Mission

The Ogdensburg Public Library aspires to:

* Promote literacy and the love of lifelong learning by meeting the educational, informational, cultural, technological and recreational needs of the community.
* Create an inviting and vibrant center for the community.
* Have a well-trained and educated staff.
* Be a technology leader in the community.
* Be fiscally responsible.
* Be a vital, integral and essential part of the community.
* Be a partner with other community organizations.
* Be the center of information in the community.  

Operations

Authority

The professional or clerk in charge as used herein shall mean those people in the positions listed below in order of precedence.

    1. Library director
    2. Senior librarian in building
    3. Most senior full-time clerk
    4. Most senior part-time clerk
    5. Custodian

Hours

     
    
Holidays Observed
     
      New Year’s Day
      Martin Luther King Day
      President’s Day
      Good Friday Afternoon
      Memorial Day
      July 4th
      Labor Day
      Columbus Day
      Veterans Day
      Thanksgiving
      December 24th
      December 25th
      December 26th
      December 31st

Unplanned Closings

* Responsibility for closing the Library building rests with the Library Director or her/his designee.
* In the event of a closing, the person closing the library will contact broadcast media outlets requesting announcement of the closing and will notify any groups scheduled to meet in the library during the period the library is to be closed.
* The Library Director will advise the Chairman of the Board of Trustees as soon as possible of a closing because of any non-weather related emergency.  For weather closings, the Library Director will advise the Chairman prior to the next scheduled Board meeting.
* Any staff closing the library will, if the Director is not on-site, consult with the Director if possible, or notify the Library Director as soon as possible.  The Director will then notify the Chairperson.

Library Rules

* Appropriate behavior shall be required of all library users.
* No patron shall interfere with the use or enjoyment of the library by another patron.
* Smoking and any tobacco use is prohibited in accordance with New York State law.
* Shirt and shoes are required in the building.
* Prone sleeping is not allowed in the building.
* Verbal or physical fighting is not allowed.
* Boisterous behavior, including foul language, is not allowed.
* Individuals caught defacing library property or materials will be required to make full restitution and may be denied library privileges or prosecuted under state law.
* Animals, except for service animals and those involved in a library sponsored programming are not allowed the building.
* Food and uncovered drinks will not be allowed in the library except for organizations bringing refreshments into the library for use in properly reserved meeting rooms or as authorized by the director.

Unattended Children

* Responsibility for children using the library rests with the parent or assigned caregiver.
* Children aged three and under must be within visual contact of the accompanying responsible adult when in the library.
* Parents should make arrangements for their children to be picked up 15 minutes before the library closes.
* After 7:00 p.m., it is recommended that elementary school children be accompanied by an adult who remains in the library.
* Parents of children who are unattended or otherwise in contravention of library policy may be reported to civil authorities at the discretion of the Director or his/her designee    

Infringement of Library Rules

* Individuals and/or groups violating library rules will be asked to stop by the staff and warned that further violation will result in their being asked to leave.  If rules continue to be broken, violators will be asked to leave and may be denied library privileges.
* Police will be called for assistance if violators refuse to leave.
* The professional or clerk in charge is responsible for handling rule violations personally observed or reported by staff.
* All library staff including pages and volunteers are responsible for advising professional or clerk in charge of rules violations of which they are aware.

     
Telephone Policy

* Emergency phone calls can be made by any clerk, at any time, if a situation warrants.  The Director will be advised of any emergency calls made.  Clerks can bring emergency situations to the attention of the Director and/or professional staff who can then take necessary action.

Circulation
 

Patrons

The library will serve anyone who finds it convenient to use our facility.  However, some services may only be available to card holders in good standing. 

     
Library Cards

* Library cards are required to borrow materials, reserve materials, and request materials through interlibrary loan.  System wide library cards will be provided by the North Country Library System.
* Library cards will be issued to anyone 5 years old or older after identity verification and completion of a registration card.
* Anyone under 14 years of age must have their registration card co-signed by a parent or legal guardian.  The co-signatory is responsible for all use made of the card.
* The holder of a library card is responsible for all use made on the card.
* Initial cards will be provided for free.  Lost cards will be replaced for a fee of $2.00.

