Policies – Pomfret Public Library

Policies of Pomfret Public Library

Mission Statement

Pomfret Public Library enriches community members by providing resources, services and programs that promote intellectual curiosity, well-being and life-long learning for all in a welcoming environment.

To accomplish its mission, the library will employ trained staff and offer a wide variety of materials, equipment, services, and programs to support a lifetime of reading, listening, viewing, and learning.

Borrowing Policies

Privileges

All residents of Pomfret are encouraged to become members of the public library.
Children may have their own card when they are able write their name. Parents or guardians are responsible for items borrowed by children under 16 years old.
Nonresidents are welcome to borrow from Pomfret Public Library using a current library card from the town they reside in.
Card holders may lose borrowing privileges if there are unresolved lost or damaged library items.

Circulation

Books and audio books are checked out for three weeks at a time, movies and magazines circulate for one week.
Items may be renewed online or by phone during our operating hours so long as they have not been reserved for another patron.
All library materials may be returned in our book drop or at any public library in CT.
Overdue fines are “according to your conscience”. Please see the librarian regarding the replacement of lost or damaged library materials.
Reserves may be placed online by patrons or by speaking with a staff member. The patron will be contacted by email and/or phone message once the material becomes available and the item will be held for pick up within 2 weeks.

Interlibrary Loans (ILL)

Pomfret Public Library conducts interlibrary loans within CT without fee
Requests may be submitted online through our catalog or through the library staff
Limit to 10 current requests per patron at any given time, or at ILL manager’s discretion
Lost or damaged materials belonging to another library will be charged to the patron
ILL items must be picked up and returned promptly to Pomfret Public Library

Computer Use and Internet Safety Policy

In fulfilling its mission to provide informational, educational, and cultural enrichment for the Pomfret community, the Pomfret Public Library offers free computer/Internet access to all Library patrons. The Internet is a global and unregulated information network. As such, it allows patrons to access information and images beyond the scope of the Library’s selection criterion and collection development policies. The Library cannot control the information accessible through the Internet and is not responsible for its content.

Computer Use

The library provides computers for internet access. Sessions are not typically timed but may be limited to ½ hour if other patrons are waiting.

Wireless internet is provided for use with personal laptops and other devices
Patrons may not alter any hardware or software configurations of library computers or download files of any type to the hard drive
The library is not responsible for accuracy of information received or security of private information (such as credit card information)

The library assumes no responsibility for loss of data, or for damages sustained by any patron connecting their own flash drives or devices to a Library computer, or for any liability that may occur from patron use of a computer or the Library’s network.
Parents are expected to supervise their child’s internet and computer use [see below].

The computers may not be used for anything illegal, unethical or inappropriate, including misrepresentation of identity, copyright or intellectual property violations, or viewing of pornography.

Internet Safety

Inappropriate Network Usage
To the extent practical, steps shall be taken to promote the safety and security of users of the Library’s network when using the internet, including electronic mail, chat rooms, instant messaging, and other forms of direct electronic communications. Specifically, as required by the Children’s Internet Protection Act, inappropriate network usage includes:

Internet Filtering
In compliance with the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) [Pub. L. 106-554 and 47 USC 254(h)], the Library filters all access to the Internet through its network and/or computers, to protect against access to obscene visual depictions, child pornography, and/or other material harmful to minors, as required by law.

The term “obscene” as defined in 18 USC Section 1460.
The term “child pornography” as defined in 18 USC Section 2256.
The term “harmful to minors” as defined in 47 USC Section 254(h)(7)(G).

The filter may unintentionally block sites that have legitimate research value and fail to block objectionable content. Library patrons should be aware that Internet filtering software installed for CIPA compliance should not substitute for individual judgment and/or parental involvement and oversight. Library staff will disable filtered Internet access to persons 18 or older who request it for any lawful purpose. Filters will not be disabled on public computers in the children’s department.

Education, Supervision and Monitoring
The Library affirms and acknowledges the rights and responsibilities of parents and caregivers to monitor and determine their children’s access to library materials and resources, including those available through the Internet. Parents or caregivers are responsible for the Internet information selected and/or accessed by their children, and are encouraged to discuss the use of the internet in relation to boundaries, including the sharing of personal information and images, with their children and teens and to monitor their children’s use of the internet. To assist parents, children, and other library patrons, the library will provide Internet safety resources. [see below]

https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus/keeping-children-safe-online
https://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/what-is-it
internetsafety101.org

Facility and Equipment Use

Other equipment: B & W photocopies and prints are available at .10/page. The fax machine is for sending only.
The library does not have a public meeting room. Small groups, such as a tutor with a student, are welcome to use the library building and grounds so long as they don’t disrupt library business and understand that they will not have a private space.

