TRAER PUBLIC LIBRARY POLICIES

(UPDATED OCTOBER 2005)

OBJECTIVES
The Traer Public library provides a service to all individuals, both
children and adults, within the community and designated surrounding
areas. Its objectives include the selection of materials that fulfill
informational, occupational, educational, creative and pleasurable
needs...also materials of contemporary and historical significance.
Information technology will be implemented in the Traer Library to
ensure equal access to electronic information resources for all Traer's
citizens.

SELECTING MATERIALS
Library materials are selected by the Director with suggestions from the
trustees...within standards of purpose and quality and knowledge of the
Library Bill of Rights and the Freedom to Read Statement adopted by the
Council of the American Library Association.

Materials for children are selected to stimulate imagination and help in
the development of taste for reading. Materials for young people are
selected to provide sound information and understanding of the world we
live in.

GIFT
The Library welcomes gifts of books and other materials with the
understanding that it will evaluate them in accordance with the criteria
applied to purchased materials.

Cash gifts for the purchase of Memorial books or collections will be
handled by the Director in consultation with the donor. The name of the
donor and person memorialized will be entered in the book or books. The
Director will send acknowledgment cards to Memorial donor and a family
member.

CIRCULATION OF MATERIALS
Library cards will be issued to all patrons in the community and
surrounding trade areas. When applying for a new card patron must give
his place of employment and work telephone number. After a new patron
registers they may only check out a total of three items for the first
time. Each person is held responsible for materials he or she checks
out. Parents are held responsible for the actions of their children
(age 18 and under) with borrowed materials. A listing of people and
items they have overdue will be kept in the library.

FINES

Fines will be assessed as follows: Videos/DVD-50 cents per day per video/DVD, all other library materials-10 cents per day per item. If materials are damaged, fines are assessed according to the amount of damage. If completely destroyed, the patron will be charged with the list price of the item. If there is slight damage, the price of restoring the book is charged. If it is necessary to rebind a book, the cost of rebinding will be charged. It the book is lost, the list price will be charged.

If videos are one month or more late being returned there will be a one month probationary period before any library items may be checked out. The person will be restricted to in-library use only.

All fines must be paid and any late materials returned before any further library materials can be checked out. The maximum fine for late materials is $10.00. Patrons can not check out items after $5.00 is accrued. Materials must be replaced if lost or damaged.

The process for notification of overdue materials is as follows: After the item is two weeks late the patron will be called and reminded to return the overdue item/items. After the item is four weeks late the patron will be notified by sending a postcard once again reminding them to return the item. After the item is six weeks late the patron will receive an invoice letter stating the price of the overdue item. If after two weeks of receiving the invoice letter and the patron has not paid the bill or returned the overdue item the patron will be sent a legal letter stating they must bring the item back or pay for lost item. If there is no response from the patron within two weeks of sending the legal notification a list of the items overdue will be submitted to the city or county law enforcement agency.

RENEWALS

Patrons may renew books up to two months (four times) unless special permission is obtained from the Director.

PERSONNEL

The Director will be appointed by the Trustees with approval by the City Council. Assistant Director and all other library personnel will be appointed by the Director.

SALARY

To be set by the Board of Trustees and said Trustees will review library employee’s salaries previous to the preparation of the budget for the following fiscal year (usually done in October).

Employees will be evaluated six (6) months after the date of hire and annually thereafter.

TERMINATION OF SERVICE

Director: Written notice to Trustees-four (4) weeks notice.

Assistant Director: give Trustees four (4) weeks notice.

Retirement: Arrange with Trustees three (3) months in advance.

VACATION

Director: 1^st year…one week

2^nd year to 4^th year…two weeks

5 years and over…three weeks

Additional at discretion of Trustees - all vacations with pay.

Vacation time cannot be accumulated.

Years completed is calculated from anniversary (date of hire) date.

Vacation time is earned during one anniversary year and taken the next anniversary year or time is lost.

When an employee quits, is terminated, retires, or dies, any vacation time earned in the previous anniversary year but unused in the current year and any vacation time earned in the current anniversary year will be compensated. Compensation for vacation time earned in the current anniversary year will be prorated from their employment anniversary date for any full months worked. The first year of employment must be completed before any vacation time is compensated.

Assistant Director: One twenty (20) hour week per year from anniversary year (hired date) said vacation to be with pay, and said vacation time will not be cumulative.

Director gets eight (8) paid holidays.

Assistant Director gets paid holidays according to schedule if it falls on his\her workday.

SICK LEAVE

Director: Five (5) work days per year. Get substitute if ill.

Assistant Director: No paid leave. Report to Director if unable to work.

PERSONAL LEAVE

Director: Illness in immediate family-sick leave may be taken.

Death: Immediate family-five (5) days. Other family-three (3) days.

Leave without pay may be requested.

JURY DUTY

Director and Assistant Director will receive leave with pay. The trustees will provide compensation for the difference between what you would have earned for your regular time and the jury pay you receive.

