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Rules

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Purpose

The Boulder Public Library District (BPLD) Board of Trustees and the staff welcome you. We encourage your use of the library spaces, services, and resources, and we are committed to providing a welcoming, clean, and comfortable space for the community. We ask for your cooperation to maintain an environment in which patrons, volunteers and staff are free from harassment, intimidation, threats to their safety and well-being, and in which library resources and facilities are protected from damage. The libraries are spaces for reading, studying, writing, listening to written or electronically transmitted information, attending library or community-sponsored programs and meetings, and working collaboratively in the spirit of community. With these intended uses in mind, the Board of Trustees adopted the following rules of conduct to protect the rights, health and safety of patrons, staff, and volunteers; to ensure patrons’ use and enjoyment of the library; and to preserve and protect the library materials, equipment, facilities, and grounds.

Overview

These rules are intended to protect the health, safety, and welfare of patrons and staff and apply to all library facilities.

The staff is responsible for maintaining a safe environment and patrons are expected to comply with their directions. Disruptive behavior is not tolerated on library property and may result in the suspension of privileges.

Unless injury to a person or damage to property is involved, which are grounds for immediate suspension, any patron who is disruptive will be notified that their behavior is inappropriate, and they will be asked to stop. If the inappropriate behavior continues, the patron will be asked to leave the library for the safety and welfare of everyone. If the patron refuses to leave, local law enforcement officials will be notified. Criminal activities that occur on library property will be immediately reported to law enforcement.

Any person who violates these rules of conduct over the telephone or the internet from a computer or any other electronic device may be subject to restriction of access to library resources and services at the discretion of the executive director or their designee.

No person shall:

  1. Behave in such a way that disrupts another person’s use of library resources or the facility;
  2. Threaten or harass staff, volunteers, or patrons, verbally, physically or in writing, including all forms of electronic media;
  3. Engage in behavior that jeopardizes the safety of any person or service animal;
  4. Violate any library policy or terms of use for meeting rooms, the Canyon Gallery and Theater, or Carnegie Library for Local History;
  5. Bring a weapon into or possess a weapon, except as expressly permitted by state law;
  6. Bring into, or possess alcoholic beverages in any facility without prior approval of the executive director and/or the Board of Trustees, or enter the library while in possession of or under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol;
  7. Use or publicly display tobacco, marijuana or products containing tobacco or marijuana or their components, including use of any form of electronic smoking or vaping device, or use illegal substances in any facility;
  8. Carry, lead, bring an animal into the library, except for service animals. Animals must be licensed and under the control of their owners;
  9. Seek or collect signatures from any person on a petition inside any library;
  10. Solicit donations of money or anything of value inside any library;
  11. Bring bicycles or shopping carts into any facility or leave bags or personal items unattended in any facility;
  12. Lie down, doze or sleep in any library facility except this rule shall not apply to children;
  13. Use the restrooms for anything other than the intended purposes. Prohibited activity includes, but is not limited to, bathing, shaving, washing, rinsing, or drying hair, or washing, rinsing, or drying clothing, and charging phones;
  14. Eat anything while in the Carnegie Library for Local History due to the historic nature of the collection.

Definitions

“Disruptive behavior” is any activity which disrupts the library, endangers the perpetrator or others, interferes with library business, hinders others’ access to the library or library resources, or is illegal. This may include, and is not limited to, any activity which results in the damage or disruption of equipment, services, or blocking access to the library or its resources, or the use of profane, obscene, intimidating, or abusive language or gestures including epithets directed at race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other personal characteristics.

“Electronic smoking device,” “E-cigarettes,” “E-cigs,” or “vaping device” means an electric or battery-operated device, the use of which resembles conventional smoking, or emits vapors which can be used to deliver substances, including, but not limited to, nicotine, tobacco, or marijuana, to the person using such device. An electronic smoking device shall include, without limitation, an electronic cigarette, cigar, cigarillo, pipe, vaping devices, or hookah. An electronic smoking device shall not include any product approved by the food and drug administration as a drug or medical device used according to its purpose.

“Facility” as used in these rules shall mean the interior and exterior of all Boulder Public Library District buildings extending to the curbs and library parking lots; and the south area underneath the library bridge at the Main Library.

“Harass” as used in these rules shall mean to strike, shove, kick, or otherwise subject another person to physical contact including contact with an object; or with the intent to annoy or alarm, follow another person in or about a public place, direct language toward another person or repeatedly insult, taunt, challenge or make communications in offensively coarse language to another person.

“Library” as used in these rules shall mean all Boulder Public Library District buildings.

Suspension of Library Privileges

The executive director, library directors, authorized security personnel, the manager on duty, or their designee may restrict access to library facilities, resources, and services with immediate dismissal of the person from the premises by suspending the person’s access to library facilities for a set period or by denying access to specific services and/or programs.

The suspension or period of restricted access shall be reasonably related to the severity of the offense, the number of repeated offenses and their danger to public health, safety, and welfare and shall not, except for criminal offenses of a sexual nature, exceed one year. Suspensions or restricted access may range from 24 hours (for a relatively minor first offense) to a year or longer for serious disruptions, repeat offenses and criminal acts of a violent or sexual nature.

Right of Appeal

A person currently suspended or under restricted access from the library may appeal a suspension decision to the executive director by filing a written statement of appeal detailing why the suspension was incorrectly issued, or by requesting a meeting with the executive director or their designee. Individuals are limited to one appeal per suspension.

For further information about the suspension appeal process, call 303-441-3100.

A written appeal including the appellant’s contact information may be mailed, hand delivered to any Boulder Public Library District location, or submitted online to the executive director.

Appeal Delivery Address

Executive Director
Boulder Public Library District
1001 Arapahoe Ave.
Boulder, CO 80302

Consideration of Appeal

Upon review of the appeal in consultation with the manager in charge or staff or security personnel who witnessed the incident leading to the suspension, the executive director will decide to uphold the suspension as issued, propose a reduction to the length of the suspension, or rescind the suspension.

Approved by the BPLD Board of Trustees on January 30, 2024.