Loans

* Books classified as NEW and magazines circulate for 14 days.
* Older books circulate for 28 days with a combined maximum of 30 print items per patron.
* Audio Books Circulate for 28 days.
* DVDs, Blu-ray and, CDs circulate for 7 days with a maximum of 4 items per patron.
* Equipment loaned to organizations will normally be loaned for 24 hours or as authorized by the Director.  Equipment is renewable and reservable.
* Current issues of magazines and reference materials do not circulate.
* Patrons can borrow up to 5 eBooks at a time. The lending period may vary from title to title.
* All circulating children’s books circulate for 28 days.     

Renewals

* Loaned items may be renewed by phone, online, or in person as long as there are no reserves on the items and renewal is not prohibited by policy.
* Items must be renewed before they become overdue.
* DVDs, CDs, Blu-ray, magazines, and items classified as ‘New’ may be renewed a maximum of one time. All other items may be renewed a maximum of two times before they must be returned.

Reserves

* All circulating items may be reserved except uncatalogued paperbacks.
* Patrons will be notified of waiting reserves.

Fines

* Most adult items carry an overdue fine of 15 cents per item per day with a maximum of 5 dollars per item.
* Adult DVDs carry an overdue fine of 1 dollar per day with a maximum of $5.00 per item.
* Juvenile items (including DVDs) carry a fine of 15 cents per item per day with a maximum of 1 dollar per item.

Overdue Notices

The library sends an overdue notice approximately two weeks after an item becomes overdue; a second notice is sent about 4 weeks after the item becomes overdue and is a bill for the item.

Lost/Damaged Items

Lost materials will carry the following charges:

* Cataloged items = replacement cost or purchase cost + processing.
* Magazines = $3 or cost, whichever is more.
* Processing fee – $5 for Adults, $2 for Young Adults, $1 for Children.
* Damaged materials will be charged at cost of repair or replacement, whichever is less.
* Damage caused by fair wear and tear will not result in charges.

Denial of Service

* Patrons with unpaid fines and/or fees in excess of $5.00 will have their borrowing privileges suspended until such time as fines/fees are paid. 
* Services may be denied patrons with 5 or more items overdue, with 5 or more items that they claim have been returned although our records show the items as charged to the patron and to patrons who willfully disregard library rules or damage library property.

Confidentiality of Patron Records

* Records relating to library patrons cannot be provided to third parties unless a proper subpoena is issued.  All requests for information on library records will be referred to the professional-in-charge.
* NYST law (CPLR, Section 4509)
Library records,  which contain names or other personally identifying details regarding the users of public, free association, school, college and university libraries and library systems of this state, including but not limited to records related to the circulation of library materials, computer database searches, interlibrary loan transactions, references queries, requests for photocopies of library films or records, shall be confidential and shall not be disclosed except that such records may be disclosed to the extent necessary for the proper operations of such library and shall be disclosed upon request or consent of the user or pursuant to subpoena court order or where otherwise required by statute.
(Added L.1982, c. 14, § 1; amended L.1988, c. 112, § 1.)

Collection Development

Purpose
This policy governs the selection of materials for the collection.  All general and specific selection criteria herein shall be examined when adding materials to the collection.

Responsibilities

* The responsibility for collection development lies with the Library Director working within policies established by the Board of Trustees.
* The Library Director may delegate the authority to choose materials in consonance with this collection development policy to individuals qualified by training or experience.
* Library materials will be discarded only with the approval of a professional librarian or unless otherwise specifically provided by this policy.

Goals

* To provide current reference materials to support patrons as citizens, students, employees, employers, and hobbyists.
* To provide current and classic recreational reading, viewing, and listening materials.
* To provide resources for the study of Ogdensburg and the surrounding area.
* To stimulate thoughtful participation in the life of the family, the community, the country, and the world.
* To encourage maximum use of library materials by the greatest number of people.
* To support the educational, civic, and cultural activities of individuals, groups, and organizations.
* To foster intellectual, artistic, and spiritual growth.
* To promote the use of library materials for recreation and enjoyment.

