Policies
General information: history of the
library and hours
Borrowing
Privileges/Registration Requirements Policy
Service to Patrons with
Disabilities
Associations with
other Groups
Use of the Towanda District Library
by Special Groups
General
Public Access to Electronic Information Networks
Library Materials
Circulation Policy
Material
Selection/Collection Development Policy
Drug and Alcohol Free Policy/Notice of Library Drug and Alcohol Free Policy
Library Records Confidentiality Act
Illinois Freedom of
Information Act
TOWANDA DISTRICT LIBRARY
Phone
Fax:
The Towanda
Township Library was established in 1939 with help from the Federal Works
Agency Project Administration. In 1943,
the town assumed complete responsibility for the library and in June 1967, the
Township Tax was passed. The library has
been in several locations before constructing a new building in 1989. The Towanda District Library was formed on
HOURS: Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
closed
CLOSED: New Year’s Day
Memorial Day
July 3rd & 4th
Labor Day
Thanksgiving Day*
Christmas Eve
Christmas Day
New Year’s Eve
*Closes at
PARKING: In front of building, handicapped and
added parking off of alley.
COOPERATIVE
AFFILIATION:
HOLDINGS:
(as of
15,262 books
855 videos
396 DVDs
620 Music CDs
116 CD-Roms
415 audiobooks
36 periodical titles
SPECIAL
COLLECTIONS:
National Geographic dating back to
1916 (none for 1919)
Library of
PROGRAMS:
Children’s story time sessions
Summer Reading Program
Library quarterly
newsletter
Computer classes
Volunteer programs
ISU Redbird Reader
Program
Summer movie series
No-school day programs
Advocates Program
Community programs
SERVICES:
Photocopier
(10 cents per page)
Laminator (10 cents per inch)
Fax Machine (patron may make
donation for this service)
Projection screen (50” x 68”)
Computers, six with Internet access
(copies: 10cents per page for black
and white, 25 cents for color copies)
2000
PARTNERSHIPS
Friends of the Towanda District
Library
Towanda Area Historical Society
Board of Library Trustees
Vice-President
Secretary
Treasurer
Trustees
President/Board of Library Trustees
Library Director
Library Clerks Custodian
Student Assistants
Organization
Section I
The Towanda
District Library is duly organized and constituted under Section 2-2 et seq.,
Chapter 81, Illinois Revised Statutes, 1988 State Bar Association Edition.
ARTICLE II
Meetings
Section I
The
meetings of the Board of Trustees of the Library shall be held at the
Section II
The Board
of Trustees shall hold monthly meetings on the third Tuesday of each month, at
the hour of 7:00 P.M. The annual meeting
shall be held on the third Tuesday in May of each Year.
Section
Notice of
special meetings shall be given by mail addressed to the individual Trustees at
least three days prior to the special meeting called.
ARTICLE
Order of Business
Section I
The Board
of Directors shall follow the most recent edition of Robert’s Rules of Order at
its proceedings.
ARTICLE IV
Quorum
Section I
A majority of Trustees shall
constitute a quorum.
ARTICLE V
Officers
Section I
The Board
of Trustees shall elect the President at its annual Meeting. The President shall be the Executive officer
of the Board of Trustees, preside over all meetings of the Board, and shall be
apprised of the business of the Library.
The President shall see that all orders or resolutions of the Board are
carried out. The Vice President shall
preside at the meetings in the absence of the President.
Section II
The
Secretary or a designated representative shall attend all meetings of the Board
of Trustees and shall preserve in the books of the Board of Trustees the true
minutes of the proceedings of all such meetings. The Secretary shall give all notices required
to be given by the Board. The Secretary
shall perform all other duties delegated by the board.
Section
The
Treasurer shall have custody of all funds and securities for the library. The treasurer shall deposit all monies and
all valuable effects in the name of the Library in such depositories as may be
designated by the Board. The Treasurer
shall disburse the funds of the library as may be directed by the Board, and
shall render an accounting to the Board on a regular basis. The Treasurer shall keep in force a bond in
the form and amount with corporate surety satisfactory to the Board,
conditioned for faithful performance of the duties of Treasurer Office.
Section IV
The Board
of Trustees shall elect all of the above officers for a term of one year until
the next annual election.
Section V
Any Board
member absent from three consecutive meetings shall be eligible for removal
from office by a majority vote of remaining Board members.
ARTICLE VI
Depository
Section I
National
City Bank of Michigan/Illinois,
ARTICLE
Budget
Section I
The Board
of directors shall pass a budget at its July meeting of each year, and a cop0y
shall be filed with the
ARTICLE VIII
Fiscal Year
Section I
The fiscal
year of the Towanda District Library shall be from July 1 through June 30.
