Library Hours
Monday 12:30 – 6:00
Tuesday 3:00 – 6:00
Wednesday 9:30 – 6:00
Thursday 10:00 – 6:00
Friday 12:30 – 6:00
Saturday 12:00 – 3:00
Sunday CLOSED
Closing for Holidays:
The Richmond Public Library observes all established Federal holidays. The Library Director has the discretion to open the library on holidays. Established Federal Holidays are: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. In addition, the Library will be closed the Friday after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve day, and New Year’s Eve day. The Library Director has the discretion to have the Library open on any designated holiday.
Borrowing Policy:
Who May Borrow:
Any Kansas library and individuals who have a valid NEXT Regional library card may borrow books, video games, music CDs, videos, and DVDs from the Library or through Interlibrary Loan.
Exclusions From Loan:
Certain materials designated “To be used only in the library” may not be checked out.
Book/Movie Reserve Service:
Books/movies may be reserved upon request.
Limit On Amount Of Materials That Can Be Borrowed At Any One Time:
Ten [10] DVDs or TV shows per card, no limit on books per card, five [5] music CDs per card, five [5] video games per card, one [1] Launch pad or tablet per card.
Length of Loan Period:
Three [3] weeks for all library check-out item
Renewals:
Patrons are allowed [2] two renewals on any library collection items, unless said items is on hold.
Books Return Services:
There is a return box at Beachner Grain (next to the library).
Library Card Registration:
Any person wishing to acquire a Richmond Public Library card will need to show their driver’s license or state issued identification card, or provide their social security number. If the individual is 17 years of age or under, the parents or guardians identifying information will also be required. The individual will also have to provide a current address and valid telephone number. Patrons who move or change their telephone number should notify the library so the patron’s records can be updated. Failure to do so could result in loss of library privileges.
Library Cards:
The Richmond Public Library will issue one [1] library card free of cost for each patron number. If said card is damaged or lost there will be a $1.00 replacement charge for each card.
Library Use Charges [overdue]:
This library has gone FINE FREE
Charges for Lost or Damaged Materials:
The Richmond Public Library understands that books and media experience normal wear and tear as they are used. The library balances normal wear and tear against damages that might make the public reluctant to use the material. Readability is one consideration; appearance is another. The guidelines cover any material that the library checks out to the public. As regulated by state statute, all damaged and withdrawn materials remain the property of the library.
Fees for damaged materials will be charged when the condition of an item makes it unsuitable to be returned to the collection.
Patrons are discouraged from replacing a damaged or lost item with an item purchased personally. Any request to do so must be cleared by the Library Director in charge of the collection. For out of print items, the Library Director will determine a fair value based on the type of material lost or damaged and select a similar replacement item.
Normal wear and tear or minor damage is to be expected as items circulate. This includes: book falling from spine; frayed edges; tears on spine channel; CD, DVD, or cassette case replacement; paper dust jacket torn/marked; and pages torn.
Examples of major damage that require withdrawal of materials include: animal chews/teeth marks; liquid damage; pages stuck together; extensive marking/comments; pages marked/burned/missing; cracked/broken/chipped discs; and swollen/mildewed; odoriferous.
Patrons will make restitution as determined by the Library Director for damages to or loss of material[s]. If the patron loses material[s], said patron will be expected to pay cost of the material[s] as set by the Library Director. If patrons account has expired, at the library director’s discretion the patron’s account may be deleted and the fine[s] expunged. If the individual is 17 years of age or younger, the parent or guardian is responsible to make restitution. If the item is found after restitution has been made, the Board will determine whether partial reimbursement will be assessed. If six [6] months have passed since restitution was made and the item is returned, there will be no patron reimbursement.
In the case of a natural disaster such as a fire or tornado the library will forgive the cost of the lost items. In case of theft the library may forgive replacement cost if the report has been filed.
Withdrawal and Discard [Weeding]:
The Library needs to continuously evaluate its collection in response to the changing nature of its community through the weeding and replacement of its titles. The weeded material will then be sold for profit to the library or discarded if in bad shape.
The process will be done by the librarians and may be assisted by a trained volunteer. Weeded material in fair condition will be sold. All proceeds will go to the Richmond Public Library. Any non-usable material will be discarded.