Public Policies

Code of Behavior

The library is an environment that is welcoming and comfortable for all. Patrons are expected to behave in a way that respects the rights and safety of other individuals and property. Those who violate such rights and safety (through public drunkenness, breach of peace, theft, vandalism, obscenity, etc.) will be asked to leave the library premises. If they do not leave promptly, the police will be called.

Child Supervision

It is the responsibility of caregivers, not library staff, to supervise their children while on or leaving the library premises.
Children attending a library program that does not require registration should be with a designated caregiver or chaperone. At programs that do require registration, it is understood that the person leading the program is the designated chaperone during the time stated, unless it is considered a parent/child activity.
Caregivers should be prompt in picking up their children after library programs. If a child remains on the premises at closing time, a staff member will help them try to contact their home.

Comments

Library patrons are encouraged to make suggestions and comments regarding existing or future acquisitions or library programs, either through informal discussion with staff or trustees or by filling out a Comment/Suggestion Form. All suggestions will be given serious consideration within the constraints of budget, facility and selection criteria.

Exhibits

The library maintains a bulletin board, brochure racks and other display areas to advertise cultural and educational programs, fund raising events for non-profit organizations and social services. The space is not for the advertising of private enterprises.

Sales

An author or artist who is speaking or performing at the invitation of the library may sell their works during the scheduled time of the event. A library volunteer or staff person may assist at the sales table, but the library is not responsible for the display, inventory or collection of funds.
The Friends of Pomfret Public Library may sell books and gift items in the library.
The library may, at the discretion of the library director, sell other items on behalf of other town departments.

Collection Development and Maintenance Policy

Purpose/Scope of Collection
Pomfret Public Library provides all members of the community with resources that promote intellectual curiosity, well-being and life-long learning in a welcoming environment. The public library is an important place for voluntary inquiry, the dissemination of information and ideas and the promotion of free expression and free access to ideas by residents. Library materials should be provided for the interest, information and enlightenment of all residents and other library users, and should represent a wide range of varied and diverging viewpoints in the collection as a whole.

Responsibility of selecting library materials
The responsibility for selection of library materials is delegated to the Library Director and other qualified staff. Librarians are professionally trained to curate and develop a collection that provides residents with access to the widest array of library and educational materials. They consider reviews in professional journals and reputable bibliographies and booklists.

Intellectual Freedom and Censorship
All library materials are evaluated and made accessible in accordance with the protections against discrimination set forth in section 46a-64 of the Connecticut General Statutes.

Library Bill of Rights, Freedom to Read, and Freedom to View statements from ALA
The Pomfret Public Library adheres to the principles of intellectual freedom adopted by the American Library Association as expressed in its Library Bill of Rights, The Freedom to Read Statement, and Freedom to View statements.

Selection Criteria
Librarians review library and educational material within a public library using professionally accepted standards: material relevance, physical condition, availability of duplicates, availability of age appropriate or grade-level material, continued demand of material. Selection criteria include:

material relevance to the needs and interests of library users and local community
quality of presentation and physical condition of the material
general availability of duplicates or copies of the material
the availability of age-appropriate or grade-level material
the continued demand of material
constraints of library budget and facility
Materials may be withdrawn from the collection if at any time they no longer meet the stated selection criteria, i.e., they are damaged, of obsolete information or format, or no longer of interest to the library community as shown by circulation transactions. Withdrawn materials are disposed of at the discretion of the Board of Trustees.

Gifts/Donations
The same selection criteria apply to gifts and donations of library materials as govern other acquisitions. All gifts of books and other materials may be added to the library collection or disposed of at the discretion of the Board of Trustees.

Digital Collections/Databases
Digital resources and databases refer to those materials or services that require a computer or another device for access including, but not limited to, numerical, graphical and textual files, electronic journals, ebooks, digital media, bibliographic or full-text databases and Internet resources. Pomfret Public Library subscribes to digital collections/databases that are curated and managed by vendors; such collections are subject to the selection criteria and policies of that vendor. When digital resources such as ebooks/eaudiobooks are selected by Pomfret Public Library staff, they will observe the same selection criteria as print materials.

Controversial Materials
The library seeks to provide materials with a full range of viewpoints and experiences. While a person may reject library materials for themselves or for their children, they may not restrict display and access to those materials by others. Individuals residing in the Town of Pomfret may challenge materials selected by staff of Pomfret Public Library. Please see the Library Material Review and Reconsideration Policy. The library limits consideration of requests to reconsider materials, displays or programs to individual residents of Pomfret.

Adopted by the PPL Board of Trustees on September 9, 2025

Library Display Policy

Purpose
Pomfret Public Library provides all members of the community with resources that promote intellectual curiosity, well-being and life-long learning in a welcoming environment. Library displays and programs are provided for the interest, information and enlightenment of all residents and other library users.

