City of Wanneroo Libraries Rules and Policies

Membership Conditions of use

As a registered member of the City of Wanneroo Library Service, borrowing from and/or using facilities within the City of Wanneroo Library is governed by the following Conditions of Use.

Definition

The following definitions shall be understood in the body of this agreement:

• 'Card' shall mean a City of Wanneroo library card

• 'Child' shall mean any person who is under 18 years of age

• 'City' shall mean the City of Wanneroo

• 'Customer' shall mean a person who has been issued a library card

• 'Due Date' shall mean the date recorded by the City of Wanneroo Libraries when a lent item is required to be returned to the Libraries

• 'Libraries' shall mean the library facilities within the City of Wanneroo

• 'Objectionable Material' shall be as defined by the Censorship Act (WA) 1996

• 'Restricted Material' shall be as defined in the Censorship Act (WA) 1996

All above definitions shall be taken to include the plural, and any reference to the masculine shall be taken to include the feminine, and vice versa.

By signing the membership register the Customer agrees to abide by the following terms and conditions:

1. General terms and conditions.

The Customer shall:

1.1 present a library Card whenever borrowing items from the Libraries;

1.2 take responsibility for all items borrowed from the Libraries. Parents/Guardians shall take responsibility for items on a Card issued to their Child;

1.3 notify the Libraries if a Card is lost or stolen. The liability for any items lent or charges incurred prior to such notification shall be maintained by the person to whom the Card was issued;

1.4 notify the Libraries in the event the Customer changes all or part of the address or telephone number given to the Libraries as the permanent street address of the customer;

1.5 return all items borrowed from the Libraries, on or before the Due Date;

1.6 pay any charge levied by the City of Wanneroo for the late return of any item borrowed by the Customer;

1.7 pay all charges incurred as a result of any repair or replacement to items which were lost or damaged whilst on loan to the Customer;

1.8 examine all items prior to borrowing and satisfy themselves that no damage is evident to those items;

1.9 not make any changes or repairs to any items;

1.10 not bring food, drinks or pets into a library facility;

1.11 not bring bags into a library facility; and

1.12 behave in a proper manner which does not disturb or otherwise interfere with other library customers.

2. Internet and Online Services Terms and Conditions

When access to the Internet is available in a library facility the Customer shall:

2.1 agree that as a Parent/Guardian they are responsible for their Child's access to and use of the Internet;

2.2 not use City's computing equipment to:

2.2.1 transmit Objectionable Material;2.2.2 obtain possession of Objectionable Material;

2.2.3 advertise Objectionable Material is available for transmission;

2.2.4 request the transmission of Objectionable Material;

2.2.5 transmit Restricted Material to a Child;

2.2.6 make Restricted Material available to a Child.

2.3 not use, or attempt to use, file transfer (FTP), newsgroups, Internet relay chat (IRC), chat lines, or other similar interactive services except at terminals where these services are specifically available;

2.4 understand that Internet access is a filtered service, which prohibits access to certain sites which might be considered either illegal or immoral;

2.5 acknowledge that the Libraries cannot guarantee more than a single booking period. Customers must have finished all online activity before the end of a booked session; and

2.6 understands that the City is not responsible for the content of any online services, including its accuracy, authoritativeness, timeliness or usefulness. Similarly, the City cannot be held responsible for breaks in the service due to technical problems outside its control. The nature of the Internet means that some or all services will sometimes not be available without prior notice.

3. Library Card Terms and Conditions

3.1 The Customer shall pay for the replacement of a lost or damaged library card at the prescribed fee, unless the card has been stolen and a Police Report Number is quoted.

4. Penalties

4.1 Where an item is damaged while on loan, the Customer shall pay the amount stated on an invoice for such damage. The charge for such damage may include the cost of fully replacing the item if the City deems it to be irreparable. The cost of full replacement may be charged for a new copy of the item rather than assessing the value of the item based on its age.

4.2 Where an item is lost while on loan, the customer shall pay the amount stated on an invoice for the full replacement of the item. The cost of full replacement may be charged for a new copy of the item rather than assessing the value of the item based on its age.

