AADL Board Reviews Library Policies

At their Jan. 20, 2014 meeting, trustees of the Ann Arbor District Library discussed extensive revisions to the AADL policy manual, which covers a wide range of issues spanning overall library philosophy to circulation policies and rules of behavior for patrons. A vote to approve the policy updates will likely occur at the board’s February meeting.

The board’s policy committee had already reviewed the changes that were proposed by AADL staff and vetted by legal counsel. For each section, board members were provided with a copy of the current policy, a marked-up version showing deletions and additions, and a “clean” draft version of the updated text.

Revisions are proposed for the following sections of the policy handbook:

• AADL philosophy
• “Freedom to Read” policy
• “Freedom to View” policy
• Privacy statement
• Internet use policy
• MichNet acceptable use policy
• Providing access to computer-based resources
• Interlibrary loan services
• Photocopying/fax services & fees
• Circulation policy
• Confidentiality policy
• Requests for access to records from general public
• Release of minor child’s library records
• Fines for damaged/lost materials
• Display/distribution of materials by outside groups
• Business use of facilities
• Rules of behavior in public sectors
• Unattended child policy
• Equal employment opportunity & affirmative action policy

Barbara Murphy, who chairs the board’s policy committee, pointed out that four sections of the current manual are proposed to be deleted. The issues addressed in the deleted sections are covered in other parts of the manual.

This brief was filed from the fourth-floor boardroom of the downtown Ann Arbor District Library, 343 S. Fifth Ave. A more detailed report will follow: [link]