Materials Selection and Access

 

MATERIALS SELECTION

The selection policy of the Ann Arbor District library supports the general mission of the Library, the Library Bill of Rights* and the Freedom to Read Statement*. All acquisitions, before being purchased or accepted as gifts, are evaluated in terms of the following criteria and in the context of economic and space considerations. An item will not necessarily be judged against all criteria, but against those appropriate and applicable to it. These same standards determine the replacement, duplication, and withdrawal of materials.

A. The Library will:

• Provide a collection that anticipates the needs and numbers of potential users.
• Consider public demand, both specific and general, as expressed through requests, suggestions, and use to develop the collection.
• Consider the availability of the same, or similar, materials in other libraries or agencies.
• Consider the need for all subjects covered and viewpoints expressed.
• Consider the effect that subjects and viewpoints selected have on developing a balanced collection.
• Consider the appropriateness to scope of the collection as it is developed.

B. Selectors will consider these characteristics when selecting:

• Literary or stylistic quality
• Reputations, qualifications, and significance of author, producer, or publisher
• Accuracy, currency, timeliness, and validity
• Importance and uniqueness
• Physical quality and effectiveness of format
• Appropriateness of format to subject
• Cost, as measured against competing materials on the same subject
• Suitability for intended audience

*As adopted by the Council of the American Library Association

Policy adopted by the Ann Arbor District Library Board December 12, 1995 Revision adopted May 20, 2002

REQUEST FOR RECONSIDERATION

Consistent with our mission and this library’s adoption of the Library Bill of Rights, the American Library Association’s Freedom to Read statement and the American Library Association’s Freedom to View statement, the Ann Arbor District Library affirms the safeguarding of First Amendment Rights, intellectual freedom, and a commitment to a balanced collection of materials. The Ann Arbor District Library Board is legally responsible for all matters relating to the operation of the library. It delegates the responsibility for selection of library materials to the library staff as assigned through the Library Director. Suggestions for the library collection are welcomed from customers. While a particular item may offend some customers, selection of materials will not be based upon any anticipated approval or disapproval, but rather on the merits of the material and its value to the collection. The final responsibility for the selection decision rests with the Library. The use of library materials by patrons is an individual matter. Responsibility for children’s use of library materials rests with their parents or legal guardians. Library patrons may object to selected library materials by completing the attached Request for Reconsideration form. Once a completed form is received by the Library Director, a thoughtful, deliberative process for reconsideration of the library materials identified by the library patron will begin. The patron will be informed of the objectives of the process, the timeline, the review structure and the opportunity for appeal in accordance with the Request for Consideration Procedure.

Policy adopted by the Ann Arbor District Library Board December 12, 1995 Revisions adopted December 1998, and March 15, 1999

INTERNET USE POLICY

In keeping with our stated mission, Ann Arbor District Library in accordance to Michigan state laws provides limited public access to the Internet. Public access to the Internet is available to all users of the Ann Arbor District Library on selected computers throughout the Library system. The Library is making the Internet available to the public as an information and educational resource in support of our role as this community's information and lifelong learning center. Consistent with our mission and the professional principles of public librarianship, this Internet Use Policy affirms the safeguarding of First Amendment rights, intellectual freedom, equity of access, confidentiality of information about users and their use of all Library resources including electronic, and individual responsibility. The Library affirms the following principles and user rights as delineated in Access to Digital Information, Services and Networks, an interpretation of the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights (Adopted January 24, 1996; amended January 19, 2005; and July 15, 2009, by the ALA Council.):

• Users’ access should not be restricted or denied for expressing, receiving, creating, or participating in constitutionally protected speech. If access is restricted or denied for behavioral or other reasons, users should be provided due process, including, but not limited to, formal notice and a means of appeal.
• Information retrieved, utilized, or created digitally is constitutionally protected unless determined otherwise by a court of competent jurisdiction. These rights extend to minors as well as adults.
• Libraries should use technology to enhance, not deny, digital access. Users have the right to be free of unreasonable limitations or conditions set by libraries, librarians, system administrators, vendors, network service providers, or others. Contracts, agreements, and licenses entered into by libraries on behalf of their users should not violate this right. Libraries should provide library users the training and assistance necessary to find, evaluate, and use information effectively.
• Users have both the right of confidentiality and the right of privacy. The Library should uphold these rights by policy, procedure, and practice in accordance with “Privacy: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights,” and “Importance of Education to Intellectual Freedom: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights” which can be found on the American Library Association’s website http://www.ala.org/.

