Children in the Library Policy
Sidney Public Library welcomes children of all ages. Children age 8 or younger must be accompanied by a responsible caregiver. Responsible caregivers assume responsibility for the safety, comfort, and behavior of their child/children on library premises. Library employees cannot assume the role of responsible caregiver.
Children age 8 or younger must be accompanied by a responsible person at all times. A responsible person is a parent, guardian or someone designated by a parent or guardian. The responsible person will remain with the child during the entire library visit.
Exceptions to this policy occur only when programming (such as Summer Reading) allows children to attend on their own. All children should be met by the responsible party at the conclusion of the program inside the library. In the case where children are allowed to walk home, parents must provide written permission.
Children age 9 and older may visit the library independently. All children are expected to behave in an appropriate library manner. This means, no running, loud voices, disruptive or destructive behavior will be allowed. Disruptive or destructive children will be asked to leave and may be asked to not use the library for a specified amount of time.
Library staff members are not responsible for children in any area of the library during library hours.
If a child needs to call a parent/guardian using the library phone, library staff will dial for the child. Local calls are allowed. In the case of calls to non-local cell phone numbers, calls must be limited to 3 minutes or less.
The library Computer and Internet Use Policy states that:
- A parent/guardian must accompany any child on the computer who has not completed third grade.
- Parents, guardians, or care givers of minors are responsible for their children’s use of the internet.
Both children and responsible persons should be aware of closing times and are expected to be prepared to leave at closing time.
Adopted: 1/2009
Revised: 2/2013
Revised: 4/2021