A. All material circulates for two weeks and may be renewed. Items acquired within the last six months may not be renewed if there is a waiting list.

B. Some items in the permanent collection circulate at the discretion of the librarian.

C. Inter-library loan is a service of the library.

A. In establishing its policy, the library subscribes to the tenets set forth in the Library Bill of Rights of the American Library Association and the Freedom to Read Statement prepared by the American Library Association.

B. The Board of Trustees delegates to the librarian authority for the selection of library materials but retains the ultimate responsibility for their selection. New book selections will be reported to trustees as part of librarian’s report.

C. Discarded materials, gift items, etc. may be sold or otherwise disposed of at the discretion of the trustees.

D. Complaints as to the suitability of any book or other material shall be handled as follows:

1. Each complaint must be made in writing on the "Brown Memorial Library Request for Reconsideration of Materials" form, with the complainant properly identified. The complainant must be a legal user of the library.

2. Each complaint will be forwarded by the librarian to the chairman of the Board of Trustees as soon as practicable, along with a statement from the librarian as to the considerations given in choosing the material for the library collection.

3. The complainant will meet with the Board of Trustees and the librarian to hear the complaint at the next regular meeting of the Trustees.

4. A book or other material will be removed from the library if so voted by the Board of Trustees.

5. Each complainant shall be made aware of these policies.

A. Announcement of educational and civic programs may be displayed in the library with the permission of the librarian.

B. No material, leaflets or posters that advocate the election of a candidate, political or otherwise, shall be displayed in the library.

C. No organization or individual shall be permitted to place in the library any box, receptacle of canister which solicits donations, nor shall any poster or display be permitted which advances or solicits consideration of any product or item sold by any commercial or charitable enterprise.

A. Books and other materials will be accepted on the condition that the library has the authority to make whatever disposition it deems advisable. All material so acquired must be designated as a gift.

B. Gifts of money, real property and/or securities will be accepted if any conditions attached thereto are acceptable to the Board of Trustees. Mention of gifts may be made on a plaque displayed in the library.

C. Personal property, art objects, portraits, antiques and other museum objects will be accepted and displayed at the discretion of the Board of Trustees upon completion of the “Public Display and Exhibit Release” form.

A. Library services will be provided during the hours that the Library Trustees feel best meet the needs of the community. Hours will be posted at the library.

B. The library will be open not less than 22 hours per week. The library will be closed on the following days:

New Year’s Day

Martin Luther King Day

Memorial Day

Independence Day

Labor Day

Veterans Day

Thanksgiving Day (observed)

Christmas Eve

Christmas Day

C. The library may remain open or closed during a holiday at the discretion of the librarian.

D. The library may be closed for inclement weather at the discretion of the librarian.

Library staff includes the Library Director and library assistants. Copies of their job descriptions and terms of employment are kept in the library office and are available upon request.

A. Fee and fine money is to be deposited in the Trustees’ Special Fund.

B. Amendments to these policies may be proposed and acted upon at any regular meeting of the Board. A dated copy of each amendment shall be kept in the Board’s policy file and made available to the public upon request.

Brown Memorial Library offers free access to the internet.

Disclaimer:

The library will not censor material, protect users from information they find offensive, nor attest to the accuracy of the content.

Children's Internet Access:

The library recognizes parental and societal concerns about children’s safety on the Internet and encourages parents and guardians to take an active role in their children's use of the Internet at the library. The library does not have the authority or responsibility to act in the place of the parent. The library affirms the right and responsibility of parents or legal guardians to guide their children’s use of all library resources, including the Internet. As is the case with all library materials, any restriction of a child's access to the Internet is the sole responsibility of the child’s parent or legal guardian.

Guidelines:

• The library reserves the right to terminate or restrict the user's internet privileges for violation of any and all applicable federal, state and local laws governing copyright, licensing and content restrictions.

• Users may not download material onto the computer’s hard drive. They may download material onto their own flash drive or CD. Users may print from the computer at a nominal cost.

• Malicious damage may result in a suspension of library privileges and/or prosecution on criminal charges. Any damage to the computer or its peripheral devices is the responsibility of the user. Abuse of the equipment or service will result in the user being denied further access to the service.

Reserving a computer:

• Patrons may reserve a computer for up to one hour maximum.

• Patrons may reserve a computer up to seven days in advance.

• Unreserved time may be used on a walk-in basis for up to one hour.

• If patrons are more than 15 minutes late, they forfeit their reserved time.

• If a computer is available and no one else is waiting, a patron may use the computer for more than one hour.

The library staff reserves the right to end any internet session that does not follow these policies and guidelines.

Objectives:

• To conform to all applicable state and federal requirements.

• To invest principal with the objective of obtaining a reasonable rate of return with a modest amount of risk as outlined in the Prudent Investor Rule (RSA 564-B:9-901-RSA 564-B: 9-906). Under this rule, no category or type of investment is deemed inherently imprudent. Instead, suitability to the overall portfolio’s goals and objectives is considered to be the determining factor. However, while Trustees have greater flexibility in portfolio management, speculation or outright risk is not sanctioned by the rule.

• To spend interest or gains from directed trust funds as needed, while leaving principal investment intact.

Investments:

It is the Library Trustees’ intention to invest in mutual funds (or a fund of aggregated mutual funds) that spread risk out over a range of investment categories including US and global equities, fixed income and allocation strategies. A dollar cost averaging strategy may be used to further mitigate risk.

Requirements:

• File policy with attorney general’s office annually

• Review policy at trustee meeting at least annually