· We protect each individual's privacy and confidentiality in the use of library resources and services;
· We protect the rights of individuals to express their opinions about library resources and services;
· We celebrate and preserve our democratic society by making available the widest possible range of viewpoints, opinions and ideas, so that all individuals have the opportunity to become lifelong learners - informed, literate, educated, and culturally enriched.
Change is constant, but these principles transcend change and endure in a dynamic technological, social, and political environment.
By embracing these principles, libraries in the United States can contribute to a future that values and protects freedom of speech in a world that celebrates both our similarities and our differences, respects individuals and their beliefs, and holds all persons truly equal and free.
Adopted by the Council of the American Library Association
February 3, 1999
CLASSROOM VISITS POLICY
LIBRARY CARDS
Students must have their library card available to checkout materials. If the card is lost it must be replaced before additional items may be checked out.
All students are responsible for their library card. The library does not hold individual cards at the front desk and does not encourage teachers to hold student's library cards.
REPLACEMENT CARDS
The charge for replacing lost cards is $1.50, $3.00 set
GROUP/CLASSROOM VISITS
Whenever possible teachers should schedule classroom visits to the library. This will ensure efficient service. If scheduled visits are canceled please make arrangements to have items from previous visits returned by the date due so that fines will not accrue.
RULES FOR BORROWING
All established Rules For Borrowing Materials apply to students.
Students are not exempt from fines.
It is up to the teacher to establish how many items each student may check out. While at the public library the teacher acts in loco parentis (in place of a parent).
MATERIALS SELECTION POLICY
I. Objective
The objective of the Dartmouth Public Libraries is to select, organize, preserve, and to make freely available to the people of the community printed and other materials that will aid them in pursuit of education, information, research, recreation, and in the creative use of leisure time. The Libraries seek to promote endeavors which stimulate and expand the reading interests of both children and adults and to coordinate this work with that of other educational, social, and cultural groups in the community. It is the responsibility of the Libraries to satisfy the diverse reading needs and interests of the residents of the community through the selection, acquisition, and organization of library materials and to provide skilled guidance in their use.
II. Responsibility for Selection
Ultimate responsibility for selection of library materials rests with the Library Board of Trustees. The Board delegates to the Director of Libraries the selection of library materials and the development of the collection. The professional staff assists in the selection of materials. The general public and non-professional staff may recommend materials for consideration.
III. Criteria for Selection
Materials are selected to satisfy Dartmouth residents both as individuals and as members of groups, with a concern for all ages, backgrounds, interests, abilities, and levels of education. Selection must meet not just the needs of those who use the Libraries regularly, but anticipate the needs of those who have not traditionally been library users. The objective of selection is to collect those materials that will inform, entertain, and contribute to the enrichment of mind and spirit.
Selectors use a number of sources including professional review journals, book lists, bibliographies, catalogs and announcements, gifts and public recommendations to select materials. In selecting materials, the librarians will pay due regard to the special, commercial, industrial, cultural, and civic enterprises of the community.
Material is acquired in a variety of formats, determined by availability and usefulness. Possible formats include books, cassettes, audio books, videocassettes, DVDs, microforms, photographs, compact discs, newspapers and magazines. Non-book materials and electronic resources are an integral part of the collection and will be provided as far as possible within the budget.
There is no single standard against which materials are judged; rather there is a range of criteria, which is applied. An item need not meet all the criteria to be selected.
The following criteria are considered important in selecting materials:
1. Current usefulness or permanent value
2. Authority and competence of the author
3. Clarity and accuracy of presentation
4. Importance of subject matter in relation to the existing collection
5. Contribution to the balance of coverage on controversial subjects
6. Literary and artistic merit
7. Popularity and demand
8. Relative importance in comparison with other works on the subject
9. Suitability of physical format for library use
10. Affordable cost
11. Awards received
Providing textbooks and curriculum materials is generally held to be the responsibility of the schools. The Libraries do not attempt to acquire textbooks or other curriculum-related materials except as such materials also serve the general public.
Legal and medical works will be acquired only to the extent that they are useful to the layperson.
The Libraries acknowledge a particular interest in local and state history, and in the works of local authors.
Duplication of titles is determined by popularity, importance of the title, space limitations and budget restrictions. The Libraries draw upon the collections and resources of neighboring libraries, especially those in the automated network database. The resources of the Southeastern Massachusetts Regional Library System, the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth Library, the Bristol County Law Library and other special libraries are also relied upon so as to reduce duplication of services and materials.
Systematic withdrawal of lost, damaged, worn, or out-dated materials that are no longer pertinent in the maintenance of an accurate, active collection is expected. Frequency of circulation, community interest, and availability of newer titles and more valid titles are of prime consideration.
IV. Intellectual Freedom
The Board of Library Trustees, the Director of Libraries and the library staff recognize the responsibility of the Libraries to provide materials representing diverse points of view on different topics. No material shall be excluded because of the race, nationality, political, religious, or social views or sexual orientation of the author. The Dartmouth Public Libraries subscribe to the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights , the Freedom to Read and Intellectual Freedom Statement of the American Library Association and the American Book Publisher's Council, the Educational Film Library's Freedom to View Statement , and the following interpretive documents of ALA's Councils of the Library Bill of Rights: Challenged Materials ; Diversity in Collection Development ; Evaluating Library Collections ; Expurgation of Library Materials ; Free Access to Libraries for Minors ; Restricted Access to Library Materials ; and Statement on Labeling .
The presence of an item in the Libraries' collections does not indicate an endorsement of its content. Access to library materials is not restricted beyond what is necessary to protect them from damage or theft. Library materials are not marked or labeled to show approval or disapproval of the contents.
Reading, listening or viewing of library materials by children rests with their parents and/or legal guardians. Selection will not be inhibited by the possibility that materials may come into the possession of children. The Dartmouth Public Libraries do not act in loco parentis.
Selection is made solely on the merits of the work in relation to collection development and serving the needs of library patrons. The Libraries attempt to provide materials representing all possible approaches to public issues of a controversial nature.
Any patron may question the desirability of material in the collection. Initially the patron will be referred to the Director or Assistant Director. If not satisfied with the outcome of this discussion, the patron may fill out a "Request for Reconsideration" form that will be reviewed by the Board of Library Trustees.
V. Gifts
The Dartmouth Public Libraries accept gifts from individuals, businesses, organizations or other sources. The Libraries reserve the right to refuse gifts they deem inappropriate.
The Libraries accept monetary donations without conditions for their use or for projects approved by the Board. The Libraries accept monetary donations for the purpose of purchasing library materials consistent with the materials selection criteria.
The Libraries accept the donation of clean, gently used books and materials with the understanding that material not added to the collection will be disposed of as the libraries deem appropriate.
A receipt providing a description of the material and the date of the donation will be provided upon request. However, the Libraries do not put a monetary value on donated material. The cost of appraisal for tax deductions remains the responsibility of the donor.
Collections of books with restrictions which necessitate special handling or which prevent the integration of the gift into the general collection will not normally be accepted.
VI. Cooperative Development/Interlibrary Loan
The rapidly expanding store of information requires planning and cooperative activities among networks of libraries. The Dartmouth Public Libraries participate in cooperative collection development plans and resource sharing networks in order to provide the widest range of resources to residents of the Town.
Wireless Network Policy
We're wireless! If you wish to use your own laptop when at the library, we now have a wireless network. Unfortunetly the library does not offer technical support for wireless access. Library staff are not allowed to configure, diagnose or modify a library patron's equipment to enable access to the Libraries' wireless network. But they can provide you with a document with technical specifications about its wireless network and an example of configuring a laptop for wireless access.