Guidelines

* Library Bill of Rights — The library supports the Library Bill of Rights, the Freedom to Read Statement, the ALA Labels and Rating Systems, Access to the Digital Information, Services and Networks, Free Access to Libraries to Minors and the Freedom to View Statement
* The library will keep itself informed of other publicly available library collections in the area to avoid duplication.
* All materials, except those which are in special demand and cannot be duplicated, including rare and fragile items, and current reference materials, will be lent for home use under approved library regulations, policies, and procedures.
* The library makes no attempt to purchase textbooks or other materials used in courses of study offered by schools or institutions.
* Materials will be selected based on their interest value, information value, and entertainment value to all the people in the community.
* In no case should any book be excluded because of race, nationality, age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, religious affinity, or political views of the author.
* Responsibility for the reading of children rests with their parents or legal guardians, and selection should not be inhibited by the possibility that materials may inadvertently come into the possession of children.
* To the extent possible, provision of materials representing all points of view on the problems and issues of our times should be acquired, and material should not be proscribed or removed from library shelves because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.
* Materials emphasizing sex or containing profane language should not be automatically rejected; rather, selection should be made on the basis of whether the material presents life in its true proportions, whether characters are realistically presented, and whether the material has literary value.

     
Selection Criteria

* Contemporary significance or permanent value.
* Accuracy.
* Authority of the author.
* Relation of work to the existing collection.
* Price, format, and ease of use.
* Availability of material elsewhere in the area.
* Popular demand, the library should make available materials for enlightenment and recreation even if not enduring in value, interest, and accuracy if demanded by the public.
* Whenever possible, materials will be selected based on review(s) from a variety of common to this library – e.g., Booklist, Library Journal, School Library Journal, Kirkus, etc.
* Patron recommendations.

Special Areas of Collection Emphasis

* The library collects local history materials.  Local history is defined as the history of Ogdensburg and the immediately surrounding towns.  Local history materials include books, maps, photographs, slides, account books, programs, letters, documents, genealogies, and manuscripts.
* The library collects genealogical materials to support genealogical research.
* The library collects art history materials in support of the Frederic Remington Art Museum.
* The library collects materials on the Civil War as part of its on-going interest in the Civil War based on the Curtis Collection.
* The library collects materials with funds provided by the Mahoney bequest.  These materials represent all engineering materials and most materials in the Dewey 620 or 690 classifications.
* The library attempts to provide multiple copies of popular fiction.
* The library collects books by local authors.

Audio Visual

* Audio visual materials will be collected in order to supplement and enhance the print materials in the collection.
* All age levels will be considered when purchasing audiovisual materials.
* The library will provide and actively collect DVDs, Blu-ray and audio books.
* Items will not have ratings or other special designations added which might indicate or facilitate censorship.
* Patrons are limited to a total of four DVDs charged to their card at any time.
* The library will observe all copyright restrictions with regard to audiovisual material and will not allow the copying of items or the public exhibition of DVDs which do not have public performance rights.

Photocopies

* The library will maintain equipment to provide copies of printed and microform materials.
* The library will observe fair use copyright provisions in the photocopying of material.
* The library will control the copying of audiovisual resources in its possession.

Censorship

* Censorship is an individual matter.  While an individual may reject books or materials for her/himself, he/she may not restrict the freedom to read of others.
* If library material is challenged, it will be reviewed by the Director, the Board of Trustees, or both, to determine if the material meets selection criteria of this policy.  If the material meets these criteria, it shall not be removed from the collection except by court order.

Young Adult Materials

The young adult collection seeks to provide a wide range of materials to stimulate the interest of teenagers in reading and in the world around them.

Selection criteria:

* Material is selected to meet recreational, developmental, and informational needs and esthetically appealing.
* Material is selected on the same criteria as adult material with the addition of an appeal to ages 13 through 18.
* Books in this collection are shelved in the teen room.
* Books selected for the young adult collection will provide a transition between the juvenile and adult collections in terms of reading interest and abilities.

Children’s Materials

The Children’s Collection is composed of materials designed to serve the needs of children from infancy through the sixth grade, as well as adults concerned with this age group.

Selection criteria are as follows:

* All criteria that apply to the selection of adult materials apply.
* Relevance and appropriateness for the intended audience.
* Items should exhibit non-stereotypic attitudes although new editions of classics and some titles which reflect beliefs of other times or cultures may be acceptable.
* Selected materials for parents of infants and young children will be housed in the children’s library.

Weeding

Weeding is a thorough and conscientious effort to achieve a well-balanced collection and is a continuous, consistent process.

Guidelines

* The physical condition of the material.
* Slow moving material not listed in standard sources – e.g., Fiction Catalog, Public Library Catalog, etc.
* Material containing subject matter no longer accurate – generally 5 years after the copyright (YAC) for medical and computer books; 10 YAC for legal, accounting, management books; 15 YAC for hard science and gardening.
* Multiple copies of material no longer in demand.
* Local history material or books by local authors and personalities will only be withdrawn by the Library Director or his designee.
* Last copy of any classic will not be discarded without authorization by the Library Director or his designee.

