These guidelines have been developed in order to protect Library users' right of access to Library facilities and materials, to provide a safe environment for users and staff, to allow staff to provide essential services and materials, and to protect Library resources and facilities from damage.
In accordance with Missouri State Statutes and local ordinances, the Library may exclude from the use of the Library any and all persons who shall willfully violate such reasonable rules and regulations as the Library Board may adopt. Such exclusion shall occur on the orders of the Director or his/her designee. In this document, "withholding of library privileges" is defined as the loss of either some library privileges, such as "computer use" or all library privileges.
These rules are established in order to maintain a safe environment for Library users and staff.
Any person who violates any federal or state statutes, or local ordinances, or who engages in any conduct which is reasonably found to be disruptive of, or dangerous to, library users or staff, while on any DBRL premises, will be regarded as being in violation of these rules. In addition, any person who engages in any conduct which is not in furtherance of DBRL's goals to protect Library users' or staff members' rights to (i) access to the Library facilities and materials, (ii) safety, (iii) engage in reasonably peaceful enjoyment of Library facilities and materials, (iv) one's health and welfare, (v) a safe and reasonable environment for use of Library facilities, or (vi) an environment which is reasonably required in order for all Library users and staff members to have appropriate and peaceful use of the Library's facilities and materials, shall be deemed to be in violation of these rules. Conduct which shall be in violation of these rules shall include by way of illustration and not limitation, the following (and no person shall on the premises of any DBRL facility engage in any of the following conduct):
On Library premises, no person shall engage in:
- The commission of any assault or an assault and battery upon any person;
- Any fight;
- The commission of any offense of stealing or larceny, or of stealing or taking, without permission, of any property that is not the person's own property, including, but not limited to, property of DBRL, property of any Library facility, property of any patron of the Library, or property of any staff member of the Library (with the term "Property" including both funds and property of any kind);
- Possessing on the Library premises a firearm, knife, or any other weapon of any kind, unless authorized by law;
- Destroying, damaging or defacing any property of a DBRL facility or any DBRL property or property of any other person;
- Any indecent, obscene or obviously obnoxious conduct or making any indecent exposure of one's person;
- The misusing, giving away, possessing, passing to another or selling of any controlled substance; provided that, use of a controlled substance which is authorized by a healthcare practitioner's prescription, in accordance with such prescription, shall be permitted;
- Remaining in or refusing to vacate a Library facility after regular closing hours;
- Soliciting or accosting, or attempting to solicit or accost, any other person on Library premises for the purposes of inducing participation in any act of prostitution or any lewd or lascivious act;
- Any lewd or lascivious activity;
- The harassing of any other person, verbally or non-verbally, or by conduct, contact or gesture, with the term "Harass" being defined as any verbal or non-verbal communication or any conduct, which would reasonably be perceived by another person as being frightening to such person, embarrassing to such person, or as being conduct which would reasonably anger another person who is the object of such communication or conduct. ["Harass" shall further include any communication, verbal or non-verbal, or conduct, which the person accused should have reason to know is likely to produce fear, embarrassment or anger in the person or persons towards whom the communication or conduct is directed, or who is (are) in the presence of such conduct or communication, and shall further include any verbal communication which, by its very utterance, inflicts physical or emotional injury, or would tend to incite an immediate breach of the peace];
- Any sexual harassment of any person on Library premises;
- Loitering on Library premises under circumstances which would reasonably warrant alarm for the safety or health of any person or property in the vicinity of the Library premises or on the Library premises, or under circumstances which in any manner interferes with regular Library activities;
- Being a person or being included in a group of persons who engage in activities, gestures, conduct or communications which is threatening or otherwise menacing to persons on or within a Library facility or within the area of such facility;
- Consuming and/or possessing alcoholic beverages or other intoxicants on Library premises;
- Being impaired or intoxicated on Library premises by the use of any controlled substance or alcohol;
- Summoning to Library premises, without good cause or reason by telephone, or otherwise, the police department, any law enforcement authorities, the fire department, or any public or private ambulance;
- Exhibiting on Library premises, poor personal hygiene, which is offensive to others or to which reasonably would be offensive to others;
- Failing to wear, on Library premises, appropriate clothing, including, but not limited to shirts and shoes, as shirts and shoes are required;
- Smoking on Library premises, except in outside areas that are designated for smoking;
- Consuming food and beverages within any Library facility, except in designated areas;
- Using bicycles, roller-skates, roller blades, scooters or skateboards in a Library or on Library premises;
- Failing to leave roller-skates, roller blades, skateboards, basketballs or other sports equipment at the first service desk upon entrance to the building;
- Bringing a bicycle into any Library building;
- Bringing an animal into any Library building except for an animal assisting a person with disabilities, or an animal that is used as a part of a Library program;
- Campaigning on Library premises for any candidate for public office or for any public issue or any issue of other than discussions or programs held in library meeting rooms which comply with the meeting room policy;
- Selling or soliciting for sale any goods or services on Library premises, unless approved by the Director;
- Gathering together as a group, so that access to Library facilities by patrons or staff is blocked or disrupted;
- Making noise or behaving in such a way that disrupts Library services or operations, or the reasonably peaceful use of Library facilities by any Library patrons;
- Gaming activities, or gambling on the premises of any Library facility;
- Creating an unreasonable disturbance that interferes with the activities of any Library patron or staff member, including making of any such disturbance through the use of photography, film or television equipment;
- Conducting media interviews upon Library premises without the permission of the Director or the Director's designee;
- Being present in Library offices or other non-public areas, without permission, unless accompanied by a Library staff member, or pursuant to a prior arrangement with the Director or designated staff;
- Persisting in disturbing the public peace by loud or aggressive conduct, or by talking, singing, or making any loud or boisterous sound with a volume that is louder than the general noise level of the surrounding area at that time, provided that this policy shall not prohibit quiet conversation between patrons and/or staff members or those conversations which are reasonably required to carry out Library programs or business;
- Using foul or abusive language;
- Using or operating audio equipment (including radios, CD players, boom boxes, disc players, televisions, tape recorders, video games, electronic games, and any similar audio equipment) without earphones or headsets, or in any manner such that people can hear the noise or sound from two or more feet away;
- Sleeping in the Library or on any Library premises or within any Library facility for any extended period of time;
- Using Library furniture or other property in any reasonably inappropriate fashion;
- Using any Library workstation, or any part of the Library premises or any part of the premises of any Library facility for illegal or criminal purposes;
- Using Library facility computers without following the guidelines for use of such computers;
- Using any Library facility as a substitute for childcare; it being understood that parents shall not leave minor children, under the age of 12, unsupervised by a responsible adult at any Library facility on a regular basis;
- Roaming or spending time in the library without having an appropriate focus (such as reading, using a computer, studying, meeting, etc.) for the library visit.
These examples of conduct, which are a violation of these Rules for Behavior, are examples only and are not intended to be all inclusive or to be exclusive of other conduct or actions which would reasonably be found to be damaging to the maintenance of a safe and reasonably peaceable environment at all Daniel Boone Regional Library facilities, where such environment is required for the appropriate use of Library facilities and materials by Library patrons and for the proper carrying out by Library staff of their duties and obligations. The definition of "facilities" includes any and all property owned by the Daniel Boone Regional Library and its member library districts.