Surplus Property
Surplus property (i.e., furniture, shelving, etc.) will be sold with proceeds to the Richmond Public Library. Any non-usable items will be discarded.
Unattended Children Policy:
It is the policy of the Richmond Public Library that children five [5] years of age or younger need to be supervised while in the library. The individual supervising the child five [5] years of age or younger should be at least nine [9] years old. If a child five [5] years of age or under is unsupervised in the library said child will be sent home. If a child shows up more than three [3] times without supervision the parents or guardian of said child will be sent a copy of this policy with a note that child is not allowed back into library without proper supervision.
LIBRARY COMPLAINTS:
Persons wishing to file a complaint about the Richmond Public Library should do so by contacting the Library Director. If the Director cannot resolve or explain the issue, she/he will then advise the Board of the issue. If said person wishes to speak to the Board, they may do so by asking to be put on the agenda of the next Board meeting.
Persons wishing to file a complaint about the library director should contact the current library board chair. If wishing to file a complaint about any other library employee, the individual should contact the Library Director.
Library Material CHALLENGE POLICY:
It is the policy of the Richmond Public Library that we will listen to any patron who challenges library material. Patrons wishing to challenge any material in the library will be required to fill out a Request For Reconsideration Of Library Resource form [found in Forms section of this manual] and submit it to the Library Director. The Director will read the form and review the material. The material will then be reviewed by at least one [1] Board Member and be discussed at the next Board meeting. The Board will then hold a discussion about the material, and the patron will be notified of the decision.
If the patron disagrees with the decision, they may choose to address the Board in person. If they request, the patron will be put on the agenda of the next board meeting, or the patron may ask the Board Chairman to hold a special meeting. The decision about a special meeting will be left up to the Board Chairman.
Steps for a request for reconsideration of library resource:
1. Fill out form
2. Give form to Director
3. Review of material
4. Book discussed at Board meeting
5. Decision made on material
6. Patron informed of decision
PATRON CODE OF BEHAVIOR
The Richmond Public Library strives to provide the highest level of service to all library users. Rules of conduct are set in place to protect the rights of Library customers to enjoy a safe environment conducive to the use of library materials and services
1. Failing to comply with library regulations and with instructions or requests made by library staff with respect to library regulations is strictly prohibited.
2. A patron whose behavior is disruptive to the use of the library by other patrons may be asked to leave the library premises. A patron who refuses to leave under these circumstances is trespassing. The staff member in charge shall be responsible for handling the problem and may seek assistance from a law enforcement agency, if needed.
3. A patron shall not engage in conduct that violates federal and state laws and local ordinances in regard to public behavior.
4. Abusive or obscene language is not allowed in the library.
5. Patrons are responsible for their personal welfare, the welfare of their children, and their personal property.
6. Dangerous or disruptive behavior is not allowed. This may include cell phone use, talking loudly, running, or any behavior that is disruptive to patrons or staff.
7. “Audio” equipment can be used in the library as long as headphones/ear buds are used and the volume is low enough that it does not disrupt the use of the library by other patrons.”
8. Behavior that is abusive to library patrons and/or staff is not allowed. Bullying & fighting are NOT allowed.
9. Destruction, theft, or defacing of library property including tampering with technology systems or computer hardware, software, and data is strictly prohibited.
10. Using library computer workstations in an unacceptable manner, as defined in the library’s computer rules, Internet rules, and library rules is prohibited. Members of library staff are under no obligation to monitor library computer workstation usage and accept no responsibility for investigating the manner in which those workstations are used. When, however, a member of the library staff observes a patron using a workstation in violation of the rules, the patron will be deemed to be using the workstation in an unacceptable manner and will be asked to immediately terminate his or her use of the workstation.
11. Use of tobacco products is not permitted in the library.
12. Alcoholic beverages are not permitted on the library premises except in connection with a library sponsored program.
13. Pets are not permitted in the library. Service animals are allowed. Pets are allowed in the library in connection with a library sponsored program.
14. Kansas law defines the term “weapons” in K.S.A 21-6301 and provides regulations for concealed carry of weapons in the Personal and Family Protection Act at https://ag.ks.gov/docs/default-source/documents/concealed-carry-statutes.pdf. Within the bounds of those laws, the open carry of firearms and possession of weapons is strictly prohibited, except by certified law enforcement personnel.