The Library assumes no responsibility for any damages, direct or indirect, arising from its connections to the Internet. The Library makes no guarantees, either expressed or implied, with respect to the quality or content of the information available on the Internet. Not all the information available via the Internet is accurate, current or complete. Users are encouraged to be good information consumers by evaluating the validity of information accessed via the Internet. If a Michigan court decision states that a particular website contains obscene material or sexually explicit material harmful to minors, the Library will block that site. Users are cautioned that ideas, points of view and images found on the Internet can be controversial, divergent and inflammatory. The provision of access does not mean or imply that the Library endorses or sanctions the content or point of view of any of the information or commentary which may be found on the Internet. The Internet offers access to a wealth of information that can be personally, professionally and culturally enriching. Library staff has attempted to identify on the Library's home page specific starting points for searches and links to sources on the Internet, which are consistent with the Library's mission and roles. But, because the Internet is a vast and unregulated information network, it also enables access to ideas, information, images and commentary beyond the confines of the Library's collection, mission, selection criteria and collection development policies. Because of this and the fact that access points on the Internet change often, rapidly and unpredictably, the Library cannot protect individuals from information and images they might find offensive or disturbing. Our users are required to comply with our Internet Service Provider’s Acceptable Use Policy. Computers available to the public, which can be used to access the Internet, must be shared by Library users of all ages, background and sensibilities. Since staff cannot consistently and effectively monitor the public's use of the Internet, customers are asked to be sensitive of others' values and beliefs when accessing potentially controversial information and images. If requested, the Library will provide filtered Internet access on a per session basis. Users are cautioned that, because security in an electronic environment such as the Internet can not be guaranteed, all transactions, files and communications are vulnerable to unauthorized access and use and, therefore, should be considered public.

Access to Stations Dedicated to Children

Access to the Ann Arbor District Library youth Internet stations at the Downtown Library is restricted to users aged 14 and under and their adults. Adults must be accompanied by a child.

Child Safety on the Internet

Parents or guardians are responsible for the Internet information selected and/or accessed by their children. Children, under 18 years of age, who use the Internet unsupervised may be exposed to inappropriate or disturbing information and images. Parents or guardians are encouraged to discuss the use of the Internet in relation to family values and boundaries with their children and to monitor their children's use of the Internet.

User Responsibilities

All users of the Internet are expected to use this Library resource in a responsible and courteous way, consistent with the purposes for which it is provided, and to follow all Internet-related rules, regulations and procedures established for its use including, but not limited to, those of the Library. Responsible, courteous use of the Internet includes:

• Recognizing that the Internet, like all of the Library's information sources, must be shared and used in a manner which respects the rights of others and refrains from activities that prevent others from using it.
• Using the Library's Internet resources for educational, informational and recreational purposes only.
• Refraining from illegal or unethical use of the Internet.
• Respecting the privacy of others by not misrepresenting oneself as another user; by not attempting to modify or gain access to files, passwords, or data belonging to others; and by not seeking disallowed access to any computer system via the Internet.
• Refraining from damaging or altering the setup of the equipment used to access the Internet at the Library.
• Refraining from the deliberate propagation of computer malware.
• Refraining from the transmission of threatening, harassing or abusive language and images.

Compliance with the Library Policy and Guidelines

In addition to this specified policy, general guidelines for the use of all public-access computers govern the use of the Internet in the Library. Violation of the policies and regulations that govern the use of the Library's Internet resources may result in suspension or loss of the privilege to use these resources. Illegal activity involving the Library's Internet resources will be subject to prosecution by the appropriate authorities.

Policy adopted by the Ann Arbor District Library Board August 22, 1996 Revisions adopted January 20, 1998, December 18, 2000, March 24, 2003, June 19, 2006, February 17, 2014, and January 27, 2025

MERIT ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY

Purpose

The purpose of Merit is given in Article II of Merit Network Inc.’s Bylaws updated July 6, 2007, which state in part that “…In pursuance of its academic mission to support teaching, research, and public service, Merit also provides network-related applications and services. It is the role of Merit as the operator of a high-speed research and education network to contribute broadly to educational and economic development in Michigan.…”

Merit Acceptable Use Policy

Revised to remove obsolete use of "affiliate", 6 December 2013 Prior version, May 30, 2006 This Policy is a guide to the acceptable use of Merit Network facilities and services (Services). Any Member organization or individual connected to Merit's network in order to use it directly, or to connect to any other network(s), must comply with this policy and the stated purposes and Acceptable Use policies of any other network(s) or host(s) used. Each Member organization is responsible for the activity of its users (including guests and other temporary users) and for ensuring that its users are familiar with this policy or an equivalent policy. In addition, each Member is encouraged to maintain and enforce its own Acceptable Use policies. The provisions of this policy govern all use of the Services, including any unsupervised anonymous network access offered by Members. The following guidelines will be applied to determine whether or not a particular use of the Services is appropriate:

1. Users must respect the privacy of others. Users shall not intentionally seek information on, or represent themselves as, another user unless explicitly authorized to do so by that user. Nor shall Users obtain copies of, or modify files, other data, or passwords belonging to others.