LIBRARY HOURS

Monday 1:00-7:00 PM
Tuesday 1:00-5:00 PM
Wednesday 10:00 AM-5:00 PM
Thursday 10:00 AM-7:00 PM
Friday 1:00-5:00 PM
Saturday 10:00 AM-12:00 Noon
Sunday Closed
Library closed with approval of President of Trustees:
Inclement weather
Other necessities
Holidays observed:
      Memorial Day
      July Fourth
      Labor Day
      Thanksgiving
      Christmas Eve Day
      Christmas
      New Years Eve Day
      New Years Day
      Town Celebrations when applicable

PAYMENT OF DUES AND MEETING EXPENSE
Dues of Trustees to Iowa Library Association paid by City Clerk.
Traveling expense to meetings paid by City Clerk upon receipt of expense
account, as follows: The Board of Trustees will pay tuition expenses
for further education classes for Director and Assistant Director with
the understanding that same will be repaid by the recipient if person
quits employment within a year.
Workshops:

Director: Trustees will pay registration, mileage (portal to portal and
parking), meals, and the hours spent in workshop will accrue to hourly
work quota.

Assistant Director: Trustees will pay registration, mileage (portal to
portal and parking), meals, and hourly wage for time spent in the
workshop.

Part-time employee: Person will attend workshop at the discretion of
the Director, and will be paid registration, mileage (portal to portal
and parking), meals and hourly wage.

Board Members: will be paid registration, mileage (portal to portal and parking), and meals.

TRUSTEES
The Board of Library Trustees shall consist of nine (9) members
appointed by the Mayor and City Council, at the first meeting in
January-for six (6) years-except to fill vacancies. Absence from six
(6) consecutive meetings, except for illness or for reasonable
explanation of absence, shall render his/her office as trustee vacant.

POWERS OF TRUSTEES
To elect officers.
To have charge, control, supervision of library.
To have exclusive control of the expenditure of all funds allocated for
library purposes by the council and county supervisors, and of all
moneys available by gift or otherwise for the erection of library
building, and of all other moneys belonging to the library including
fines and rentals collected under the rules of the board.
To employ director as necessary.
To remove director and/or assistants if necessary, by two-third (2/3)
vote of trustees.

HANDICAPPED ACCESS

The Traer Public Library is handicap accessible. Special delivery of library items is made to those handicapped that cannot get to the library. Items will be delivered to handicapped patrons at a named location or their homes. An extension of this service may be delivered through the Friends group. In either case, call the library.

PHOTOCOPYING
The photocopy machine is provided as a service and convenience to the
public, as well as the library. Cost of copies to the public shall be
10 cents per copy for regular size paper and 15 cents per copy for legal
size paper and color paper. The copy machine shall be operated only by library staff.
The library shall post and comply with copyright laws.

There will be no cost to local churches for copying in case of an
emergency and they need to use our copier, with the understanding that
the church will furnish its own copy paper. If the church uses the
library paper the cost will be 5 cents per copy (half the going rate).

Students may have free copying done when they need copies for homework
assignments out of reference books that may not be checked out, up to
five (5) pages, after that 10 cents a page will be charged.

COMPUTER
The Traer Public Library is providing access to the Internet as a means to enhance the information and learning opportunities for the citizens of the library’s service area. The Board of Trustees has established the Internet use policy to ensure appropriate and effective use of this resource.

Access to the Internet is available to all patrons; however, this service may be restricted at any time for use not consistent with the guidelines.

The Traer Public Library offers eight (8) computers in its patron computer lab. Six (6) of the computers are PC’s and are connected with wireless internet through Traer Municipal Utilities. One of the six is reserved for research for school projects. Two (2) computers are IMACS and are used exclusively for Accelerated Reader tests (a program for elementary children we run with the approval of our North Tama Elementary School and Accelerated Reader)

To use a computer the patron must first check in at the circulation desk.

The patron is allowed 30 minutes on the computer, if there is no patron waiting for the service at the end of a session, the user can have another session, but once having had the service for 30 minutes the user must abandon use of the Internet if another patron requests use of the service.

If no one is using the one computer set aside for school research, it may be used for other purposes, but must be relinquished immediately if a patron comes in wanting to use it for school research.

Patrons may call and reserve a computer for a specific time, the patron must show up at the designated time, if they are late, they will join the people waiting on a first come first serve basis.

Only one person per computer is allowed unless special permission is granted by the director or staff member on duty. An example in which permission would be granted is if two students were working on a school project together.

A minor who is in the library with preschool or lower elementary children they are in charge of is not allowed to use the computer lab.

If a patron has a fine of $5.00 or more and has overdue items, they are not allowed to use the computers until the items are returned. If a patron has a fine of $5.00 or more but all items have been returned they may sign up to use the computers.

The director or staff member on duty may screen the use of the computer and internet as needed. The director or staff member on duty may require a patron to leave if they behave in an unruly manner.