ARTICLE IX
Amendment of By-laws
These
By-laws may be amended, altered, changed, added to or repealed by the
affirmative
vote of a majority of the Board of Trustees at any regular or special meeting
if
notice of
the proposed amendment, alteration, change, addition, or repeal be contained in
a
notice
sent to each member of the Board of
Trustees at the date of or prior to the
preceding
monthly meeting, or in the event of a special meeting, by notice given with a
copy of
the proposed change, thirty days prior to the special meeting.
The Board
of Trustees duly passed the above By-laws of the Towanda District Library,
Primary
Roles:
The mission
of the Towanda District Library is to provide educational, information and
recreational services to persons who reside in the area of the Towanda District
Library.
The library
makes print and non-print materials available.
The library strives
to
continue to make use of developing technologies that meet the needs of the
population served by the Towanda District Library.
Goal 1:
Continue to increase or maintain geographical boundaries to maintain or
enhance our current level of revenue.
Objective 1.1:
Continue communications with proper authorities at local,
state and federal levels to modify the state laws to protect our library
district’s boundaries and revenues.
Objective 1.2:
Work with similar taxing bodies (fire districts, park
districts) to protect our boundaries.
Objective 1.3
Continue campaign to inform our library patrons of the
threat to the boundaries of their library district by uninhibited growth of adjacent towns and
cities, and assist and encourage their political involvement in solving this
issue.
Goal 2. Strengthen relationship between the library
and community clubs and organizations
Objective 2.1
Make personal visits to community
clubs and organizations to familiarize members with library services.
Objective 2.2
Engage in joint efforts with community clubs and
organizations to benefit the local community by providing shared resources and
programs.
Goal 3:
Encourage reading mentoring programs such as buddy programs and
intergenerational reading programs.
Objective 3.1:
Solicit volunteers to offer mentoring programs under the
supervision of the library director.
The
trustees of the Towanda District Library accept and endorse the Library Bill of
Rights. Freedom to View statement and
the Freedom to View Statement and the Freedom to Read Statement endorsed by the
American Library Association. (See
appendixes.)
The Towanda
District Library is a tax-supported library; residents within the
jurisdictional boundaries of the Towanda District Library pay taxes to support
the library. Those people who live
within the jurisdictional boundaries of the Towanda District Library or those
who own property within these boundaries need pay no additional fee to be
eligible to receive their library card.
Library cards are renewed every three years without additional fees,
provided the library cardholder continues to reside within the jurisdictional
boundaries of the Towanda District Library and is a patron in good
standing. There is a fee of $2.00 to
replace damaged, destroyed, lost, or stolen library cards.
As a
resident cardholder, the borrower identified on the valid borrower’s card may
use the library card at another library to borrow material. Those materials are the responsibility of the
individual who borrows them, and are subject to all of the fines, rules, and
regulations of the lending library.
Often libraries limit the borrowing privileges of reciprocal borrowers,
and it is best to establish local rules and procedures before making your
selections.
Individuals
residing beyond the jurisdictional boundaries of the Towanda District Library
and are not within the boundaries of another public library, and owning no
property within the jurisdictional boundaries of the Towanda District Library,
may purchase a non-resident fee card for the price of $120.00 per family if our
library is the closest public library to their place of residence (using school
district as the initial boundary, then township if a second boundary is needed
and then the county boundary if a third is needed to determine which library is
closest). This fee entitles the entire
family to use the Towanda District Library as well as libraries that
participate in the non-resident reciprocal borrowing program.
Adults
wishing to register for a borrower’s card, renew an expired borrower’s card, or
replace a lost, stolen, damaged, or destroyed borrower’s card at the Towanda
District Library must bring with them two forms of identification, at least one
of which bears their name and address.
These forms of identification, include, but are not limited to, driver’s
license, utility bills, mail or voter’s registration card.
Children
under the age of 14 must have a parent’s signature on any initial application
for a library card. Parents are
responsible for any material that their children borrow.
The
director will engage and supervise library volunteers.
The
director will assign the hours or time for volunteer help during hours when a
paid employee is present.
The Towanda
District Library offers the same services to patrons with disabilities as to
all other segments of the population. In
addition to those services, the Towanda District Library acts as a facilitator
between the patron and Services to the Blind and Physically Handicapped, offers
home delivery to patrons with disabilities which prevent them from coming to
the library, and welcomes service animals in the library.
The Towanda
District Public Library is dedicated to providing access to knowledge and
information through reading, writing, and quiet contemplation, providing
patrons the right to use materials and services without being disturbed or
impeded, and providing patrons and employees a secure and comfortable
environment. The Public Library Act
provides the Board of Library Trustees with the general power to carry out the
spirit and intent of the Act in establishing and maintaining the library and
providing library services and the specific power to “exclude from the use of
the library any person who willfully violates an ordinance or regulation
prescribed.”