4.3 A fine may be charged at the prescribed fee, on a daily basis, for each item that is not returned on or before the due date. Such charges are accruable.

4.4 Where any invoices or charges imposed by either City remain unpaid, a Customer will be refused access to any further library services, including but not limited to borrowing library items, until such time as the invoices or charges are paid.

4.5 Where any invoices and charges remain unpaid for a period of three months the City may begin legal proceedings in order to recoup any losses.

4.6 Where any breaches of section 2.2 and 2.3 of these Conditions of Use occur, the customer will be banned immediately from further use of the Libraries facilities for a period of three months. Where a subsequent breach of these sections occurs a customer will be permanently banned from use of library facilities.

4.7 Where any breaches of section 2.2 occur the customer will be reported to the Western Australian Police Service in addition to any other penalties that have been imposed by the library.

4.8 The Manager Library and Heritage Services for the City of Wanneroo reserves the right to waive any or all of the penalties listed in section 4 of the Conditions of Use as they relate to that City.

Membership

In accordance with the Library Board of Western Australia Act 1951 - Library Board (Registered Public Libraries) Regulations 1985 the Library Service shall be a free public library service, regardless of residential address and no charges shall be made for such a service other than levied through the municipal rate.

Any person is entitled to enrol for membership of the Library Service upon showing satisfactory proof of identity and current address. Adults must also provide the name and address of a contact person.

Children (those under 18 years of age) must have the membership form countersigned by a parent or guardian. The place of residence shall be taken as the address where the child normally resides.

Any person not able to provide satisfactory proof of identity and residence (e.g. new or temporary residence or visiting family or friends) will be permitted to enrol on payment of a refundable deposit to be determined as part of Council's annual fees and charges. The deposit is refundable upon return of all library materials and surrender of the membership card, or when the member has established permanent residency.

Organisations are not eligible for membership. Responsibility for materials borrowed must be undertaken by an individual and not an organisation staff position.

On satisfactory completion of the conditions required for membership, one (1) automated system library membership card shall be issued to the applicant together with advice regarding the rules of operation, including borrowing limits, financial liability for lost or damaged items and stock request provisions, which are determined by:

• the Library Board of Western Australia Act 1951;

• Library Board (Registered Public Libraries)Regulations 1985; or

• the Manager Library and Heritage Services in consultation with the Director, Community Development.

Opening Hours

The libraries will be open to the public with hours determined by Council except in the case of emergency where closure will be authorised by the Chief Executive Officer.

Children's Library Service

The Library Service is available to all children residing or attending institutions within the City of Wanneroo. Age shall not be a restriction provided parents are willing to take full responsibility if damage to library books and materials occurs.

Children will not be restricted to use of junior resources but may use adult resources. The Librarian may assist in their choice of reading material but shall not have the responsibility for implementing the standards devised by the parent for the control of the reading habits of the child.

The Librarians shall establish close co-operation between themselves and the schools in the area, encouraging school visits and supplementing school library resources in the provision of information.

Special programmes, activities and events will promote the enjoyment of reading and associated activities and to encourage children to make full use of library resources.

Stock Selection

1. Strategy

The Library Service's stock selection strategy shall aim to:

• provide information on any subject which may be of value to the public in the format most appropriate to customer needs
• encourage life-long learning
• present, as far as possible, all points of view equally, on any subject, and remain neutral in matters of controversy
• develop an holistic system-wide collection to ensure the widest range of materials is available locally
• conform to Federal and State censorship decisions

The selection will not be influenced by individuals, community groups or organisations making representation that particular materials be withdrawn from view or loan. Persons making such representations shall be directed to the State Censorship Board for determination.

Council endorses the Australian Library and Information Association 'Statement on Freedom to Read' which is detailed in the section below.

2. Council owned stock

Council owned stock is not provided on inter-library loan to other local government authorities except at the discretion of the Manager Leisure & Library Services.

