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Library Policies

Library Policies Listed by Date of Adoption

Use of Library for Meetings and Events

Use of the Library: The Tolland Public Library is available for event and meeting use to any Tolland resident or organization. The maximum capacity of the building is ten people. Any gathering shall have no more than ten people in attendance. Use of the Library can only be approved by a member of the Board of Trustees through an application process.

Application for Library Use: An application for use is available from any librarian. It should be filled in and submitted to the Library Director. A twenty-five dollar security deposit in the form of a check payable to the Town of Tolland must accompany all applications.

Approval and Scheduling: The applicant will be notified of approval after scheduling is checked through the Library Director and a signature is obtained from a member of the Board of Trustees.

Applicant Financially Responsible: The applicant accepts financial responsibility for any damages incurred during the event by application signature and security deposit. The check will be returned upon inspection of the library after the event by either the Library Director or a Trustee.

Click here to download Library Use Application Form.

Adopted February 2, 2004
Revised July 16, 2005
Board of Trustees
Tolland Public Library

Lending Policy

All items held within and available to the Tolland Public Library may be borrowed by any cardholder of any Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners certified library. Additional information will be requested from any non-Tolland resident.

Lending rules are as follows:

  • Books and audios are checked out for a four week period and are renewable for an additional term.
  • Videos are checked out for a one week period and are not renewable.
  • Renew orders are acceptable in person, by phone or by email.
  • There are no overdue fees per item. If any cardholder has two or more overdue items, the cardholder’s privileges are suspended until all overdue items are returned.

Adopted February 2, 2004
Board of Trustees
Tolland Public Library

Use of Library Materials Policy

All materials in the collection of the Tolland Public Library are available to all community members and registered borrowers. Materials are not rated by content or restricted by age. No materials are sequestered unless necessary to protect the item from harm.

The selection and use of materials by children and young adults is the responsibility of their parents or legal guardians. Access to adult material is not restricted. It is not the responsibility of the library staff to make judgments on the appropriateness of materials for individuals.

Adopted February 2, 2004
Board of Trustees
Tolland Public Library

Selection Process for Library Materials Policy

The selection of materials for the library are based on the judgment and experience of the director. The director should evaluate materials via library review sources, best seller lists, and other review tools. Factors to be considered when making material selections include the following:

  • Popular demand
  • Community interest
  • Usefulness as determined by library use
  • Longevity of subject
  • Availability through other sources, partticularly loans through Western Massachusetts Regional Library System

Adopted February 2, 2004
Board of Trustees
Tolland Public Library

Gifts Policy

Gifts in various forms are accepted by the Tolland Public Library.

Material donations, including books, videos and audio books, are subjected to the same selection standards as new material purchased by the library. Material donations are accepted with the understanding that they may or may not be added to the collection. Items may be used for fund raising, passed to another library, or discarded. Gifts in kind will be acknowledged though the valuation is the responsibility of the donor.

Gifts of monies will be accepted by the library. If the gift is accompanied by instructions to purchase a specific title, all efforts should be made to adhere to those instructions. If there are no specifics tied to the monies, the gift should be disbursed equally between adult books, Children/YA books, video and audio. An acknowledgement for tax purposes will be given for gifts of cash.

Adopted February 2, 2004
Board of Trustees
Tolland Public Liblrary

Computer and Internet Use Policy

PUBLIC ACCESS COMPUTERS AT THE TOLLAND PUBLIC LIBRARY

  • Computers are for use by any patron of the library.
  • All users must sign in at the beginning of any session on any of the computers.
  • Patrons are allowed one half hour of usage. Time may be extended if no other users waiting.
  • Computer time can be reserved by signing the time card in advance.
  • Reservations will be cancelled after the patron is five minutes tardy.
  • Patrons may not download, install, uninstall or modify any software to the computer hard drive. Software may be downloaded to the patron’s portable flash drive.
  • Patrons may not add, remove or change any hardware to the computer or printer with the exception of a portable flash drive for the purpose of accessing or saving the patron’s files
  • No files may be saved to the computer’s hard drive.

INTERNET ACCESS AND WIRELESS

All public access computers are wired for internet access. When using the internet...

PATRONS MAY NOT:

  • Download material or email to the computer’s hard drive.
  • Set up email accounts within any locally installed software such as Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express.
  • Access pornographic material
  • Make or attempt to make any changes to the software or the settings of the computer.
  • Falsely represent yourself as another person for the purposes of fraud or illegal activity

PATRONS MAY:

  • Download material to a preformatted disk or memory stick.
  • Print material at a cost of $.05 per page.
  • Access email through the Web using personal webmail accounts.

Access to the internet is offered to the general public by wireless connection. Anyone, registered patron or not, may use the wireless access with their own computers with no time limit.

