Library Policies and Procedures Overview
This page is an overview of the policies and procedures for the Marienville Area Library. Copies of the complete written policies may be requested from the Library Director.
Circulation Policies
- Residents of Jenks, Howe, and Barnett Townships in Forest County, and Millstone Township Elk County are eligible for Library Cards.
- Please present your Patron Card for each transaction, but is not necessarily required every time.
- Books, Periodicals, and Audio CDs/Cassettes have a loan period of two weeks; DVD/VHS items have a $0.50 rental charge and a loan period of 1 week. All borrowed items can be renewed if the item is not overdue.
- Overdue items are subject to fines, dependent on item type: Books, Periodicals, and Audio CDs/Cassettes: 0.10 per day; DVD/VHS: $1.00 per day.
- Lost library materials incur a charge of the cost of replacing the item plus an $8.00 processing fee.
Internet and Social Networking Policies
- The library computers are available to all ages of patrons who are in good standing with the library (i.e. owing no fines or fees).
- There is a 30 minute limit time for using the library's computers, However the time may be extended
- Children under the age of 18 must have a parental permission slip on file in order to use the Internet. The form is available at the library. Additionally, we ask that all children under the age of 12 also be accompanied by an adult while using the library computers. Furthermore, parents or guardians , not the library or its staff, are responsible for the information their children access on the Internet.
- Per compliance with the Pennsylvania Child Internet Protection Act (24 P.S. §§ 4601-4612), the library has installed Internet filtering software on its computers. The filtering software is intended to prevent the likelihood that offensive or pornographic materials from the Internet can be accessed by minors, but no filtering software is 100% foolproof. Adults may request that the filtering software is disabled for research purposes and parents or guardians may request in writing that filtering software is disabled for their child for research purposes.
- The library is a "public wi-fi hot spot", meaning that Internet is freely available without login on all devices designed to access the Internet. It is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from the library parking lot. We ask that you use the Internet responsibly at at all times.
- Patrons using the Internet either on a library computer or or via wi-fi during library's hours of operation are asked to sign-in and out at the Librarian's desk .
- Printing information from the library's computers has a charge per page, payable at the Librarian's desk. Please see the fee schedule located at the printer or by the circulation desk for current fees.
- A print copy of the full Marienville Area Library Internet Policy is available upon request.
Donation Policy
- The Marienville Area Library accepts gifts of new and used books and audio/visual materials, in a physical format. E-books, streaming media, and other items in an electronic format cannot be accepted. Donations become property of the library and are added to the collection in accordance with the library's selection policy. Items not added to the collection may be distributed to other libraries or not-for-profit agencies, sold, traded, or discarded.
- Donated items will not be returned to the donor and the library will not accept any item that is not an outright gift. Furthermore, the library reserves the right to decided when a gift item will be withdrawn from the collection.
- Monetary gifts, bequests, and memorial or honorary donations are welcome. Funds donated will be used to purchase items in accordance with the library's selection policy. Suggestions for particular items or subject areas will be honored to the fullest extent possible, but are still subject to the library's selection policy. If memorial items are lost or damaged within the first two years of inclusion to the collection, the best effort will be made to replace the item.
- Acceptance of equipment, real estate, stocks, artifacts, work of arts, or other items outside of the purview of the library's selection policy will be determined by the library board.
- Monetary contributions may also be made to the Marienville Area Building Fund in support of maintenance and expansion of the library building and its physical grounds.
Pennsylvania Library Laws
The complete Pennsylvania Codes with laws relevant to Pennsylvania libraries is available via the above link. The link opens only in web browsers with PDF readers installed on the computer.
Library Bill of Rights (American Library Association)
The American Library Association affirms that all libraries are forums for information and ideas, and that the following basic policies should guide their services. The above link provides the full version of the Library Bill of Rights.