Donations of books and other materials from individuals and organisations are added to stock at the discretion of the Manager Library and Heritage Services or Branch Librarians, subject to normal stock selection criteria. Such items shall not necessarily remain the property of the Library Service but may be disposed of at a Council booksale or if inappropriate, through other means determined by the Manager Library and Heritage Services. The authority to fix prices to materials for sale is delegated to the CEO.

3. Historical Collection

The Library Service will collect, organise and permanently preserve material that reflects the history and development of the City. This material will cover Council documents, written material (either published or unpublished), photographs, maps, videotapes, oral-history tapes and records on microfilm, microfiche digital format and CD-ROM.

The collection will be appropriately housed at the regional library to ensure preservation and to provide maximum security at all times. Items in this collection are for reference within the library and are not available for loan.

Before Council records are destroyed or otherwise disposed of, they should be referred to the Manager Library and Heritage Services who will retain any books, documents or other data which is considered to be of historical value.

4. Reference & Textbooks

Branch library collections provide a local, up-to-date ready reference service. The regional library will develop a regional reference collection to a level appropriate to the City of Wanneroo as a large metropolitan region. The Alexander Library is the main reference library for the metropolitan area and the State.

Acquisition and provision of textbooks and other resources directly connected with formal education are considered the responsibility of educational institutions.

5. Special Needs

Stock selection strategies will maintain an optimum balance between special needs resources and resources which meet the needs of the general community.

The Community Language Resource Collection of library materials in Languages Other Than English (LOTE) will be provided through LISWA in response to local demands.

Standards of Behaviour

While utilising the Library Service, all users must respect the rights of other users. Parents may not leave children under the age of 12 unattended in the Library without the prior approval of the Librarian on duty. The Manager Library and Heritage Services is responsible for establishing appropriate behavioural guidelines.

Notice Boards, Fliers & Petitions

Community notice boards located within libraries shall be available for use by individuals or groups in the libraries, provided that all material shall be approved by the Manager Library and Heritage Services before being displayed. Notices advertising for private or personal monetary gain shall not be displayed.

Petitions shall not be displayed or circulated in the libraries.

The distribution of political and religious material not being the normal stock of library, shall not be displayed or circulated in the libraries.

Community Information Service

The regional library shall maintain Council's on-line Community Information Service, and endeavour to provide appropriate information of community based groups and organisations which relate to the City.

Sponsorship

Library stationery or library holiday reading programmes for children may be commercially sponsored where the Manager Library and Heritage Services considers it appropriate.

Freedom to Read

The Australian Library and Information Association, believing that freedom can be protected in a democratic society only if its citizens have access to information and ideas through books and other sources of information, affirms the following principles as basic and distinctive of the obligations and responsibilities of the librarian:

1. A primary purpose of a library service is to provide information through books and other media on all matters which are appropriate to the library concerned.

2. A librarian must protect the essential confidential relationship which exists between a library user and the library.

3. The functions of the librarian include;

• to promote the use of materials in the librarian's care;
• to ensure that the resources of the library are adequate to its purpose;
• to obtain additional information from outside sources to meet the needs of readers;
• to cater for interest in all relevant facets of knowledge, literature and contemporary issues, including those of a controversial nature;
• but neither to promote or suppress particular ideas and beliefs.

4. A librarian, while recognising that powers of censorship exist and are legally vested in state and federal government, should resist attempts by individuals or organised groups within the community to determine what library materials are to be or are not to be available to the users of the library.

5. A librarian should not exercise censorship in the selection of materials by rejecting on moral, political, racial or religious grounds alone material which is otherwise relevant to the purpose of the library and meets the standards, such as historical importance, intellectual integrity, effectiveness of expression or expression of accuracy of information which are required by the library concerned.

Material should not be rejected on the grounds that its content is controversial or likely to offend some sections of the library's community.

6. A librarian should uphold the right of all Australians to have access to library services and materials and should not discriminate against users on the grounds of age, sex, race, religion, national origin, disability, economic condition, individual lifestyle or political or social views.

7. A librarian must obey the laws relating to books and libraries, but if the laws or their administration conflict with the principles put forward in this statement, the librarian should be free to move for the amendment of these laws.