ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY

Welcome to the Fallon County Library’s Internet Access workstation.  The Fallon County Library is a public library dedicated to providing public access to printed, audiovisual and electronic information, including the Internet.  This public connection to the Internet is provided without charge.

The intent of this policy is to assist patrons in the identification of acceptable and unacceptable uses of the Fallon County Library’s Internet resources.  Patrons are required to comply with both the letter and spirit of this policy.  Violations will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.  Violations may result in restriction or revocation of a patron’s Internet and/or other Fallon County Library privileges.

The Internet is a world-wide telecommunications connection to information resources.  It is freely accessible and largely unregulated.  While the vast majority of sites on the Internet are neutral arenas for information exchange, a small percentage of sites may contain material which might prove offensive to some users.  Some information accessed through the Internet may not meet Fallon County Library’s Collection Management Policy guidelines.

Patrons may register at the desk for 60 minutes of access time at a Fallon County Library Internet station.  If no one else has registered for the following period, a patron may continue using the station for another 60-minute time period.  A patron may register for one session at a time, and may not register for another until the first session is completed.  The 60-minute time period may be reduced to 30 minutes during times of heavy usage.  This will be determined by the Fallon County Library director or staff in the absence of the director.

Fallon County Library staff may be available to offer basic assistance with searching.  Those who search are responsible for their own searches, the information found in them and the use of that information.  Fallon County Library staff cannot provide in-depth Internet or personal computer training.

You may access sites, use search engines, telnet to other sites, and use the attached printers. There is a charge of 10 cents per page for all black and white copies.  The charge for color copies will be prorated:  25 cents for a quarter of a page, 50 cents for half of a page, 75 cents for three quarters of a page and $1.00 for a full page.  Newsgroups, chat rooms and instant messaging are not permitted at Fallon County Library.  You may not enter sites which require fees.

Parents or guardians are responsible for the Internet information selected and/or used by their children.  Parents may restrict their children – and only their children – from Internet resources accessible through Fallon County Library.  Parents are advised to supervise their children’s Internet sessions.  Children under the age of 18 must have a permission slip signed by a parent or guardian stating that they (the parent and/or guardian) have read this policy and that permission is granted for their children, and only their children, to use the Internet.

UNACCEPTABLE USES:          A patron must comply with the following guidelines when using Fallon County Library’s Internet stations:

Compliance with applicable laws required.  Use of computer and network resources and the Internet access in violation of international, federal, state or local laws or regulations and licensing agreements, including but not limited to the illegal copying of software, is prohibited. 

Threatening, harassing or obscene data prohibited.  It is not acceptable to use the Internet access to transmit threatening, obscene, or harassing materials, nor is it acceptable to receive obscene materials, as obscenity is defined by Montana law: MCA 45-8-201 and 45-8-205.  It is not acceptable to interfere with or disrupt network users, services or equipment.  Disruptions include, but are not limited to:  propagation of computer worms and viruses, and using the network to make unauthorized entry to any other machine accessible via the network.
Private information/resources.  It is assumed that information and resources accessible via the Internet are private to the individuals and organizations which own or hold rights to those resources and information, unless specifically stated otherwise by the owners or holders of the rights.  It is therefore not acceptable for an individual to use the Internet to access information or resources unless permission to so do has been granted by the owners or holders of rights to those resources or information.  Copying of any copyrighted materials is expressly prohibited, i.e. music, software.

Inappropriate use.  Use of the Internet access and any attached network in a manner that precludes or significantly hampers its use by others is not allowed.

Downloading software.  Patrons may not download to the Internet stations’ hard drives.  Patrons may, however, download to floppy disks.

Patrons are not to introduce or attempt to eradicate computer viruses.  Patrons may not introduce “rogue programs” (i.e., software introduced into computer and network systems for fraudulent or malicious purposes such as viruses, worms, Trojan horses, etc.) to the Internet stations’ hard drives.  If a patron suspects the presence of a virus, he/she should immediately contact the Fallon County Library staff for assistance.  No disks are to be placed in the Fallon County Library computers without first being scanned for viruses by the Fallon County Library staff.

Misuse.  Any misuse which compromises system security is prohibited.

Compliance with other policies.  Patrons must abide by the acceptable use policies of other networks.

CONSEQUENCES:  Failure to comply with the above will result in the loss of computer privileges for the remainder of the day in which the offense occurred or during the next Fallon County Library visit if the offense is discovered after the patron has left Fallon County Library.  A second offense will result in a loss of computer privileges for a period of three months.  A third offense will result in a permanent loss of computer privileges.

NOTICE OF MONITORING OF INFORMATION AND DATA.  The Fallon County Library reserves the right to examine and delete any data stored on its hard drives.

MODIFICATIONS TO POLICY.  The Fallon County Library reserves the right to modify this policy at any time.

TERM LIMITS OF POLICY.  A signed copy of this policy is valid for a period of three (3) years from the date of signature.

            I have read the foregoing Acceptable Use Policy, understand it and agree to abide by it at all times when using Fallon County Library’s Internet computers.

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Patron Name      (Please Print)                                                  Patron Signature

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Date

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