2. Users must respect the legal protection applied to programs, data, photographs, music, written documents and other material as provided by copyright, trademark, patent, licensure and other proprietary rights mechanisms.

3. Users must respect the integrity of other public or private computing and network systems. Users shall not intentionally develop or use programs that harass other users or infiltrate any other computer, computing system or network and/or damage or alter the software components or file systems of a computer, computing system or network.

4. Use should be consistent with guiding ethical statements and accepted community standards. Use of the Services for malicious, fraudulent, or misrepresentative purposes is not acceptable.

5. The Services may not be used in ways that violate applicable laws or regulations.

6. The Services may not be used in a manner that precludes or significantly hampers network access by others. Nor may the Services be used in a manner that significantly impairs access to other networks connected to Merit.

7. Connections which create routing patterns that are inconsistent with the effective and shared use of the Services may not be established.

8. Unsolicited advertising is not acceptable. Advertising is permitted on some Web pages, mailing lists, news groups and similar environments if advertising is explicitly allowed in that environment.

9. Repeated, unsolicited and/or unwanted communication of an intrusive nature is strictly prohibited. Continuing to send e-mail messages or other communications to an individual or organization after being asked to stop is not acceptable.

The intent of this policy is to identify certain types of uses that are not appropriate, but this policy does not necessarily enumerate all possible inappropriate uses. Using the guidelines given above, Merit may at any time make a determination that a particular use is not appropriate. Merit will not monitor or judge the content of information transmitted via the Services, but will investigate complaints of possible inappropriate use. In the course of investigating complaints, Merit staff will safeguard the privacy of all parties and will themselves follow the guidelines given in this policy and in Merit's Privacy Policy. Merit will only release sensitive, confidential or personally identifiable information to third parties when required by law, or when in Merit's judgment, release is required to prevent serious injury or harm that could result from violation of this policy.

Remedial Action

When Merit learns of possible inappropriate use, Merit staff will notify the Member responsible, who must take immediate remedial action and inform Merit of its action. Merit will assist the Member in identifying the nature and source of the inappropriate use and in implementing remedial action if requested. Provided the Member implements remedial action promptly, Merit will take no further action. If Merit is unable to contact the Member, or if the Member is unable to implement remedial action, Merit reserves the right to pursue remedial action independently. Wherever possible, Merit will pursue remedial action with the least impact to the overall service for the Member. Should the situation be considered an emergency, and Merit deems it necessary to prevent further inappropriate activity, Merit may temporarily disconnect a Member from the network. An emergency is defined as: "Serious security incidents that require immediate attention to prevent harm to an individual, to protect information from loss or damage that would be difficult or impossible to correct or to deal with serious on-going denial of service attacks." If temporary disconnection is deemed necessary by Merit staff, every effort will be made to inform the Member prior to disconnection, and every effort will be made to re-establish the connection as soon as it is mutually deemed safe. Any determination of inappropriate use serious enough to require disconnection shall be promptly communicated to every member of the Merit Board of Directors through an established means of publication.

Policy adopted by the Ann Arbor District Library Board April 9, 1996 Revisions adopted February 17, 2014 and January 27, 2025

INTERLIBRARY LOAN (ILL) SERVICES

Purpose:

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) services at the Ann Arbor District Library assist cardholders in obtaining library materials which are not available in the Library’s own collection. ILL Services are offered subject to the guidelines and limitations outlined below and in accordance with established procedures.

Structure and Scope:

The ILL resources of the Ann Arbor District Library include library cooperative arrangements and an extensive national network of public, academic and special libraries.

Costs and Fees:

Overdue fines on ILL materials are in accordance with the Library’s Circulation Department policy. Replacement costs for unreturned and damaged ILL materials are determined by the lending institutions.

