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User Social Media Policy

Policies

User Social Media Policy

Purpose:

The Northampton Area Public Library (NAPL) uses select social media tools as an important enhancement to communication, collaboration, and information exchange between NAPL staff, library users, and the general public within the Northampton Area School District. The library recognizes that new tools will emerge which have useful applications in the library setting, so this policy addresses social media in general.

Library social media offerings are intended to create a welcoming and inviting online space where library users will find useful and entertaining information. In some forums, users may be able to interact with library staff and other library users. Library social media sites include any online forum/site, web application, or account created and/or maintained by the Northampton Area Public Library which permits users to communicate with others through postings including, but not limited to, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and X (formerly Twitter). The types of content and examples of services to which this policy applies include, but are not limited to, media sharing, blogging or microblogging, social networking, document and data sharing repositories, social bookmarking, and widgets. The NAPL user social media policy applies to all users, whether or not registered with the Northampton Area Public Library.

General Standards for Library Social Media Sites:

Library social media sites shall be archived in accordance with the requirements of the Pennsylvania State Archives and the Commonwealth’s Right-to-Know Law, including any content edited or removed by the Library in accordance with this policy. Individuals’ responses to the Library’s posts may also be archived. Library social media content shall pertain only to Library-related services, resources, and events. Library social media sites that provide for public input, comment, or discussion shall be limited public forums for discussing Library-related services, resources, and events. The Library reserves the right to edit or remove the content of or terminate any Library social media site or account at any time without notice, subject to retention requirements under the Pennsylvania State Archives and the Right-to-Know Law. The Library respects diverse viewpoints and encourages thoughtful discussion but does not expressly or impliedly endorse or approve of the content in users’ posts on Library social media.

The Northampton Area Public Library uses:

The descriptions or user profiles for Library social media sites and accounts shall state that each site or account is the “official [social media site/account] of the Northampton Area Public Library.” The Library will maintain a list of all its official social media sites and accounts on its website: https://www.northamptonapl.org

Rights of the Library:

The Library’s social media sites serve as “limited public forums.” Library social media policy is not intended to supplement or replace other Library policies. The Library is not responsible for enforcing restrictions which a parent or guardian may place on a minor’s use of this resource.

The Library respects diverse viewpoints and encourages thoughtful discussion but does not expressly or impliedly endorse or approve of the content in users’ posts on library social media. The Library reserves the right to monitor content before/after it is posted and remove any messages it deems abusive, defamatory, in violation of copyright, or otherwise inappropriate for the service. The Library reserves the right to deny or remove any comments, tags, and/or images that violate the law, the rights of any third party, or Library policies. The Library is not responsible for the content on the pages of friends, fans, or followers of the Library. The Library does not endorse or review content of third-party sites.

Users Responsibility and Use Restrictions:

There is no expectation of privacy in postings on Library sponsored social media sites. By using these sites, users consent to the Library’s right to access, monitor, and read any postings on the sites. Users of all ages have a responsibility to protect their privacy and should not post personally identifying information such as: last name, school, age, phone number, or address. By posting on the Library’s social media sites, users give the Library permission to use a user’s name, profile picture, and the content of any posting made without compensation or liability on the part of the Library.

In general, users of Library social media are expected to interact with the Library and each other in a civil, respectful, and constructive manner. Users shall not post or share any of the following on Library social media:

  • Content that constitutes or encourages illegal activity,
  • Obscenity or child pornography,
  • Content that promotes, fosters, or perpetuates discrimination and/or harassment based on race, creed, color, age, gender, marital status, religion, national origin, physical or mental impairment, sexual orientation, ancestry, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local laws,
  • Threats against the Library, Library staff, other users posting to Library social media, or any other individual or organization,
  • Personal attacks or profanity,
  • Sexual content or links to sexual content,
  • Spam,
  • Information/Posts that are knowingly false,
  • Commercial or charitable solicitations or advertising, or sale of merchandise or services unrelated to Library, school, or municipal business,
  • Private information about an individual, except with that individual’s consent,
  • Information that may tend to compromise the safety or security of the public,
  • And content that violates the legal ownership interest of any other person.

The Library may occasionally share information about events in the community that are not Library-sponsored. To ensure that the Library’s social media remains manageable and appropriately focused, users are requested not to post or share advertisements for non-Library events without the prior permission of the Library Director.

In the interests of supporting free expression and exchange of ideas, the Library will generally refrain from deleting or hiding content posted or shared by members of the public. However, the Library reserves the right to restrict or remove content that is deemed to be in violation of this policy or any applicable federal, state, or local law, regulation, or policy. A copy of any content that is removed or hidden shall be retained by the Library along with a description of the reason(s) the specific content was deleted. The Library may, but is not required to, notify the individual who posted the content of its removal and the rationale for its deletion. The Library reserves the right to monitor posted content on any of its social media accounts before the content becomes publicly visible, and to remove any messages which violate this policy without approving them to appear publicly. Individuals who have concerns about their posted content having been removed from Library social media may contact the Library Director.

Individuals may express concerns about content that other members of the public have posted on Library social media by contacting the Library Director. The Library will investigate those concerns and take any action it deems appropriate in response, but it is not obligated to remove users’ posts or comments solely based on complaints by, or feelings of personal offense on the part of, other users if the content is not in violation of this or other Library policies. The Library reserves the right to ban or restrict users from Library social media, either temporarily or permanently. A decision to ban or restrict a user shall be made only with the approval of the Library Director in consultation with the Library Board of Trustees. Upon request, that decision may be reviewed by the Library Board of Trustees during a regular meeting of that Board. All decisions by the Board of Trustees will be final and not subject to further review or appeal. Whenever possible, the library will inform a banned or restricted user of the Library’s decision. Users may be banned for repeatedly or significantly inappropriate interactions with Library social media, including but not limited to:

  • Repeatedly violating this policy or committing a serious one-time violation of this policy (e.g. seriously threatening others).
  • Refusing to follow Library staff instructions or requests.
  • Sockpuppetting, or the use of multiple accounts or fake accounts to circumvent bans or manufacture disagreements or controversy.
  • Repeatedly spamming or posting content that is not related to topics under discussion and not relevant to the Library, particularly in the absence of other, appropriate contributions.
  • Inappropriate behavior on social media that constitutes a continuation of offline behavior the user has previously been told to cease by Library staff or that has resulted in the user having been removed or banned from Library premises.

Limits of Library Responsibility:

Social media sites or account providers may have their own policies covering terms of service, privacy, and user behavior, which users may be additionally subject to when using Library accounts on these sites. The Library is not responsible for the independent actions of any social media site or account provider to restrict or ban a user, restrict or remove content, or otherwise manage the site in accordance with its own internal policies.

Disclaimer:

All social media sites used by the Library contain the following disclaimer:

This site is for discussion purposes only. Any views expressed on this site are those of the individual author only. Third party content found on this site does not represent the official views of the Northampton Area Public Library. The Northampton Area Public Library accepts no liability for the content of this site.

The Library Board of Trustees will periodically evaluate the role and utility of its online social networking sites, which may be terminated at any time with or without notice to subscribers.

Approved by the Library Board of Trustees on 2/8/2024

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