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Library Policies

Meeting Room Policy

Meeting room reservations will be considered no sooner than three months prior to an event. Only three approved reservations per organization are allowed at one time.

Who May Use the Rooms

Any club or community group of persons meeting for non-profit purposes may request and be assigned use of library facilities, provided the proper request has been made and recorded with the designated library staff member(s). Eligible groups include:

  • Civic organizations
  • Social clubs whose intent is educational or cultural in nature
  • Academic classes or study groups
  • Professional or honorary groups
  • Organized school or academic groups which have a civic interest or goal
  • Groups meeting for non-profit purposes

All meetings are open to the public. The library staff reserves the right to enter meeting rooms at any time.

Who May Not Use the Rooms

The library meeting rooms may not be used by:

  • Any group meeting for a profitable reason
  • Any group meeting for social or personal reasons, such as parties, family reunions, weddings, receptions, etc.
  • Any group which has proven unsatisfactory for any reason during prior use

Requests for meeting room use may be denied if the hours of use are unsatisfactory to the planned operating hours of the library or if the noise from the activity planned would disturb the normal library operations and use by library customers.

No admission or attendance charge is to be made unless the library is serving as a sponsor, and funds from the attendance are necessary and announced in advance in order to provide the necessary gratuities or matching funds required to produce the program.

Scheduling Process

A designated staff member will be responsible for confirming and scheduling any room request. Each room reservation must be complete, giving the date, time, and name of the meeting contact person.

Priority will be given on a first-come, first-served basis. Each group may have only three active reservations on the calendar at one time.

The designated staff member will maintain an appointment record for all meetings scheduled for the library facilities and advise the staff in regard to facility use. All scheduled meetings will be kept on a calendar for use by the entire staff.

In the event that weather conditions cause the library to close, the library will cancel use of the meeting rooms during the time that the library is closed.

 

Hours of Use

All meeting must be conducted during normal library operating hours. View them on the Library Locations page. In the event that weather conditions cause the library to close, all reservations will be cancelled.

Maintenance of the Facilities

Groups will be responsible for their meeting room setup. All the tables and chairs you will need for the size of your audience and its seating style will be placed in the room(s) prior to your beginning reservation time.

Groups using library facilities are responsible for restitution for any damage to the room or its equipment due to misuse, carelessness, or vandalism.

Craft materials that if spilled may be difficult to clean, such as glitter or paint, must be approved by library staff before use.

No alcoholic beverages may be brought into the building. The library is a smoke-free facility.

While there is a kitchen available if requested at the Bob Kirby Branch, no food can be prepared onsite. Catered meals and boxed lunches may be brought in the meeting room.

 

Special Note

Library needs will take precedence over public use of the meeting areas, as library programming is an important aspect of the library’s service to the community. The Library Director has the final approval on use of the meeting rooms. The Board of Trustees reserves the right to cancel reservations and the groups will be notified of such cancellations. Appeals may be made in writing to the Board of Trustees for reconsideration by the Board and Library Director.

The fact that a group is permitted to meet in the library’s meeting rooms in no way constitutes an endorsement of the group’s objectives or beliefs by the library employees or the Board of Trustees.

Study Room Policy

Usage

Individuals or groups of 2 or 4 people can meet in study rooms, depending on capacity.

 

Study Rooms Available for Reservation

Study Rooms #1 & #2  (Lisa Rice Library)
Study Rooms #1 & #2 (Bob Kirby Branch)

Reservations may be made online and are limited to 4 hours per day. Individuals/groups are limited to 4 reservations on the monthly calendar at any time. If the reserving individual/group does not arrive, the reservation is considered cancelled after 15 minutes, and the room will be made available for other patrons.

 

Hours of Use

View our Normal Library Operating Hours. In the event that weather conditions cause the library to close, all reservations will be cancelled.

