Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall

Computer & Internet Policy
March 28, 2007

Members of the general public, who have library cards in good standing (free of any fines or assessment for late or missing library materials and in compliance with all library policies) with Andrew Carnegie Free Library, or other Allegheny County or Pennsylvania libraries, may use the library's public access computers.

A. Expectations

The user will be held responsible for his or her actions using the Internet. Users are expected to abide by the policies below which include generally accepted rules of network etiquette. Unacceptable uses of the service will result in the suspension or revocation of Internet use privileges.

Inappropriate use of electronic information resources can be a violation of local, state, and federal laws and can lead to prosecution. Library computers must not be used for fraudulent or unlawful purposes, including any activities prohibited under any applicable federal, Pennsylvania, or local laws, including activities in violation of 18 Pa.Cons.Stat.sec.5903. It is the duty of the library patron to report any and all observed illegal computer activities to the library staff. The library will report unlawful behavior to proper authorities.

B. Warnings

The Internet is a decentralized, un-moderated global network; the Andrew Carnegie Free Library has no control over the content found there. The library is not responsible for the availability and accuracy of information found on the Internet.

The library considers it important to assist its patrons in understanding that the information access through the Internet may contain material that is incorrect, inauthentic, unreliable, illegal, obscene, or sexually explicit within the meaning of 18PACSA5903.

The library cannot assure that data or files downloaded by users are virus-free. The library is not responsible for damages to the user's equipment, data or programs from the use of data downloaded from the library's Internet service.

The use of the Internet and e-mail is not guaranteed to be private.
 

The library is not responsible for the content of any Internet website other than its own website.

C. CIPA Compliance

The Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) is a federal law that requires all computers in a public library to be filtered by July 1, 2004 if that library accepts any federal funds for Internet access or computers used for Internet access.

Andrew Carnegie Free Library is complying with this law as a participating library of the eiNetwork consortium. The eiNetwork receives a significant amount of federal funding to provide Internet access to over 85 library sites in Allegheny County.

All computers in Andrew Carnegie Free Library are filtered. Please be aware that filters are unreliable; at times sites with legitimate information or educational value can be blocked or access to sites that are illegal, obscene, or sexually explicit within the meaning of 18 Pa.Cons.Stat.sec.5903 can be allowed.

Parents or legal guardians, and not the Library or its staff, are responsible for monitoring their children's use of the Internet and for the information selected and/or accessed by their children. The Library strongly encourages parents or legal guardians to supervise their children's Internet use and to provide them with guidelines about acceptable use.

Any adult (17 years of age or older) may request that the filter be disabled without significant delay by an Andrew Carnegie Free Library staff member. The Andrew Carnegie Free Library cannot be responsible for any patron's unauthorized use of a computer with a disabled filter.

An authorized staff member may override the filter for a minor (age 16 years or younger) in the event that the filter wrongly blocks or filters Internet access to a specific site with legitimate informational value.

D. Guidelines

Users may use the Internet for research and the acquisition of information to address their educational, vocational, cultural, and recreational needs.

Users may use the Internet for the receipt and transmission of electronic mail (e-mail) as long as they use a free e-mail service which will establish and maintain an account for them; the library is unable to manage e-mail accounts for any organizations or individuals.

The library will establish maximum times that each user is allowed in one session if all public access computers are in use. Any attempt to bypass these controls will result in the loss of computer privileges for a minimum of 90 days.

Users will respect and uphold copyright laws and all other applicable laws and regulations.

Users will respect the rights and privacy of others by not accessing private files not belonging to them.

Users agree not to incur any costs for the library through their use of the Internet service.

Users shall not create and/or distribute computer viruses over the Internet.

Users shall not deliberately or willfully cause damage to computer equipment, programs, or parameters.

Andrew Carnegie Free Library is committed to providing an employment environment free from sexual harassment. Users may not display on screens and/or prints any materials that may be unlawful or prohibited under any applicable federal, Pennsylvania, or local laws.
 

E. Wi-Fi Internet Access

The library provides free public access to the Internet to enable library patrons to use their own PCs to access the Internet while at the library.  Even though no library card is required and no time limits are enforced on the Wi-Fi network, the network is a part of the library’s computer and network resource.  Therefore, users of the library’s Wi-Fi network are subject to all provisions of this policy.
 

Failure to comply with this policy may result in the permanent loss of computer privileges.