Library displays and programs represent a wide range of varied and diverging viewpoints, and provide access to content that is relevant to the research, independent interests and educational needs of residents and other library users. Displays and programs are an important resource for voluntary inquiry and the dissemination of information and ideas and to promote free expression and free access to ideas by residents.

Principles and Criteria
The responsibility for selection of library materials for display is delegated to the Library Director and other qualified staff. Librarians are professionally trained to curate and develop displays and programs. Library staff uses the following criteria in deciding which materials to display:

Current needs and interests of library users and local community
Historical, cultural or educational significance and connection to other library, local or broader initiatives
Relation to and promotion of library collections, resources, and programs
Constraints of display space
Aesthetic appeal or artistic expression

The library may develop and present displays and exhibits co-sponsored with other community agencies, organizations, educational institutions or individuals; the above criteria would apply to such displays. In addition to displays and programs that are created or curated by librarians, the library may also host displays and programs created and curated by members of the public or community; such displays and exhibits are subject to the criteria established by that creator, not those of the library.

Display of Controversial Materials
The library seeks to provide materials with a full range of viewpoints and experiences, and to promote those materials through effective displays. While a person may reject library materials for themselves or for their children, they may not restrict their display and access to those materials by others. Individuals residing in the Town of Pomfret may challenge displays curated by staff of Pomfret Public Library, or co-sponsored by the library with some other community group. Please see the Library Material Review and Reconsideration Policy. The library limits consideration of requests to reconsider displays or programs to individual residents of Pomfret.

Library Program Policy

Library programs and displays represent a wide range of varied and diverging viewpoints, and provide access to content that is relevant to the research, independent interests and educational needs of residents and other library users. They are an important resource for voluntary inquiry and the dissemination of information and ideas and to promote free expression and free access to ideas by residents.

Definition of a Program
A library program is a free event or activity, virtual or in-person, planned by the library staff for the benefit of those members of the public who opt to attend. It may involve outside presenters, facilitators or performers, may be presented in cooperation with other entities, and may be hosted at the library or at another location. Note: Use of the library’s public meeting rooms by an organization or individual to hold a public event is not a Library Program, and does not imply endorsement by either Pomfret Public Library or the Town of Pomfret for any content or views expressed during that program.

Roles and Responsibilities
The responsibility for development, coordination, promotion, execution and supervision of library programs is delegated to the Library Director and other qualified staff. Librarians are professionally trained to curate and develop programs and displays.

Program Selection
The library strives for a balanced offering of informational, cultural, presentational and/or interactive programming that will encourage life-long learning and community engagement through developmentally and age-appropriate experiences. Criteria includes (but is not limited to):

Of current interest and need in the community
Is not of a purely commercial nature, although presenters and performers may offer related products (ex.: books or music) during their event
Does not oppose or support any political candidate or ballot measure, or proselytize for a religious belief system. Programs of a political or religious nature may be offered if they are primarily educational and informational, and offer opportunity for a variety of viewpoints to be presented.

Program Development, Coordination and Supervision
The responsibility for development, coordination, promotion, execution and supervision of library programs is delegated to the Library Director and other qualified staff. Library staff confers in an ongoing way to coordinate a balanced scope, sequence and schedule of program topics and formats. Each program or event is supervised by a library staff person as assigned. When programs are co-hosted with some other entity, that entity may be responsible for direct supervision with the library staff acting as a liaison and support person.

In addition to displays and programs that are created or curated by librarians, the library may also host displays and programs created and curated by members of the public or community; such displays and exhibits are subject to the criteria established by that creator, not those of the library.

Program Access

All library programs and events are free and open to the public.
All library materials are evaluated and made accessible in accordance with the protections against discrimination set forth in section 46a-64 of the Connecticut General Statutes.
All are welcome, regardless of race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, marital status, lawful source of income, or disability (including blindness, deafness, and mobility impairments).
Programs may have a suggested age range to guide participants to the most suitable developmental and age-appropriate activities.
Some programs may require advance registration due to limitations of space and/or materials and supplies provided.

Virtual Programs
Some programs may be offered virtually or in a simultaneous in-person and live streamed format. Participants in virtual programs must register in advance to receive the program link, and must provide their own device and internet connection for participation.

Participants will be informed in advance if the program is being live-streamed or recorded for future viewing.
Participants in virtual programs are expected to adhere to the Library Code of Behavior.

Program Materials
Any materials or supplies required for successful participation in the program are provided by the library free of charge. Participants may be encouraged to become members of the Friends of Pomfret Public Library when the Friends group has sponsored the program and to support future programming in that way.

