• GENERAL LIBRARY SERVICES AND CARD-HOLDER PRIVILEGES
• General Services
• Card Applications
• Circulation Policy
• Unattended Children Policy
• Abuse of Library Policy and Restriction of Privileges
• COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICY
• PROGRAMS
• GIFTS, BEQUESTS, MEMORIALS
• PHYSICAL FACILITIES
• PERSONNEL
• PUBLIC INTERNET AND COMPUTER ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY
• EMERGENCY AND SAFETY POLICY
• LIBRARY BILL OF RIGHTS

Unattended Children Policy

The Seward Memorial Library is a community information resource center.  People come to the library to get information, to read, to use the library's resource materials, and to study.  It belongs to the whole community and not to any specific person or group of persons.

The library is not a playground, recreation center, or day care facility.  Noisy or physically active behavior appropriate in such facilities is not appropriate in the library.

Section 51-212 of the Nebraska Statutes specifically gives public libraries the power to regulate the use of the library and to exclude from the library persons who violate or refuse to comply with the library's rules and regulations.

In order to prevent undue disruption of normal library activities, to provide for the general welfare of all persons using the library and to provide for the general safety of children using the Seward Memorial Library the following policies are adopted:

1. All children seven years or younger shall, at all times, be attended and adequately supervised by an individual 13 years of age or older who is responsible for the care of the children.
   
2. Children may be left unattended at scheduled library programs.  The responsible person should plan to be at the library when the program concludes.  Children with special needs related to physical or mental ability shall be attended at all times.
   
3. Children eight years and older may use the library unattended, subject to the rules and regulations of the Seward Memorial Library.
   
4. The Seward Memorial Library assumes no responsibility for children left unattended on library premises.
   
5. When a child seven years or younger appears to be lost or left unattended, the staff of the library will immediately try to locate the responsible adult and will stay with the child until the adult is found.  If the adult cannot be found in one hour's time or if the library is closing, the staff will contact the police department for assistance.  The staff will under no circumstance take the child out of the building.