15. Persons entering the library should be wearing clothes (top and bottom) that provide enough cover to be decent.]. Public indecency is NOT allowed in the library per state law K.S.A. 21-5513.
16. When using the libraries public bathroom, door must be closed when in use.
Printing, Fax and Copies:
Patrons may print documents (in black and white) from the computer at the cost of 25 cents per page.
Patrons may make copies on the copier at the cost of 25 cents per page.
Color printing or copying can only be done with the approval of library staff at the cost of 50 cents per page.
Patrons may send and/or receive faxes at the cost of $1.00 up to five [5] pages. Each additional page, after five [5] will cost 25 cents per age.
It shall be the policy of the Richmond Public Library that copies and faxes may be made and/or sent from or to the library. There will be a small fee to the library for the use of these services. The fees will be as follows:
Black & White Copies .25 cents per sheet
Color Copies .50 cents per sheet
Faxes $1.00 each up to 5 pages, .25 each page after
Patrons who use these services without paying will be subject to losing any or all other library privileges as the director sees fit.
LIBRARY COMPUTER POLICY
No saving personal information.
Patrons are not allowed to connect gaming systems (such as: Xbox, Playstation, etc.) to library equipment as this may cause damage to the library equipment.
DO NOT open programs if you are not sure how to use them. Ask for help.
Please make sure to close ALL windows when you are done with YOUR computer time. DO NOT TURN COMPUTER OFF. Failure to follow this policy may result in loss of computer privileges as specified below.
NO obscene sites.
NO SAVING to the computer hard drive. If you need to save, you must provide your own device.
IF MORE THAN ONE PERSON at the computer, they must not block the shelves or the walkway. If the person using the computer does not want you there, you must sit at the table and wait your turn.
You may print items ONLY if you can PAY for them. Printouts are 25 cents ($.25) for black and white copies.
When printing, you MUST USE THE PAPER AVAILABLE. Patrons will NOT BE ALLOWED to use special paper without approval of the Director.
PLEASE BE MINDFUL OF YOUR TIME. Patrons may use the library computer up to one (1) hour per day. The individual in charge may allow additional time.
If computer system “LOCKS UPS”, NOTIFY librarian IMMEDIATELY. DO NOT try to resolve issue yourself. Failure to follow this policy may result in loss of computer privileges as specified below.
NOT FOLLOWING THE RULES can cause your computer privileges to be revoked. A period of one [1] week for the first violation. The second violation will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
Personal Electronic Devices – Patrons who bring in their own electronic devices; will still pay for printing and are NOT allowed on Obscene sites while using the Library Wi-Fi. The library is NOT responsible for your device.
Library public computers will be shutdown 10 minutes prior to the Library closing.
The Richmond Public Library is not liable for damages due to the use of any library public access equipment. Use computers at your own risk. [updated 3/12/20]
APPENDIX B
THE FREEDOM TO READ
The freedom to read is essential tour democracy. It is continuously under attack. Private groups and public authorities in various parts of the country are working to remove or limit access to reading materials, to censor content in schools, to label “controversial” views, to distribute lists of “objectionable” books or authors, and to purge libraries. These actions apparently rise from a view that or national tradition of free expression is no longer valid; that censorship and suppression are needed to counter threats to safety or national security, as well as to avoid the subversion of politics and the corruption of morals. We, as individuals devoted to reading and as librarians and publishers responsible for disseminating ideas, wish to assert the public interest in the preservation of the freedom to read.
Most attempts at suppression rest on a denial of the fundamental premise of democracy; that the ordinary individual, by exercising critical judgment, will select the good and reject the bad. We trust Americans to recognize propaganda and misinformation, and to make their own decisions about what they read and believe. We do not believe they are prepared to sacrifice their heritage of a free press in order to be “protected” against what others think may be bad for them. We believe they still favor free enterprise in ideas and expression.
These efforts at suppression are related to a larger pattern of pressures being brought against education, the press, art and images, films, broadcast media, and the Internet. The problem is no only one of actual censorship. The shadow of fear cast by these pressures leads, we suspect, to an even larger voluntary curtailment of expression by those who seek to avoid controversy or unwelcome scrutiny by government officials.