Policy adopted by the Ann Arbor District Library Board December 12, 1995 Revisions adopted November 16, 1998, June 19, 2006, February 17, 2014

PHOTOCOPYING AND FEES POLICY

Most photocopying of Library materials for a customer’s use is to be done directly by the customer on copiers provided for that purpose at all Library Branches. When necessary, Library staff will assist customers in learning how to use copiers and to make photocopies. In addition, the Library will photocopy and mail, fax, or when appropriate, E-mail, materials to Library cardholders in reply to requests using the procedures and fees established by Library Administration. The purpose of this activity is to offer the results of quick, “ready-reference” service in a timely and convenient manner to Library customers. The Library is not able to conduct and offer the results of extensive research or fulfill homework assignments in this manner. The Library will not make a profit on articles copied and distributed to customers through this policy. The Library will not receive E-mailed documents on behalf of customers. Customers who wish to receive a document by E-mail for downloading or printing at the Library will be instructed in the mechanics of establishing a personal E-mail account.

Policy adopted by the Ann Arbor District Library Board December 12, 1995 Policy repealed March 16, 1998 Policy reinstated April 20, 1998 Revisions adopted November 16, 1998; February 17, 2014

WEBSITE TERMS OF USE POLICY

The Ann Arbor District Library is committed to sustaining the value of public library services for the greater Ann Arbor community through the use of traditional and innovative technologies. We do this by assuring public ownership of print collections, digital resources, and gathering spaces for the citizens of the library district.

Your access to and use of the Ann Arbor District Library’s (the "Library") website (this "Site") is subject to the following Terms of Use, as well as all applicable laws. Your access to this Site is in consideration for your agreement to comply with and be bound by these Terms of Use, and by accessing, browsing, or using this Site, you accept, without limitation or qualification, these Terms of Use.

Future Modifications

These Terms of Use may change from time to time, and we encourage you to review them periodically. Any modification is effective immediately upon posting to this page, unless otherwise stated. Your continued use of this Site following the posting of any modification signifies your acceptance of such modification.

Privacy

We believe the privacy of your information is important. Our Privacy Statement Policy is incorporated into these Terms of Use and govern your use of this Site.

License

Except where otherwise noted, content on this Site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 License.

Use of Site Content

The Library encourages you to use materials made available on this Site, provided that you follow the following guidelines:

1. Digital Content. Materials downloaded from this Site may only be used for personal, educational, or research purposes. They may not be used for commercial purposes.

2. Obtaining Necessary Permissions. The Site contains a wide range of materials that are in the public domain as well as materials that are protected by copyright. In cases where materials on this Site are protected by third party rights, you are responsible for clearing the necessary rights in order to use the materials in question. It is your obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials from the Library's collections. You are solely responsible for determining whether the use of any digital object requires the permission of any other person or entity, and you are responsible for paying any associated fees. If you have questions about the legal issues surrounding the use of digital objects, you should contact an attorney.

3. Crediting the Library. If you use material from this Site, we ask that you credit the Library by linking directly to the permalink provided or, if no permalink is provided, via the URL on which the material is found. If you use material from this Site offline, we ask that you credit the Library as follows: “Courtesy of The Ann Arbor District Library. www.aadl.org”

Guidelines for User-Generated Content

The Library encourages users of this Site to become involved in its interactive sections by participating in online discussions and, in some cases, uploading content. Before you participate in these activities, however, we ask that you please make sure that any such content does not infringe the rights of any third party. For example, if you upload a drawing or a photo, please make sure that you are the creator of the artwork. Do not contribute content if you do not own the rights. Additionally, please remember to exercise good judgment when contributing written material or other content. The Library reserves the right to edit or remove contributions that are offensive or objectionable to others, that use inappropriate language, or that are off-topic. We also ask that you do not insert your own or a third party's advertising, branding or other promotional content into any contribution made to this Site.

Digital Millennium Copyright Act; Copyright Complaints

The Library respects the intellectual property rights of others and requires those that visit this Site and use the Library’s network to do the same. The Library may, in appropriate circumstances and at our discretion, remove or disable access to material on this Site or the Library’s network that infringes upon the copyright rights of others. The Library also may, at our discretion, remove or disable links or references to an online location that contains infringing material or infringing activity. In the event that any visitors to this Site or users of the Library’s network repeatedly infringe on others' copyrights, the Library may, in its sole discretion, terminate those individuals' rights to use this Site or the Library’s network. If you believe that your work has been used on the Library’s Site or network in any manner that constitutes copyright infringement, please notify the Library’s copyright agent by written notice. The notice should include the following information:

• An electronic or physical signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the copyright allegedly infringed;
• A description of the copyrighted work you claim has been infringed, including a copy of the copyrighted work or the web page address where the copyrighted work may be found;
• Identification of the location on the Site of the material you claim has been infringed, or the link or reference to another website that contains the material you claim has been infringed;
• Your name, address, telephone number and email address;
• A statement by you that you have a good faith belief that the disputed use of the material at issue is not authorized by the copyright owner, the agent of the copyright owner or the law; and
• A statement by you that the information in this notification is accurate and a statement, under penalty of perjury, that you are the copyright owner of the material allegedly infringed or authorized to act on the copyright owner's behalf.

