Children of all ages are encouraged to attend the Talladega Public Library with their parents to take advantage of the resources available for them to meet their educational and recreational needs. Adequate staff is not available to supervise unattended children or to prevent their leaving the building. The safety of children should be ensured by the presence of an adult.

Children under twelve are particularly vulnerable. Their safety and well-being would be endangered if they were sent from the building for misbehavior or left alone in the dark outside the facility after business hours.

While it is the responsibility of the parents to ensure appropriate behavior of their children while in the library, the library staff has been instructed to inform the child immediately of any misbehavior. This initial intervention is particularly important if the parent fails to notice or is unable to control the child's behavior. Prompt action assures the rights of other patrons who might be disturbed by noisy or disruptive behavior.

**Disruptive Behavior: Attended Children**

When the staff observes inappropriate behavior that the parent fails to see or ignores, they will take the following actions:

1. Ask the child(ren) to behave appropriately.

2. Inform the parent if disruptive behavior continues.

3. Ask the family to leave if the parent refuses or is unable to control the child.

(Amended: 1/99)

**Disruptive Behavior: Unattended Children**

If a vulnerable child is alone in the library and the staff observes inappropriate behavior, they will take the following actions:

1. With the child's help, obtain the parent's name and telephone number.

2. Call the parent, inform him/her of the library's policy, and request that the child be picked up.

3. If the parent cannot be reached within an hour, call the authorities and ask them to assume responsibility for the child.

(Amended: 1/99)

**Frightened Unattended Children**

If a child is found in the building frightened or crying, the staff member should, first of all, reassure them, then determine whether a parent or attending adult is in the building. If yes, the staff member should accompany the child through the building to find the adult. If no, the staff member should bring the child to the staff work area and attempt to identify and contact the parent. In either case, after reuniting the child and parent, the staff member should explain the library's policy regarding unattended children.

(Amended: 1/99)

**Toddlers**

Those children too young to read and entertain themselves with library materials.

While it is important to bring children to the public library at a very early age, their short attention span dictates the necessity of brief visits. They should be supervised at all times, both to prevent injury to themselves and to avoid disturbing other patrons. Upon request, a staff member will recommend books or furnish recommended lists of books for differing age groups.

(Amended: 1/99)

**After Library Hours**

If a vulnerable child is left alone at the library at closing time, the following procedures will apply:

A staff member will attempt to contact a parent. If he/she cannot reach a parent on the first attempt, the authorities will be contacted to ensure the safety and well-being of the child.

Two staff members will remain with the child until either parents or the police arrive.

If a parent (or other responsible adult) picks up the child, library policy will be explained, and a copy of the written policy will be given to the parent.

Under no circumstances will library staff members transport or take the child away from the building.

If the library staff observes significant evidence of abuse or neglect of children, they should bring this to the attention of the library director so that the authorities can be notified. (Amended: 10/10)

**Unattended Young Users (twelve years and over)**

While the above policies address the handling of children up to twelve years of age, a significant amount of the library's staff time is spent dealing with young people over twelve. These users tend to come in groups or to gather in groups once they are here. They sometimes are working on assignments, but sometimes are just socializing or waiting for a parent to pick them up after work. Their behavior is often distracting and sometimes boisterous. The library staff has been instructed to maintain order during these busy times while trying to assist the young users, as well as any other patrons, in obtaining whatever materials they need.

In case of disruptive behavior, the following procedures will be followed:

Staff courteously instructs the young person to respect the library setting and behave appropriately. The young person is told that he/she will be asked to leave if intervention is again necessary.  

If disruptive behavior continues, staff will ask the young person to leave. He/she is not permitted to return that day, and other staff members should be informed.  

If the young person is uncooperative and causes a scene, the police should be called to assume responsibility. (Amended: 1/99)

**Chronic Disruptive Behavior**

If a child or youth exhibits disruptive behavior on a regular basis, the following procedures will apply:  

The Director will contact the parent(s) to apprise them of the situation.  

Both parents and the child will be told that any further disruptive behavior will result in suspension of library privileges for the following periods of time:  

First offense - one week  

Second offense - two weeks  

Third offense - rest of the school year  

*If the child must have library materials during times of suspension, a parent may check out materials for him. (Amended: 1/99)

**Summary Statement**

It is the sincere desire of the Talladega Public Library to serve the needs of all patrons, regardless of their ages. The rules and regulations concerning young people are designed to protect the rights and needs of all people who use the library. We solicit the cooperation of parents and responsible adults in our endeavor to maintain an atmosphere that is conducive to learning and enjoyment by all visitors. (Amended: 1/99)