The Library staff will help with any technical issues to the best of their ability but is not to be viewed as technical support.

YOUTH GUIDELINES

The Tolland Public Library cannot limit access to instant messaging, chat rooms or other personal websites such as myspace. It is the responsibility of parents to provide guidance and monitoring for their children.

Adopted July 1, 2007
Board of Trustees
Tolland Public Library

Policy on Solicitations and Sale of Merchandise        

Solicitations

The Library Director may grant permission for solicitation of goods, materials and cash contributions for schools or charitable organizations in Tolland-Granville. Permission is the sole decision of the Library Director. No solicitations shall be approved for religious or political organizations.

Examples of potential solicitations include:

  • School-sanctioned fundraisers (e.g. subscriptions, candy, paper goods, objects, books, etc.)
  • Girl or Boy Scout, 4-H, school clubs.
  • Granville-Tolland Scholarship Fund, Ladies Aid, Tolland Volunteer Fire Department, Tolland Public Library  or other similar groups.
  • Food or book drives.
  • Recycled materials such as cell phones, printer cartridges, etc. to be used as fundraising sources by approved organizations.

While every reasonable effort will be made to provide security for goods and monies, the Tolland Public Library and the Library Director shall not be responsible for monies or goods collected during solicitations.

Sale of Goods and Materials

Sale of goods and materials at the Library be at the sole discretion of the Library Director and shall be limited to:

  • Books by Tolland or Granville authors
  • Goods and materials sanctioned by town-approved organizations, boards or committees (e.g. Tolland Historical Commission, Tolland Cultural Council, Tolland Public Library, Board of Selectmen, Tolland Volunteer Fire Department, Ladies Aid, Bicentennial Committee etc.). Examples include note cards, American Flags for mounting on poles in Tolland, tickets for fundraising events, t-shirts.

While every reasonable effort will be made to protect books, goods or materials, the Tolland Public Library or Library Director shall not be responsible for any objects offered for sale at the Library or for monies collected from sales.

Adopted September 21, 2009
Board of Trustees
Tolland Public Library

Policy on Use of the Library for Displays and Exhibitions

The Tolland Public Library may host exhibitions or displays by local residents at the sole discretion of the Library Director. All decisions by the Library Director are final. Exhibitions and display are subject to the following conditions and limitations and any other reasonable requirements established by the Library Director.

Exhibitions and Displays shall…

  • Be suitable and appropriate to all age groups using the Library. Material shall not contain religious objects or material, political material (except of an historical nature, or objects potentially offensive to the community. Displays and exhibits may include artwork, photography, sculpture, specialty collections of objects, images, handmade artisanal products (e.g. jewelry, pottery, woodcarvings, glass, textiles)
  • Not require mounting or affixing of objects to walls, floor or furniture.
  • Be of a size appropriate to existing available space and shall not interfere with regular operations of the Library.
  • Not compromise staff, patron or building safety and security.
  • Be limited to a time period agreed upon in writing between the Library Director and the exhibitor, but no longer than 31 days.
  • Be set up and removed by the exhibitor at a time agreed upon in writing by the Library Director. Set up must include appropriate display devices (e.g. boxes, cabinets, easels, etc.) and security.
  • Be displayed with the full responsibility of the exhibitor for damage to or loss of objects or materials. The exhibitor must hold the Library harmless in writing for damage or loss.
  • Contain contact information of the exhibitor for purposes of requesting further information or purchase of items. If for sale, items shall not contain prices. The Library shall not handle any sale or purchase of goods or materials.

Adopted September 21, 2009
Board of Trustees
Tolland Public Library

Lending Policy

All items held within and available to the Tolland Public Library may be borrowed by any cardholder of any Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners certified library. Additional information will be requested from any non-resident of Tolland.

Tolland Public Library Materials Lending:

  • Books and audios are checked out for a four week period and are renewable for an additional term.
  • Dvds and music cds are checked out for a one week period and are not renewable.
  • Renewal requests may be made in person, by phone or by email.
  • There are no overdue fees for any item that is the property of the Tolland Public Library. If any cardholder has two or more overdue items, the cardholder’s privileges are suspended until all overdue items are returned.
  • The borrower is responsible for any replacement costs of lost items.

Inter-Library Loan (ILL) Materials Lending:

  • Items borrowed through the Inter-Library Loan System are subject to the due dates allowed by the lending library. These dates must be adhered to strictly. Lending libraries rarely allow items to be renewed.
  • Any overdue inter-library loan items will apply to the lending suspension mentioned in the previous section.
  • The borrower is responsible for payment of any fines or fees for all overdue or lost items obtained through the inter-library loan system.

Approved December 14, 2010
Board of Trustees
Tolland Public Library