Library Bill of Rights The Lee County Library System subscribes to the principles outlined in the American Library Association's
Library Bill of Rights:
- Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.
- Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.
- Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.
- Libraries should cooperate with all persons and groups concerned with resisting abridgment of free expression and free access to ideas.
- A person’s right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views.
- Libraries which make exhibit spaces and meeting rooms available to the public they serve should make such facilities available on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting their use.
Confidentiality
The Law
Florida Statute 257.261 Library registration and circulation records reads in part:
"All registration and circulation records of every public library, except statistical reports of registration and circulation, are confidential and exempt from the provisions of s. 119.07(1) and from s. 24(a) of Art. I of the State Constitution. Except in accordance with proper judicial order, a person may not make known in any manner any information contained in such records, except as provided in this section. As used in this section, the term “registration records” includes any information that a library requires a patron to provide in order to become eligible to borrow books and other materials, and the term “circulation records” includes all information that identifies the patrons who borrow particular books and other materials...."
Your Library Card
The library card issued to you is the key to your registration and patron information. If you give your card or card number to someone, you are giving that person permission to access all the information your record contains. If you are not carrying your library card, it is possible to access your record with photo identification. This transaction must be done in person, and it can only be done for your own record.
Your Privacy
Florida law restricts access by others to your address, phone number, demographic information, items that are currently checked out on your card, items you have requested, overdue items, charges, or any other information contained within your record. If you want to change your phone number, place or pick up a hold, find out what is overdue on a record, etc., you must provide staff with the card or card number for that record.
Families
Children generally have the same rights under Florida law as adults. A child's record can be accessed only through the library card or card number for that record. Parents may be able to find out about overdue fines or lost materials on their children’s records if:
•the parent is named in the child’s record
•the child is under age 16 Patrons who do not wish their children’s records to remain private should either check out their children’s items on their own cards or keep the children’s cards with them.
Lost and Found Procedure Library staff will make a reasonable attempt to return lost items to their owners. If identifying information is contained in the lost item, staff will attempt to contact the owner as soon as possible to report the found item. Books or other similar items that are placed in a library’s book return usually will be considered donations to the library. They will be treated as other donated items, in accordance with the Lee County Library System Material Selection Policy. If such an item has a property stamp of a school or another library, the library system will return it to the owning library or school, if possible. A lost item will be kept in a designated place at the library where it was found for 30 days. After 30 days, the library will dispose of the item.
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