Such pressure toward conformity is perhaps natural to a time of accelerated change. And yet suppression is never more dangerous than in such a time of social tension. Freedom has given the United States the elasticity to endure strain. Freedom keeps open the path of novel and creative solutions, and enables change to come by choice. Every silencing of a heresy, every enforcement of an orthodoxy, diminishes the toughness and resilience of our society and leaves it the less able to deal with controversy and difference.
Now as always in our history, reading is among our greatest freedoms. The freedom to read and write is almost the only means for making generally available ideas or manners of expression that can initially command only a small audience. The written word is the natural medium for the new idea and the untried voice from which come the original contributions to social growth. It is essential to the extended discussion that serious thought requires, and to the accumulation of knowledge and ideas into organized collections.
We believe that free communication is essential to the preservation of a free society and a creative culture. We believe that these pressures toward conformity present the danger of limiting the range and variety of inquiry and expression on which our democracy and our culture depend. We believe that every American community must jealously guard the freedom to publish and to circulate, in order to preserve its own freedom to read. We believe that publishers and librarians have a profound responsibility to give validity to that freedom to read by making it possible for the readers to choose freely from a variety of offerings. The freedom to read is guaranteed by the Constitution. Those with faith in free people will stand firm on these constitutional guarantees of essential rights and will exercise the responsibilities that accompany these rights.
We therefore affirm these propositions:
I. It is in the public interest for publishers and librarians to make available the widest diversity of views and expressions, including those that are unorthodox, unpopular, or considered dangerous by the majority.
Creative thought is by definition new, and what is new is different. The bearer of every new thought is a rebel until that idea is refined and tested. Totalitarian systems attempt to maintain themselves in power by the ruthless suppression of any concept that challenges the established orthodoxy. The power to a democratic system to adapt to change is vastly strengthened by the freedom of its citizens to choose widely from among conflicting opinions offered freely to them. To stifle every nonconformist idea at birth would make the end of the democratic process. Furthermore, only through the constant activity of weighing and selecting can the democratic mind attain the strength demanded by times like these. We need to know not only what we believe but why we believe it.
II. Publishers, librarians, and booksellers do not need to endorse every idea or presentation they make available. It would conflict with the public interest for them to establish their own political, moral, or aesthetic views as a standard for determining what should be published or circulated.
Publishers and librarians serve the educational process by helping to make available knowledge and ideas required for the growth of the mind and the increase of learning. They do not foster education by imposing as mentors the patterns of their own thought. The people should have the freedom to read and consider a broader range of ideas than those that may be held by any single librarian or publisher or government or church. It is wrong that what one can read should be confined to what another thinks proper.
III. It is contrary to the public interest for publishers or librarians to bar access to writings on the basis of the personal history or political affiliations of the author.
No art or literature can flourish if it is to be measured by the political views or private lives of its creators. No society of free people can flourish that draws up lists of writers to whom it will not listen, whatever they may have to say.
IV. There is no place in our society for efforts to coerce the taste of others, to confine adults to the reading matter deemed suitable for adolescents, or to inhibit the efforts of writers to achieve artistic expression.
To some, much of modern expression is shocking. But is not much of life itself shocking? We cut off literature at the source if we prevent writers from dealing with the stuff of life. Parents and teachers have a responsibility to prepare the young to meet the diversity of experiences in life to which they will be exposed, as they have a responsibility to help them learn to think critically for themselves. These are affirmative responsibilities, not to be discharged simply by preventing them from reading works for which they are not yet prepared. In these matters values differ, and values cannot be legislated; nor can machinery be devised that will suit the demands of one groups without limiting the freedom of others.
V. It is not in the public interest to force a reader to accept the prejudgment of a label characterizing any expression or its author as subversive or dangerous.
The ideal of labeling presupposes the existence of individual or groups with wisdom to determine by authority what is good or bad for others. It presupposes that individuals must be directed to making up their minds about the ideas they examine. But Americans do not need others to do their thinking for them.
VI. It is the responsibility of publishers and librarians, as guardians of the people’s freedom to read, to contest encroachments upon that freedom by individuals or groups seeking to impose their own standards or tastes upon the community at large; and by the government whenever it seeks to reduce or deny public access to public information.
It is inevitable in the give and take of the democratic process that the political, the moral, or the aesthetic concepts of an individual or group will occasionally collide with those of another individual or group. In a free society individuals are free to determine for themselves what they wish to read and each group is free to determine what it will recommend to its freely associated members. But no group has the right to take the law into its own hands, and to impose its own concept of politics or morality upon other members of a democratic society. Freedom is no freedom if it is accorded only to the accepted and the inoffensive. Further, democratic societies are more safe, free, and creative when the free flow of public information is not restricted by governmental prerogative or self-censorship.