The Board
of Library Trustees of the Towanda District Library Public Library establishes
its conduct ordinance as follows:
Section 1.
A patron who engages in any activity that disrupts the use
of library facilities, collections, or services by patrons or materially
disrupts the ability of the staff to perform its duties shall cease such
activity immediately upon the request by
library personnel.
Section 2.
In such instances involving minors, identification will be
requested and the incident will be reported to the parent or guardian.
Section 3.
If, following a request, the patron fails or refuses to
comply or responds to the request in an abusive fashion, he or she will be
required to leave the library premises immediately for the balance of that
calendar day. If he or she refuses to
leave, the police will be summoned.
Section 4.
Library personnel will record instances in which patrons are
required to leave the library in a ledger maintained by the library for that
purpose. Upon the third recorded
instance in which a patron is required to leave the library premises within a
thirty-day period, the Director shall bar the patron from use of library
premises for a period of thirty days.
Parents or guardians of minors will be notified in writing after the
second recorded instance in which a minor is required to leave the library and
advised of the consequences of any further recorded instances.
Section 5.
Parents wishing to appeal such action may do so upon written
request to the Board of Library Trustees.
Section 6.
In the event a patron barred from the use of the library
attempts entry to the library during any such period of exclusion, the police
will be summoned to remove the patron.
Section 7.
In the event the patron persists in abusive conduct or
disruptive behavior following such a period of exclusion, the Director shall
report to the Board of Library Trustees such conduct following prior exclusion
and the Board will consider a long-term exclusion of that patron.
Section 8.
This Ordinance shall take effect immediately upon enactment
and approval according to law and be in full force and effect thereafter. A copy shall be posted within three days of
enactment at the library and the secretary shall maintain a certified copy in
the official records of the library available for public inspection.
Section 9.
Smoking is never permitted inside the building.
1. Photocopier: There will be a charge of
ten cents per side for each copy made.
Anyone furnishing their own paper will be charged five cents per side.
2. Fax
Machine: The library accepts donations for all messages sent or received. All fax messages must be sent under the
supervision of the staff member on duty.
3. Computer:
Patrons must adhere to the rules stated in the computer policy.
4. Television/
5. Laminating
Machine: Drop-off service will be provided.
Patrons will be charged 10 cents per inch of length.
6. AV
projector must be used in the library and must be operated by a library staff
member.
Library
property, which in the judgment of the director is no longer useful or
necessary, may be disposed of in the following manner:
Materials in poor condition or those that
are outdated or inaccurate, or those that are
no longer
relevant, may be discarded or recycled.
Materials to be discarded or donated need
board approval if the individual values are
over $250.00.
Materials having a current value of over $250.00 and under $1,000 may
be traded or sold
in accordance with the Illinois Library Laws 75ILCS 10/13, upon
board approval.
ASSOCIATIONS WITH OTHER GROUPS
The Towanda
District Library welcomes associations with library and non-library related
groups. All fundraising and/or
programming efforts of these groups benefiting the library must meet the goals
stated in the library’s mission statement and must concur with the policies of
the Towanda District Library.
We are pleased to share our facilities with small
groups. Small recognized clubs or
organizations or their committees may use the facilities at the following times: Monday-Thursdays from
1. All
meetings must be free and open to the public.
2. No
smoking is permitted at any time, anywhere in the building.
3. No food or drink is to be brought in or
consumed on the premises without special permission from the librarian.
4. The library can accommodate up to
twenty-five people.
5. The library meeting space must be
booked by a group member who is a current cardholder of the Towanda District
Library and must be requested at least 2 weeks in advance.
6. All publicity for the meeting using the
library’s name must be approved by the library director before public posting.
7. Meeting places within the library will
be determined with the director. Groups
will not have access to staff work areas.
8. An employee must be present during the
group’s meeting. The group must pay
wages to the employee at the rate of $10.00 per hour for the prearranged
meeting time only. This payment must be
made at the time of the meeting. The
employee will open and close the library.
9. There will be no community group
meetings during the library’s open hours.
10. The library will not store or be
responsible for any items, goods, equipment, etc. left at the library. There is no storage room available for these
items.
12. Groups will return furniture to original
placements and will do any clean-up needed to restore the area to normal.
13. Youth groups must have an adult sponsor
(over 21) with them at all times.
14. Groups
who do not observe these rules will not be permitted to use the building
thereafter.
GENERAL
1. The
librarian reserves the right to restrict access to the computers by an
individual who does not adhere to these rules as adopted by the board of
trustees.