BLACK EARTH PUBLIC LIBRARY
- ELIGIBILITY FOR SERVICES
The Black Earth Public Library shall serve all residents of the community. Services shall not be denied or abridged because of age, religious, racial, social, economic, gender, sexual orientation, ability, appearance or political status. Persons residing outside of the geographical area shall be issued an appropriate county library card according to their place of residence which shall be accepted for usage in the Black Earth Public Library. Any person with reciprocal borrowing privileges with the South Central Library System shall also be served. Accommodations may be provided for individuals who need to take extra precautions against risk to exposure to infectious disease to the exclusion of others during a pandemic. Also, reduced occupancy may be required during a pandemic.
The Black Earth Public Library card may be used at any public library in Columbia, Dane, Green, Sauk, Wood, Adams, and Portage counties that belongs to the South Central Library System. It may also be used at public libraries in other library systems with South Central reciprocal borrowing agreements.
The use of the library and borrowing privileges may be denied for prohibited behaviors or failure to pay for destruction or loss of library property. Prohibited behaviors such as disturbance of other patrons, illegal or disruptive conduct on library premises is detailed in Safety Policy.
- CONDUCT
Conduct shall be appropriate for a library. Volume should be kept at a level so as not to disturb others in the library. No food or drink shall be allowed inside the library without special permission from the staff. No pets shall be allowed inside the library, with the exception of those providing assistance to the disabled (see Animal Policy for details). Conduct that is not safe to staff or patrons is not permitted. (See Safety Policy for details.)
- PUBLIC NOTICES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Public notices and announcements in the library are left to the discretion of the Director. Any person disputing the decision of the Director may appeal the case to the Library Board of Trustees whose decision shall be final.
- DISPLAYS AND EXHIBITS
As an educational and cultural institution, the Black Earth Public Library welcomes exhibits and displays of interest, information and enlightenment to the community. Displays of handiwork, historical material, nature study or any other material deemed of general interest may be exhibited. The director shall accept or reject material offered for display based on its suitability and availability of space. Any person disputing the decision of the Director may appeal the case to the Library Board of Trustees whose decision shall be final.
- AFTER HOURS USE
Anyone wishing to use the library outside regular open hours must have prior approval of the Library Director.
Readopted __6-16-09_
Amended and approved date:_6-16-2020
Amended and approved: 11-15-2022