The Library’s copyright agent for notice of claims of copyright infringement on this Site and the Library’s network is Josie Parker whose contact information is as follows: Ann Arbor District Library 343 South Fifth Avenue Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104 Phone: 734.327.4263 Facsimile: 734.327.8309

Registration, Accounts and Passwords

You agree to provide true, accurate, current and complete data about yourself when entering into a transaction with the Library. In the event you fail to provide such accurate personal data or otherwise comply with these Terms of Use, the Library will have the right to suspend or terminate your use of the Site and/or terminate your account (if applicable). You will receive a password and account upon completing the registration form. You are solely responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password and account, and you are solely responsible for all use of your password or account, whether authorized by you or not. You agree to (a) immediately notify the Library of any unauthorized use of your password or account or any other breach of security and (b) ensure that you exit from your account each time you use this Site from a public or shared computer. Access and use of password protected and/or secure areas of this Site are restricted to users who have been given a valid password by the Library. Unauthorized individuals attempting to access these areas of this Site may be subject to prosecution.

Library Points Awarded to Users

From time to time, the Library may implement programs that award points to its registered Library users (“Points”). Points have no cash value. As long as you remain a registered Library user, your Points never expire; however, if you cancel your Library registration, your Points will expire. The Library, in its sole discretion, may award different prizes for Points. The Library reserves the right to change the conditions for awarding prizes and does not guarantee awarding any particular or quantity of prizes or awarding any prizes at all. The Library reserves the right to change these policies or cancel these promotions at any time. A list of any prizes that will be awarded to point earners, if any, can be found at http://play.aadl.org/shop.

Policy on Spamming

You specifically agree that you will not utilize email addresses or any electronic data obtained by using this Site to transmit the same or substantially similar unsolicited message to 10 or more recipients in a single day, or 20 or more unsolicited messages in a single week (consecutive 7-day period). The Library, in its sole discretion, will identify violations of the limitations on email usage set forth in these Terms of Use. Violations may result in your removal from registered areas, denial of support or services, or other consequences.

Other Site Links

Some links on this Site lead to websites that are not operated by the Library. The Library does not control these websites nor do we review or control their content. These links are not an endorsement of products, services, or information, and do not imply an association between the Library and the operators of the linked website. When you select a link to an outside website, you are subject to the terms and conditions of the owner/sponsors of that outside website.

Termination of Use

The Library may, in its sole discretion, terminate or suspend your access to and use of this Site without notice and for any reason, including for violation of these Terms of Use or for other conduct which the Library, in its sole discretion, believes is unlawful or harmful to others. In the event of termination, you will no longer be authorized to access this Site, and the Library will use any means possible to enforce this termination. Disclaimers All materials on this Site are provided "as is" without a warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular use, and/or non-infringement. The Library assumes no responsibility for damage to your computer or other property resulting from your use of this Site. You understand and agree that any downloading or obtaining of material or data through this Site is done at your own risk. In addition, we disclaim any and all responsibility or liability for the accuracy, reliability, and legality of materials found on this Site.

IN NO EVENT SHALL THE LIBRARY OR ANY OF ITS TRUSTEES, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, OR AFFILIATED ENTITIES BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING FROM, OR DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY RELATED TO, THE USE OF, OR THE INABILITY TO USE, THIS SITE OR THE CONTENT, MATERIALS AND FUNCTIONS RELATED THERETO.

Indemnity

You agree to defend, indemnify and hold the Library and its trustees, officers, employees and agents harmless from any and all claims, liabilities, costs and expenses, including reasonable attorneys' fees, arising in any way from or relating to your use of this Site, your placement or transmission of any message, content, information, software or other materials through this Site, or your breach or violation of the law or of these Terms of Use. The Library reserves the right, at its own expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter otherwise subject to indemnification by you, and in such case, you agree to cooperate with the Library’s defense of such claim.

Policy adopted by the Ann Arbor District Library Board February 20, 2012