Policy on Children in the Library
The Mary & John Gray Library is a
minimally supervised adult environment.
The primary mission of the library is to serve the academic research
needs of the university’s students, faculty and staff. We strive to maintain a quiet and otherwise
appropriate environment to assure an atmosphere that is conducive to
study. It is expected that those who use
the library will do so responsibly and appropriately without harassing other
users or library staff and without damaging the library’s facilities or its
collections.
In accordance with the library’s
mission, it is the policy of the Gray Library that:
·
Children
under the age of sixteen must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian at
all times (an older sibling is not acceptable unless the person is the legal
guardian).
·
Children
under the age of sixteen accompanied by a parent or legal guardian may not use
the library’s computers without the direct and immediate supervision of the
parent or guardian.
·
Unaccompanied
children under the age of sixteen will be asked to leave the library.
·
Exceptions
may be made for children under the age of sixteen participating in university
sponsored activities and these children must have relevant University
identification with them at all times.
·
Individuals
over sixteen years of age who are not directly affiliated with the University
can use the library without a parent or guardian but must have a drivers’
license or picture ID.
Furthermore:
·
The
safety and behavior of children is the full responsibility of the accompanying
parent or guardian when on library premises.
· Library
staff may ask users and their children to leave if they are causing a
disturbance to other users. The
accompanying parent must be prepared to leave the library if his or her child
becomes a nuisance to other users (for example, if a user enters the library
with a sleeping baby, they must be prepared to leave when the baby wakes up and
starts crying).
·
Children
should not be on the 5th Floor (the Quiet Study Floor).
· Any
damage caused by a child is the responsibility of the accompanying parent.
Library staff and faculty cannot
oversee unescorted or unsupervised children, nor be responsible for their
safety. The library is not responsible
for any materials viewed by minors in either print or electronic format. If an unescorted child comes to the attention
of Library personnel, staff will evaluate the situation and try to contact a
parent or caregiver at the library. If
the adult responsible for the child’s welfare is not present, a staff member
will contact the Campus Police to report the situation and seek assistance.
Failure to abide by these policies
will result in minors being asked to leave the library.
August
2007 http://library.lamar.edu/policy_children.pdf