VII. It is the responsibility of publishers and librarians to give full meaning to the freedom to read by providing books that enrich the quality and diversity of thought and expression. By the exercise of this affirmative responsibility, the can demonstrate that the answer to a “bad” book is a good one, the answer to a “bad” idea is a good one.
The freedom to read is of little consequence when the reader cannot obtain matter fit for that reader’s purpose. What is needed is not only the absence of restraint, but the positive provision of opportunity for the people to read the best that has been thought and said. Books are the major channel by which the intellectual inheritance is handed down, and the principal means of its testing and growth. The defense of the freedom to read requires of all publishers and librarians the utmost of their faculties, and deserves of all Americans the fullest of their support.
We state these propositions neither lightly nor as easy generalizations. We here stake out a lofty claim for the value of the written word. We do so because we believe that it is possessed of enormous variety and usefulness, worthy of cherishing and keeping free. We realize that the application of these propositions may mean the dissemination of ideas and manners of expression that are repugnant to many persons. We do not state these propositions in the comfortable belief that what people read is unimportant. We believe rather that what people read is deeply important; that ideas can be dangerous; but that the suppression of ideas is fatal to a democratic society. Freedom itself is a dangerous way of life, but it is ours.
This statement was originally issued in May of 1953 by the Westchester Conference of the American Library Association and the American Book Publishers Council, which in 1970 consolidated with the American Educations Publishers Institute to become the Association of American Publishers.
Adopted June 25, 1953; revised January 28, 1972, January 16, 1991, July 12, 2000, June 30, 2004, by the ALA Council and the AAP Freedom to Read Committee.
A Joint Statement by:
American Library Association
Association of American Publishers
APPENDIX H
Patron Privacy and Confidentiality Statement
Next Libraries
In recognizing a library’s position of special trust with members of the public, the Next Search Catalog member libraries wish to clarify their policy and responsibility with regard to confidential information about patron’s and patron use of library resources that comes into a library’s possession.
As the choice of books and other library materials, along with the use of the informational resources of the library, is essentially a private endeavor on the part of each individual patron, a Next Search Catalog library shall make every reasonable and responsible effort to see that information about the patron and the individual information choices remain confidential. For people to make full and effective use of library resources, they must feel unconstrained by the possibility that others may become aware of the books they read, the materials they use, or the questions they ask. The awareness of existence of such a possibility inhibits free usage of a library. Its resources and facilities, and is contrary to the ALA Library Bill of Rights and Freedom to Read.
Therefore, Next Search Catalog libraries have adopted the following guidelines concerning the use and disclosure of information about library patrons:
Any information supplied to the library [or gathered by it] shall not be given, made available or disclosed to any individual [except the individual patron in question], corporation [except for collection agency purposes], institution or government agency without a valid process, order of subpoena.
Upon presentation of such a process, order or subpoena, the library shall resist its enforcement and immediately refer the matter to the Next Search Catalog Administrator at NEKLS. If a proper showing of good cause has been made in a court of competent jurisdiction, NEKLS will directly work with law enforcement to resolve the matter.
Specifically, no information will be shared regarding or including:
1. A patron’s name of library card number [or whether an individual is registered borrower or has been a patron];
2. A patron’s contact information, to include addresses, phone numbers and email addresses;
3. Any information regarding a patron’ current or past borrowing history;
4. The library’s circulation records and their content;
5. The library’s borrower’s records and their content;
6. The number or character of question asked by patrons; and
7. The frequency of content of patron’s visits to the library, unless related to a library imposed or legally-imposed restriction.
Any receipts generated with patron information will be destroyed within a reasonable amount of time. While it is the position of the Next Search Catalog consortium to not disclose information about library patrons to anyone except the individual in question.
It is the policy of the Richmond Public Library to permit account access to parent and legal guardians serving as guarantors for minor children accounts or children that share accounts with a parent or legal guardian.
All Next Search Catalog library employees and volunteers will annually review the Patron Privacy and Confidentiality Statement and acknowledge review by signing and dating the form provided by the Next Users Group