 

Who May Use the Library Study Rooms

Individuals, civic organizations, or social clubs whose intent is educational or cultural in nature; academic classes or study groups; professional or honorary groups; and organized school or academic groups which have a civic interest or goal. Groups must be meeting for non-profit purposes. Any individual or group who has proven unsatisfactory for any reason during prior study room use may be denied access to study rooms.

Open Records Requests

Open records requests to the Warren County Public Library are governed by KRS 61.870-61.991 & Code of Ordinances 2-20.

Patron Records: Public records containing information of a personal nature are protected from disclosure by the personal privacy exemption of state law, and a public library is not required to make circulation records available for public inspection under the Open Records Law.

[according to a Kentucky attorney general’s report dated March 12, 1982]: “…the individual’s privacy right as to what he borrows from a public library (books, motion picture film, periodicals and any other matter) is overwhelming.” This conclusion was based on KRS 61.878 (1)(a), which exempts from the mandatory requirement of public disclosure ‘public records containing information of a personal nature where the public disclosure thereof would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.’”

Mailing Address for Records Requests:
Warren County Public Library
1225 State Street
Bowling Green, KY 42101
ATTN: Open Records Request

Official Custodian of the Records:

Courtney Stevens, Library Director
(270) 781-4882 x 207 | courtneys@warrenpl.org

Open Records Request Form (pdf)

WCPL 3D Printing Policy

The Library’s 3D printers are available to the public to make three-dimensional objects in plastic using a design that is uploaded from a digital computer file.

I. The Library charges a fee of $0.06 per gram of PLA filament used (including rafts and supports).

II. The Library’s 3D printers may be used only for lawful purposes. The public will not be permitted to use the Library’s 3D printers to create material that is:

  • Prohibited by local, state or federal law.
  • Unsafe, harmful, dangerous or poses an immediate threat to the well-being of others. (Such use may violate the terms of use of the manufacturer.)
  • Obscene or otherwise inappropriate for the Library environment.
  • In violation of another’s intellectual property rights. For example, the printers will not be used to reproduce material that is subject to copyright, patent or trademark protection.

III. The Library reserves the right to refuse any 3D print request.

IV. Items printed from Library 3D printers that are not picked up within 7 days of completion will become property of the Library. Items must be picked up by the individual requesting the print.

V. Only designated Library staff and patrons supervised by designated staff may have direct, hands-on access to the 3D printer.

VI. Prints estimated to take over 15 hours to complete will be scaled down to accommodate library operations.

VII. In the event of a print failing to complete:

  • If estimated print time is less than 3 hours staff will retry the print on the same day.
  • If estimated print time is greater than 3 hours the print will be moved to the back of the queue.
  • In the event of the print failing twice staff may request a redesigned file or refuse the print.

VIII. Prints will be left as-is upon completion; finishing work (such removal of excess material) will be left to the patron.

 

Policy updated July 21, 2020

Computer Use Policy

Though the Internet is a valuable information resource, it is an unregulated medium, and some websites may be inaccurate, unreliable, personally offensive, or even illegal. The Library has no control over information accessed through the Internet, nor are they responsible for any damages resulting from accessing the Internet.

The following behaviors are not permitted on Library computers, some of which may violate local, state, and/or federal laws. A Library computer may not be used to:

  • view, display, or transmit obscene materials, with the library reserving the right to exercise judgment
  • engage in any illegal purpose, including but not limited to: hacking, misrepresentation, harassment, slander, violating copyright and/or software agreements
  • alter, damage, or abuse Library hardware or software or other Library property
  • create an intimidating or hostile environment

The Library reserves the right to prohibit violators of Library computer policies/procedures from using the Library computers.

While staff are happy to assist you in searching for information or in choosing websites for your children, the Library staff’s availability to help users with basic computer use is limited. Additionally, Library staff may not have knowledge of all Library computer programs, nor will they be familiar with how to use all websites. Library staff will be glad to assist you as they are able and time permitting, but users must have basic computer skills.

