Approved by the Board of Trustees July 11, 2022
Purpose
The purpose of the Children’s Internet Safety Policy is to govern the library’s provision of internet access to all Florence County residents in accordance with the library’s mission and strategic plan, and to clarify safe internet use for children and their parents.
Internet Content and Filtering
Material entering the library via the internet is not evaluated by the library’s collection policies or controlled by the library. The library is not responsible for the quality, accuracy, content, or timeliness of any information found on the internet.
In compliance with the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) and applicable South Carolina state law, all library computers are equipped with filtering software to prevent the viewing of pornographic material. Internet users who bypass the web filtering software, or instruct other users in bypassing the web filtering software, will forfeit all future rights to use a computer in the library. Library staff may also request that a patron terminate access to a particular site.
Users should be aware that the internet is not a secure medium and that third parties may be able to obtain information regarding users’ activities. All personally identifying patron information, including computer use, will be kept confidential by the library except upon court order.
Access by Minors
As with all library resources, parents and guardians are responsible for deciding which internet resources are appropriate for their own children. Parents and guardians should guide their children in use of the internet and inform them about materials they should not use or view.
- To help prevent minors from accessing inappropriate or harmful material on the internet, the library:
- Provides filtering software on children’s computers
- Encourages staff to guide minors away from materials that may be inappropriate
- Distributes internet safety publications for parents and children
- Provides individual and group instruction on safe and effective internet use
- To help protect the safety and security of minors, as well as the unauthorized disclosure or dissemination of personal information online, the library urges minors and their caregivers to follow these safety guidelines:
- Remember that people online may not be who they say they are, and information one reads online may not be true.
- Never give out identifying information including your real name, age, home address, telephone number or school name.
- Never arrange a face to face meeting with someone via the computer without a parent or guardian’s approval.
- Never respond to messages that are suggestive, obscene, threatening, or make one uncomfortable.
- Have parents or guardians report an incident to the national Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678 if one becomes aware of the transmission of child pornography.
Guidelines for Acceptable Use
In addition to the guidelines set forth in this policy, all users must abide by the general Internet Policy and the library’s Code of Conduct. The guidelines in these policies include but are not limited to the following:
- All children age 13 and younger must have signed parental permission agreements and are required to use the computers located in the Children’s Room orthe children’s area of the branch library. Parents may not circumvent this policy by using their library card to register a child on the adult computers.
- Adults and children 14 and older will use computers in the adult computer area.
- Users must have a Florence County or SCLENDS member library card and use only their own card to access computers and are responsible for all activity conducted under their account.
- Only one person at a time may use a computer.
- Users may not eat or drink while using computers.
- Users may not use library computers for hacking, unauthorized access to the library’s network or any other network, or for any other unlawful activity.
Violations of this policy will result in penalties as outlined in the Internet Policy.