Program Evaluation
Programs are continually evaluated by library staff to inform future programming decisions. We regularly collect statistics regarding the number of participants as a way to determine community interest and program schedule. Other feedback, such as quality of program delivery, increased knowledge of topic and suggestions for future programming, is always welcome and may be formally collected if required for grant reporting.

Reconsideration of Controversial Programs
The library seeks to provide programming with a full range of viewpoints and experiences. While a person may reject a program for themselves or for their children, they may not restrict access to those programs by others. Individuals residing in the Town of Pomfret may challenge programs planned and executed by staff of Pomfret Public Library, or co-sponsored by the library with some other community group. Please see the Library Material Review and Reconsideration Policy. The library limits consideration of requests to reconsider displays or programs to individual residents of Pomfret.

Adopted by the PPL Board of Trustees on September 9, 2025

Library Material Review and Reconsideration Policy

Pomfret Public Library provides all members of the community with resources that promote intellectual curiosity, well-being and life-long learning in a welcoming environment. The library seeks to provide materials, displays, and programming with a full range of viewpoints and experiences. While a person may reject materials, displays or programs for themselves or for their children, they may not restrict access to those programs for others.

All library materials are evaluated and made accessible in accordance with the protections against discrimination set forth in section 46a-64 of the general statutes.

In accordance with Public Act 25-168 Sec. 322, 323, Pomfret Public Library abides by the following statutory requirements.

No library material, display or program shall be removed, or programs be cancelled, because of the origin, background or viewpoints expressed in such material, display or program or because of the origin, background or viewpoints of the creator of such material, display or program.
Library materials, displays and programs shall only be excluded for legitimate professionally accepted standards of collection maintenance practices as adopted in the collection development and maintenance policy or the display and program policy
The removal, exclusion or censoring of any book on the sole basis that an individual finds such book offensive is prohibited
The library limits the consideration of requests to reconsider material, displays or programs to individuals residing in Pomfret.
The process for petitioners to challenge any library material, display or program shall never favor nor disfavor any group based on protected characteristics

The process whereby individuals with a vested interest, i.e. a resident of Pomfret, may challenge any library and other educational material, display, or program is as follows:

Request a copy of the Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials, Displays or Programs form at the circulation desk or print it from the library website.
Fill in the form in its entirety and submit it to the Library Director.
The Library Director will evaluate the Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials, Displays or Programs form, read the challenged material in its entirety, evaluate the challenged material against the collection development and maintenance policy and make a written decision on whether or not to remove the challenged material not later than sixty days from the date of receiving such request.
The library director shall provide a copy of the library director’s decision and report to the individual who submitted the form.
A library director may consolidate any requests for reconsideration of the same challenged library material.
Any library material being challenged will remain available in the library according to its catalog record and be available for a resident or other library user to reserve, check out or access until a final decision is made by the library director
The individual who submitted the request for reconsideration form may appeal, in writing, the library director’s decision to the Board of Trustees. The board, after evaluating the challenged material under the collection development and maintenance policy shall consult with the library director, State Librarian, or State Librarian’s designee, a representative of the cooperating library service unit as defined in section 11-9e of the general statutes, the president of the Connecticut Library Association, or the president’s designee, and the president of the Association of Connecticut Library Boards, or the president’s designee who shall deliberate on such a request for reconsideration, provide a written statement of the reasons for the reconsideration or refusal to reconsider the library material, and provide any final decision that is contrary to the decision of the library director.
Once a decision has been made by the Library Director or the Board of Trustees on the reconsideration of any library material, such material cannot be subject to a new request for reconsideration for a period of three years.

Any librarian or staff member of a public library who, in good faith, implements the policies described in this section shall be immune from any liability, civil or criminal, that might otherwise be incurred or imposed and shall have the same immunity with respect to any judicial proceeding that results from such implementation.

Reconsideration requests are not confidential patron records under section 11-25 of the general statutes. They will be presented to the Library Board of Trustees and as such become public record and are subject to FOIA.

Adopted by the PPL Board of Trustees on September 9, 2025

Gifts and Donations

The Pomfret Public Library is a tax-supported institution; donations are welcome as a means of augmenting the town support. The same selection standards apply to gifts of library materials as govern other acquisitions. All gifts of books and other materials or capital improvements may be added to the collection/library property or disposed of at the discretion of the Board of Trustees.
The library does not appraise gifts for tax purposes, but will supply documentation of the receipt of the gift if requested. (Forms: Donor Tax-Deduction Form)
Those who wish to make an endowment to the library through the Town of Pomfret should contact the chair or treasurer of the Board of Trustees.
The Friends of the Pomfret Public Library is a 501(c)3 organization and welcomes all donations. Funds are managed by the board of the Friends group and are used solely for the benefit of Pomfret Public Library.