J. Robert Jamerson Memorial Library
Patrons
5.2 Conduct Violations Procedure
Conduct Violations Procedure J. Robert Jamerson Memorial Library’s
General Information
Any person not abiding by Library policies, regulations, or applicable laws shall be subject to penalty including, but not limited to, verbal warnings and restrictions. In such incidents involving minors, identification shall be requested and the incident brought to the attention of the parent or guardian. If, following a request, the patron fails or refuses to comply with a penalty, or responds to the request in an abusive fashion, he or she shall be subject to restriction. All serious incidents should be reported to the Director and recorded in an Incident Report. A patron’s penalty(s) should be levied according to the severity of the incident, the number of previous Incident Reports involving said patron, and applicable laws. For most offenses try to give a verbal warning before considering further penalties. Critical incidents such as viewing pornography, fighting, and threats will result in immediate restriction without verbal warning. Report all critical incidents to the Director and file an Incident Report immediately.
Possible Penalties
- Verbal Warning – Patron is informed that they are in violation of policy, and informed of the consequences of further violations.
- Asked to leave – Patron must immediately exit the premises and not return until the next day.
- Temporary Ban – Patron is not allowed to enter or access Library premises for a period not to exceed two months. If patron refuses to leave, law enforcement will be summoned.
- Permanent Ban – Patron is banned and a No-Trespass order is filed with the County Sheriff. If patron refuses to leave, law enforcement will be summoned. Permanent Bans may be lifted at the Director’s discretion.
Specific Instructions
- If a patron attempts to circumvent a ban, law enforcement will be summoned.
- Temporary Bans must be authorized by the Director
- Permanent Bans must be authorized and enacted by the Director and subsequently ratified by the Library Board of Trustees.
- Any banned patron whose priveleges have been denied may, upon written appeal, have the decision reviewed by the Board of Trustees.
Responsibility
- The Director is responsible for levying restrictions on patrons in response to violations..
- Staff may ask a patron to leave if the incident warrants immediate restriction, but only upon direct instructions to do so from the Director, or if the Director is unavailable (inform the Director as soon as possible.)
- Staff may summon law enforcement, but only if the Director is unavailable and the situation requires law enforcement intervention to eject or subdue a patron for a serious or critical offense. The Director must be given copies of any reports filed or statements taken. Staff will not:
- Threaten to call the police on a patron
- Announce to have called the police
- Call the police for any reason other than absolutely requiring law enforcement intervention.