Safe Child Policy

Exeter Public Library desires to provide a welcoming, supportive, and safe environment for children of all ages. Library staff are trained to help youths locate books and other resources, and to provide programs and activities that encourage curiosity and love of learning in young minds. However, library staff are not trained or equipped to provide childcare and cannot act as parents in monitoring or supervising children, including monitoring the materials that they access or borrow. We have adopted the following policy to ensure that all children are afforded a safe and positive experience at the library.

• Children are expected to behave in a manner conducive to maintaining a positive atmosphere at the library for all patrons.
   
• Responsibility for the safety and behavior of children in the library always rests with the parent or caregiver and not with the library staff. In the same manner, parents or caregivers are responsible for the materials that their children access and borrow.
   
• Children under 8 years old must be accompanied by a parent or adult caregiver at all times.
   
• Children 8 to 10 years old must have a responsible caregiver, age 13 years or older, present and available on library premises.
   
• If using the library on their own, children 11 years and older must have emergency contact information on their person, and they must be picked up before the library’s closing time.
   
• Regardless of age, children who require close supervision or constant individual attention should not be left unattended at the library.
   
• In the event that a child or teenager is left in the library after closing, a staff member will stay with the child at the front door until a parent or caregiver arrives. If a parent or caregiver cannot be located, the police will be contacted to pick up the child.
   
• Staff will not physically prevent a child from leaving the library. Nor will staff assume responsibility for a child, or accompany or transport a child off library premises.
   

Unaccompanied Adults in Spaces & Programs for Youths

Programs and events for youths are reserved for youths of appropriate ages and their parents or caregivers only. Likewise, adults may visit the Children's Room or Teen Corner of the library only when accompanied by a child or teen using these areas, or when retrieving materials for research or checkout. We strongly encourage unaccompanied adults to ask staff for assistance locating children's and teen materials, unless they are familiar with library collections and can do so and vacate the area promptly. Staff will explain our policy and ask unaccompanied adults to leave the Children's Room and Teen Corner if it appears that they are using the space or lingering for an extended amount of time.
 

Approved by the Exeter Public Library Board of Trustees 4/21/2022