All minors must have prior parental approval before they may access the Internet. As with other materials, parents and guardians are responsible for information their children may access. The Library strongly encourages parents and guardians to guide and monitor their children in using the Internet. Staff will be happy to assist you and your children in selecting appropriate websites.

GENERAL PROCEDURES

  • Each patron must show his or her own Warren County Public Library card to access the Internet.
  • The patron must agree to the terms of the library’s Computer Use Policy before using a computer.
  • Computers may be reserved for limited length sessions; sessions may be extended if no one is waiting to use the computer.
  • The patron may reserve one session of computer time one day in advance. Reservations will be cancelled if the patron is more than five minutes late for a reserved session.
  • Staff may limit to one person per machine if necessary.
  • The patron will be limited to five pages of printing per day at no charge. The patron must clear all printing requests with staff prior to printing. Additional pages may be printed for $.15 (tax included) per page. The user may bring in his or her paper but will be charged for pages printed in excess of five. Color printing may be available for $.55 (tax included) per page.

PATRONS UNDER AGE 18

  • Patrons under age 18 must have a parent or guardian fill out a library card application indicating whether or not they have permission for Internet access.
  • A patron under 18 who does not have permission to access the Internet, or who does not present a validated library card, may only use computers for word processing, educational games, or reference tools.

GUEST INTERNET USERS

  • A patron may be a Guest Internet User on a temporary basis if he/she is over 18 years old but is not eligible to get a Library card. Each Guest must present a valid photo ID.
  • A patron under the age of 18 may be a Guest Internet User only if accompanied by a parent or legal guardian authorizing Internet access.

Use of the Library computers implies acceptance of this policy.

Approved by the Warren County Public Library Board of Trustees December 2008.

This policy may be revised by the Library as necessary.

Last revised March 2013.

    Patron Code of Conduct

    The following behaviors are prohibited on Warren County Library property (WCPL):

    • Violation of local, state, and federal laws

    • Failure to supervise and leaving children unattended

    • Adults are not allowed to be in a children’s area of WCPL unless their children are present.

    • Disruptive, alarming, or aggressive behavior that causes negative effects on WCPL staff and its patrons

    • Threatening of WCPL staff and its patrons by verbal or physical threats

    • Sexual harassment of WCPL staff by patrons such as “catcalling” will not be tolerated.

    • Use of WCPL computers in a manner that violates computer and internet policies and procedures

    • Damaging or destroying property owned by WCPL or by other patrons

    • Using obscene language

    • Soliciting, loitering, or panhandling on WCPL property

    • Consuming alcoholic beverages on WCPL property

    • Consuming in any manner illegal drugs and/or intoxicants

    • Possession of alcoholic beverages and illegal drugs

    • Intoxication from either drugs and/or alcoholic beverages

    • Exhibitionism, lewdness, sexual advances, or abuse

    • Using WCPL bathrooms for any need not usually associated with normal bathroom use, such as bathing, washing clothes, sexual activities, and preparing food and drink

    • Leaving items unattended. Large bags are not allowed, and any patron can be asked to remove said items at the discretion of WCPL staff.

    • Running or climbing on furniture, toys, or shelves

    • Smoking or other use of tobacco products such as smokeless tobacco, e-cigs, or vaping

    • Eating is prohibited in WCPL, unless it is a designated area. Beverages can only be allowed with a lid.

    • Inappropriate dress, such as entering WCPL without shirts and/or shoes. For certain religious purposes some patrons may not wear shoes, and that is acceptable under WCPL code of conduct.

    • Sleeping

    Failure for any patron to comply with WCPL established rules and regulations (Code of Conduct) may result in exclusion from the library for a day, permanently, and/or in arrest.

    Patrons are also subject to video surveillance while on premises.

    This list is not meant to be all inclusive. WCPL staff reserves the right to prohibit other behaviors and actions deemed to be inappropriate

    Last revised September 2019.