Users may use the Internet for the receipt and transmission of electronic mail (e-mail) as long as they use a free e-mail service which will establish and maintain an account for them; the library is unable to manage e-mail accounts for any organizations or individuals.

Users will respect and uphold copyright laws and all other applicable laws and regulations; they will not use it for illegal purposes.

Users will respect the rights and privacy of others by not accessing private files.

Users agree not to incur any costs for the library through their use of the Internet service.

There is a fee of 10 cents per sheet of paper printed from the computer.

Users shall not create and/or distribute computer viruses over the Internet.

Users shall not deliberately or willfully cause damage to computer equipment, programs, or parameters.

FAXING
There will be a charge of $2.00 for the first page and $1.00 for each
subsequent page for faxes that are sent or received. The charge for out
of country faxes will be $3.00 for the first page and $2.00 for each
subsequent page that is sent or received.

AUDIOVISUAL LOAN
Borrowers must have a library card in order to check out video’s or DVD’s. Only 3 (three) video’s or DVD’s per family at onetime may be borrowed. Videos and DVD’s may be loaned for a 48 hour period. Copyright laws limit these cassettes to home viewing only, and prohibit their duplication. There is no charge for videos-a 50 cent per day late charge will be charged per video.

INTERLIBRARY LOAN
The library will request materials for patrons through Interlibrary Loan
if materials are not available in the Traer Public Library collection. Patrons will pay $1.00 per item received through Interlibrary Loan to help with postage rates. Patrons may receive three items free from Interlibrary Loan requests for reports. When a patron does not pick up requested items they will be assessed $3.00 per item.

POSTING NOTICES

A limited amount of space is available in the library to educational, cultural, or other non-commercial, non-sectarian civic groups for posting notices of meetings and other activities. No commercial notices for profit making organizations or individuals may be displayed. All notices posted in the library become property of the library and may be removed and discarded at any time. Items to be posted must be approved by the library director

PATRON CONDUCT
A patron may be completely or partially barred from the library, its grounds, or any library privileges for a serious violation or repeated non-serious violations of library policy.

Staff-Issued Bars

Any library staff member may bar an individual from the library, its grounds, or any library privileges for a period of up to two weeks. Staff-issued bars shall not be appealable by the patron.

Board-Issued Bars

A quorum of the Board of Directors may bar a patron for periods in excess of two weeks after considering the factual basis of the charges and the seriousness of the charges brought against the individual, then, rendering a written decision which may be in any form, and notifying the barred individual.

Appeal Rights

Bars in excess of two weeks may be appealed by the patron by making a written request for a hearing to the Board of Directors within thirty days of receiving the notice of bar. A quorum of the Board of Directors or any designated subcommittee of the Board of Directors may hear the appeal. After hearing, the quorum or subcommittee may, by written decision, take no action or may shorten, extend, or otherwise modify the bar period and terms.

CONFIDENTIALITY
It shall be the policy of this library that all records herein shall be
kept confidential to protect the identity of any patron, i.e. names,
addresses, unlisted phone numbers, postcards to a patron must be mailed
in envelopes; with the exception of any records ordered to be released
by court order and only then if there is a definite connection (criminal
or otherwise) between the information requested and the patron in
question.

SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
Nonfiction books about Traer, Tama County, and the State of Iowa are
housed in a separate collection. This collection and other reference
materials marked Library use only, are to remain in the Traer Public
Library and will not be checked out.

LIBRARY MEETING ROOM
The Traer Public Library provides meeting rooms for civic, cultural, educational, and public informational meetings held by community and business groups. Library sponsored programs have priority use.

Use of the meeting rooms does not imply library endorsement of ideas expressed in the meetings or of the goals and objectives of the organizations using the facilities. If a question is raised about the goals or activities of any organization, group, or individual requesting use of the meeting rooms, the Library Board shall be the final authority in granting or refusing permission for the use of the rooms.

The Library is a smoke free building.

The Library is an alcohol free building.

Decorations must be approved by the Library prior to installation. Decorations and other materials are not permitted on the walls. Exits must be clear at all times. All materials must be completely removed after use of the room. The meeting room must be left in the same condition as found.

A kitchen is available for serving of refreshments in the small meeting room. Any refreshments in the large meeting room must have prior approval from the Library Board. Alcoholic beverages may not be served.

An application form must be completed by anyone requesting the use of the meeting room. That person will be held responsible for its proper use. The meeting room should be left in a neat, orderly condition.

The following schedule of fees shall apply: $50.00 for use of the small meeting room with kitchen plus a $50.00 refundable deposit (submitted separately). $100.00 for use of the large meeting room plus a $50.00 refundable deposit (submitted separately).

Library sponsored events, school events and service organizations shall use the meeting rooms at no charge. The Traer Public Library Board of Trustees will determine when rental fees apply.

DISCLAIMER
The Employee Policy herein is not intended to create any contractual
rights in favor of you or the City of Traer, Traer Public Library. The
City of Traer, Traer Public Library reserves the right to change the
terms of this employee policy at anytime.