Child Safety Policy
The staff of the Norman Williams Public Library welcomes children of all ages to use the library. Programs, books and the Internet are some of the ways we reach out to young people with the hope that they will grow appreciate books and libraries throughout their lives. The following policy is in place to protect and provide for the general welfare of the children who use the library, and to prevent undue disruption of library services.
Parents are always responsible for the well-being and safety of their children. When a child is unattended at the library, parents need to remember that the library staff can only monitor the library and cannot take responsibility for the care and behavior of each individual child. The staff also is not responsible for the whereabouts of children at any given time, whether inside the library or out.
Children of six years and younger must be attended by a guardian while in the library. Children of this age may attend library programs, but their guardian must remain in the building. Their guardian must be at least twelve years of age. It is inappropriate for children under twelve to assume responsibility for younger siblings.
Children ages seven and eight may be left unattended in the library for up to one-half hour. However, children this age may attend library programs on their own, regardless of the length of the program. Their guardian must be at least twelve years of age and must be in attendance at the end of the program.
Children age nine and up may use the library unattended.
The Children’s Librarian will assume the responsibility of informing parents and caregivers of the policy, and notifying parents if a child has been left unattended.
While in the library, all children are expected to conform to the Norman Williams Public Library Behavior Policy.
The library staff is particularly concerned about young children who may be left unattended when the library closes. These children must be picked up by closing.
- When a young child is left unattended after closing, either in the building or on the library grounds, a staff member will determine if the child is aware of a pick up schedule. If not, the child will be invited to make a phone call.
- Staff is not required to wait until a child is picked up. Once the phone call has been made by the child and before the staff member leaves they may notify the village police of any unattended children left on library property.
- The Children’s Librarian will maintain an ongoing record of children who are chronically left unattended after closing.
- The Library Director and Children’s Librarian may determine that a child has been chronically unattended at closing a will work with parents to find a solution on an individual basis.
We realize that some children may have special needs, and the Library Director and Children’s Librarian will address the supervision and safety of these children on an individual basis.