Gifts

* The library may accept or deny gifts.
* Gifts become the absolute and unconditional property of the Library. The Library is free to make all decisions in accordance with its established policies and procedures with respect to the retention, storage, processing, use, and disposition of the item.
*  All gifts will be evaluated for placement in the collection on the same basis as items newly acquired.
* Gifts may be used to replace worn or missing copies of titles already owned.
* Magazines will only be accepted as gifts if they were published in St. Lawrence County, are to be added to the collection, will be used to replace missing issues of a title to which we subscribe, or are titles that can be sold in a book sale.
* The Library will not accept Reader’s Digest Condensed Books unless authorized by the Director.
* The Library will not accept VHS tapes.
* Letter acknowledging material donations will be issued by the Director upon donor request.  All monetary donations will be acknowledged by the Director with a note card or letter.
* The Library will not appraise books and will not set a value on any gift.
* Staff will secure the name and address of people donating materials if possible.
* Donated items will be left on the portico or in the foyer until they can be inspected for vermin, mold, mildew, or other conditions which might create environmental, health, or security problems.

Challenged Materials

Any patron may fill out a “Request for Reconsideration of Library’s Materials” if they feel an item does not belong in the Librarys collection.  The Director will investigate the complaint according to the collection policy and make a decision.  If the patron is not satisfied with the Director’s decision, the complaint will be brought to the Board of Trustees.

Library Services

The Library will:

* Strive to provide quality service.
* Seek funding to provide quality service.
* Serve the needs and interests of the general community through information on a variety of topics.
* Select from available materials and organize for easy access, those which best meet the needs of the people.

Reference Services

The library will provide reference service either at the library, over the telephone, or the Internet by a qualified librarian or by a clerk who can refer questions to a qualified librarian.
     
Reference Collection

* The library will maintain a collection of books, microforms, CDs, DVDs government documents and other reference sources that are current, correct, and as complete as possible.
* The Library Director will use standard reference guides and reviewing tools when purchasing reference materials.
* Basic reference books should be readily accessible for use by patrons.
* Special files may need to be developed to provide information not elsewhere available.
* Current reference books do not circulate except upon approval of the professional-in-charge.

Homework Assistance

Students will be referred to appropriate sources or finding aids; however, library staff will not help students complete a homework assignment or answer homework questions directly.

 
Limits of Reference Service
Questions requiring research or time to answer in excess of one hour indicate the need for an individual to either do his/her own research or hire a professional researcher.  Library staff will, therefore, advise individuals that research service beyond an hour will be charged to the individual for time spent at a rate of $35.00 per hour.  Library staff will recommend that patrons hire a researcher or do her/his own research.

Meeting Rooms

* Meeting rooms are available free of charge to all authorized users. Authorized users are educational civic and cultural organizations.
* Meeting rooms consist of the auditorium, the conference room and the local history room.
Restrictions
* Use of the meeting facilities for library functions takes precedence over any other use.
* No fees, charges, or collections may be made by any organization at the library.
* The Library reserves the right to limit the frequency of meetings to insure the widest possible opportunity of use for the meeting facilities by as many organizations as possible.
* The Library reserves the right to deny organizations the use of meeting facilities if they fail to follow rules and procedures herein or if they act in a disorderly manner.
Reservations
* Reservations, on a first-come, first-served basis, must be made with the director, adult services librarians, or their designated representatives.
* All organizations using the meeting facilities must complete a meeting facilities application/ registration form. Reservations will not be made prior to the filing of the form.
Rules for Use
* Meeting rooms are available only during the normal operating hours of the library. Meetings must terminate 15 minutes prior to the posted closing time of the library.
* All meeting must be free and open to the public.
* Neither the name nor the address of the library may be used as the official name, address or headquarters of an organization using the meeting facilities.
* The library is not responsible for equipment, supplies materials, or other property owned by organizations using meeting facilities.
* Light refreshments may be served.
* Only furniture furnished by the library may be used without approval from a librarian.
* Each group is responsible for cleaning up after use, returning moved furniture to its original location, and for the replacement of lost or damaged equipment. Any group not leaving the room in a neat and orderly condition will be notified that a second offence will result in its being denied further use of the room.

