Internet Access Policy
This document constitutes System-wide policy for access to the Internet using equipment owned and administered by the Lake County Library System, Tavares, FL.
The Lake County Library System is pleased to bring Internet access to Lake County and believes that the Internet offers vast, diverse and unique resources to both patrons and staff. This document constitutes a System-wide policy for access to the Internet using equipment owned and administered by the Lake County Library System. Computerized access to information has become an integral part of many library activities. The library plays a unique role in promoting intellectual freedom and serves as a point of voluntary access to information and ideas.
ACCEPTABLE USE
Acceptable use includes Internet access supporting the instructional, cultural, social, and recreational information needs of the patron. Access to the Internet may only be used for legal purposes. Acceptable and unacceptable use criteria extends to use of e-mail and interactive messaging programs such as chat rooms. Text, graphics, or other files retrieved for research purposes may be viewed on screen or printed.
Parents or legal guardians of minor children are responsible for their children's use of the Internet through the Library's connection. Parents and legal guardians are encouraged to read Child Safety on the Information Highway and adopt My Rules for Online Safety for their children; reprinted and distributed with permission of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. (These are both available from links on the Lake County Library System Internet Use Guidelines Page.)
UNACCEPTABLE USE
Examples of unacceptable purposes include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Destruction of, or damage to, equipment, software, or data belonging to the library or other users;
- Disruption or unauthorized monitoring of electronic communications;
- Unauthorized access, including "hacking";
- Any display of images, sounds or text to intentionally create an atmosphere of discomfort or harassment for others;
- Unlawful activities including, but not limited to, access of visual depictions that are obscene, child pornography - or with respect to the use of computers with Internet access by minors - harmful to minors;
- Unauthorized reproduction or dissemination of copyright-protected material;
- Downloading to, or installing any program on, the hard drive of any Lake County Library System Internet computer;
- Patron use of personal media, such as floppy disks or CD-ROMs, in Lake County Library System networked computers. For a fee, the library may provide to patrons new disks for use on library computers; and
- Unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personal information regarding minors.
SANCTIONS
The use of the Internet is a privilege, not a right. Violators of the Internet Access Policy may lose library privileges. Illegal acts involving Library computing resources may also be subject to prosecution by local, state, or federal authorities. Standards of library behavior extend to Internet use and are governed by Lake County Policy LCC-34: Patron Guidelines Governing the Use of the Lake County Library System Libraries. Patrons who want to access the Internet using a networked Lake County Library System computer must agree to abide by this policy prior to being granted access. Use of library computers to access the Internet constitutes agreement to abide by this policy.
DISCLAIMER
Since the Internet is a global electronic network not under the control of the Lake County Library System, the Library cannot regulate the nature of content of the information accessed.
Not all sources on the Internet provide accurate, complete, or current information. Users need to be good information consumers, questioning the validity of the information. As voluntary users, Internet searchers are responsible for defining the constraints of the search.
The Lake County Library System makes no warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, for the Internet service it is providing. The Lake County Library System assumes no responsibility for any damages, direct or indirect, arising from use of its WWW server or from its connections to other Internet services. The Lake County Library System and its Member Libraries shall not be held accountable for the accuracy or quality of information retrieved via the Internet. The Lake County Library System uses Internet blocking measures.
The Lake County Library System does not provide electronic mail accounts for patrons.
In order to preserve your privacy, please close all browser windows when you are finished browsing the Internet. Some sites may also require that you sign out or log out prior to closing browsers.