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NOTE: As of 12/15/05, the Youth Services Department provides Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) for use by any child, up through Grade 6, without parental permission. Children may reserve a time in person or by telephone.

The Morton Grove Public Library Youth Services Department provides full Internet access using the World Wide Web (WWW). This graphical interface allows users to explore the vast resources of the Internet by browsing via hypertext links or by entering specific location addresses (URLs). Users of the Internet Access computer can view graphics and text, and download or print text files.

Use of the Internet access computers in the Youth Services Department is open to any child age eight through grade six who has on file a Parental Consent Form signed by the child's parent or guardian.

An essential guide for children and their parents is Child Safety on the Information Highway, an informative brochure on the issue of children and their utilization of online resources. Parents are encouraged to work closely with their children to select Internet files which are consistent with their family's values and boundaries.

• The child must agree to follow the MGPL Internet Access Policy and treat other patrons and the library equipment with respect. The Parental Consent Form acknowledges that the parent has sole responsibility for restricting his/her child's access to the Internet and cautions the parent that the Internet includes objectionable text and graphics and controversial materials.
  

• The agreement will be signed in person by parent/guardian and kept at the Library. The forms must be signed in the presence of Youth Services Department staff. A separate consent form per child is required (even for children in the same family). (The Library reserves the right to ask for proof of age or grade level).

Use of the Internet Station:

1. Once the parent/guardian has filed the Parental Consent Form , the child will sign in at the Youth Services Desk in order to use the Internet.

2. Children may not use library cards or IDs belonging to others.

3. In order to provide maximum public access to the Internet terminal, users will be limited to one 30-minute period, which may be extended to another 30-minute period if there are no other users waiting or advance reservations for that time period. Each child may sign up for as many 30-minute (or extended to one hour) time periods as needed on any one day, provided at least two hours elapse between the end of the previous session and the beginning of the next. A child who is not able to extend his/her time the additional 30 minutes because a user is waiting can book the Internet computer an additional 30 minutes without waiting the intervening two-hour period. Reservations will be taken in person or in advance by phone any time within a given week. Only two people will be allowed at a computer at a time; if two children are using the Internet computer, both children must have on file the Parental Consent Form . A parent/guardian may work with more than two children in the family, all of whom must have Parental Consent Form on file.

4. The computer station is available on a first-come, first-served basis to qualified users, provided there are no advance reservations for that time slot.

5. Files may be downloaded to a child's own formatted floppy disk or to a preformatted floppy disk purchased from the Library ($1.00 per disk). Files downloaded to the C drive (the hard drive) will not be retrievable.

6. There is no charge for printing in Youth Services.

General Guidelines:

• Library staff's availability to help users with basic computer use or Internet access is limited. Children must have basic computer skills or be accompanied by an adult who can assist the child in these skills. Basic computer skills include the ability to use a mouse and to access menu items.

• The Internet access stations are for Internet use only.

• The Library's computers are intended to be used by a single individual. In all cases, because of limited space and in consideration of other Library patrons, a maximum of two persons may sit and/or work together at the Internet access terminal. If two children are using the Internet computer, both children must have on file the Parental Consent Form. A parent may work with one or more children at the Internet station, all of whom must have Parental Consent Form on file. When disruptions occur because of overcrowding at any of the terminals, staff may ask all non-users to leave the computer station.

• While MGPL does not provide e-mail accounts, an account can be opened and used at the Library with a free commercial service such as Hotmail, RocketMail, Yahoo, etc.... Some remote sites may request or require registration in order to access all or a portion of their data, and in most cases the registration form will ask for your e-mail address. In order to complete such forms, you must have an Internet e-mail address from some other source, such as your employer, a university, or a commercial Internet services provider, free or fee based.

• The Morton Grove Public Library is not responsible for damage to a patron's disk, computer, or for any loss of data, damage, or liability that may occur from patron use of the Library's computers or malfunctioning Library hardware or software.

• Only pages with the MGPL logo are provided and maintained by the Morton Grove Public Library. Everything else comes from other computers around the country and around the world. The Morton Grove Public Library has no control over, and is not responsible for, the availability or accuracy of the information from these remote sites.

• Information on the Internet may be erroneous, out-of-date, illegal or considered offensive, controversial or sexually explicit. The entire responsibility for identifying/avoiding such information is the parent's. The parent/guardian should be aware that they, not the library or its staff, are responsible for the Internet information selected and/or accessed by their children. Informative pages, concerning Child Safety on the Internet, and also the utilization by children of online resources, are available at these sites:

  www.missingkids.com/html/ncmec_default_ec_internetsafety.html
  www.missingkids.com/html/ncmec_default_ec_internetparents.htm

• The Library's Internet workstations may not be used for illegal activities. Because the Library is a public place, the displaying of sexually suggestive objects or picture is in violation of the Morton Grove Village Code (6-1-5) and could be in violation of state and Federal obscenity laws (720 ILCS 5/11-20 and 720 ILCS 670/0.01 et seq.; U.S. Code Title 18, Chapter 110 and Title 47, 223 and 231). It is the responsibility of the user to respect the Morton Grove Village ordinance on obscenity and refrain from displaying such images.

• This computer may not be used to interfere with or disrupt other users, services or equipment. Disruptions include, but are not limited to, harassment, distribution of unsolicited advertising, propagation of computer viruses, or attempts to make unauthorized entry to other computers.

• Users are asked to respect the privacy of other computer users. This includes not representing yourself as another user, not modifying passwords, not trying to gain access to someone else's data, and not "hovering" over other users while waiting for your turn.

Parents are encouraged to work closely with their children to select Internet sites which are consistent with their family's values and boundaries. The Library also cannot assure access to all resources at any given time; they maybe busy, available only to authorized users, or closed.

Morton Grove Public Library may suspend or terminate Internet access or public access computer privileges if the Library reasonably believes that any patron has violated these guidelines.

Approved by the Morton Grove Public Library Board of Trustees, December 1999; updated August 2005; updated December 2005; updated June 2006.

www.webrary.org/Inside/polchildinternet.html
First published on the Web: 7/31/2001
Last updated: 6/13/2006