Service to Educational Institutions

* The Library will cooperate with, but cannot perform the functions of, schools or other institutional libraries which are designed to meet curricular needs.
* The Library will support the goals of educational institutions.
* The Library will encourage school classes to visit the library.
* The Library will provide supplemental material from the library’s collection within limitations imposed by the best interest of the library in serving its non-institutional patrons.
* The Library will do joint programming when possible.
* The Library will encourage school visits by library personnel and trustees to give book talks, encourage reading, or to explain library services.

Interlibrary Loan

* The Library accepts the responsibility for securing information and materials beyond its own resources.
* The Library will provide information on its holdings to other institutions and individuals beyond its chartered service area.
* The Library will provide bibliographies, union listings, and resource lists from institutions, organizations, and individuals in and beyond the community which might be used for referral purposes.
* The Library will use point-to-point interlibrary loan within the North Country Library System.
* The Library will lend materials to any requesting library as long as the requester loans its materials and does not charge for loans, has neither fines nor charges pending here or at any other facility of which we are aware, and is a properly chartered or incorporated educational institution.
* Patrons of other libraries will be encouraged to use their local library for interlibrary loan requests.
* Patrons of this library have priority in the use of our materials.  Therefore, reserves will be satisfied before interlibrary loan requests are filled regardless of the order in which requests were received.
* A print, non-print, or a copy of a printed source may be requested through the interlibrary loan process.
* Duration of loan is 4 weeks from the day the item is sent to the day the item is returned, unless otherwise specified by the lending library.
* The following types of material will not be loaned without the express permission of the Library Director: Rare, unique, or valuable material which would be difficult or impossible to replace and non-circulating local history materials.

Responsibilities of Borrowing Libraries

* The borrowing library and its users must comply with conditions established by the lending library or by the system of which it is a member.
* The borrowing library may select the most efficient method available to transmit a request.
* Requests must be verified correctly as much bibliographic information as possible.  If an item cannot be verified, the statement “cannot verify” should be included, along with information as to the original source of the citation.
* Damage and/or loss of materials must be reported to the lending library as soon as possible.
* The borrowing library is responsible for the prompt return of materials.  If damage or loss occurs, the borrowing library must meet all costs of repair or replacement in accordance with the preference of the lending library.
* The copyright law shall be adhered to at all times.
* Each library should inform its users of the purpose of interlibrary loan and the library’s interlibrary loan borrowing policy.

Responsibilities of Lending Library

* The lending library should process requests quickly and respond as promptly as possible.
* The lending library is responsible for clearly marking its ownership on each item loaned.
* The lending library may select the most efficient method available to send the item to the borrowing library.
* The lending library will determine if a loan may be extended or renewed.
* The lending library will determine if there are any extenuating circumstances regarding the loan of an item.  These conditions should be made clear to the borrowing library at the time of the loan.
* The lending library will determine the exact nature of replacement of lost or damaged item.

Programming

* The library will initiate programs, exhibits, book lists, and other activities or publications to stimulate the use of library materials and services for people of all ages.
* The library will concentrate on quality programming as opposed to quantity programming.
* An attempt will be made to budget funds for programming.
* When possible, programs will be tied to some other promotion such as National Library Week (in April), Children’s Book Week (in November), Expo (in February or March), or Seaway Festival (in July).
* All programs will be evaluated in terms of library goals, timing, location, publicity, cost effectiveness, appropriateness, and audience response.

Automated Services

Goals

* To provide automation services to the public when economically possible.
* To automate the library’s procedures as completely as possible.
* To support North Country Library System automation.

Objectives

* To provide reference resources in electronic formats.
* To provide automated registration, circulation and technical service functions at the Ogdensburg Public Library.
* Maintain a homepage on the Internet.

Government Documents

* To make local, state, and federal publications available to patrons.

Social Media Policy

The purpose of the Library’s social media sites is to inform Library users of upcoming events, educational opportunities, library materials and to encourage discussion in regards to these topics.

Non-permitted postings;

* Advertisements
* Spam
* Disparaging, harassing, abusive, profane or offensive postings;
* Potentially libelous or defamatory postings;
* Postings containing personal information
* Postings which violate or potentially violate local, state, or federal laws, including, without limitation, intellectual property and copyright laws;

Violations of Policy:

* The library my delete posts that violate this policy without warning.
* The Library reserves the right to ban or block users who have posted in violation of this policy on more than one occasion.