Parental Assistance Practices

In response to requests from local residents, the Placer County Library Advisory Board adopted a series of staff recommendations as library policies and practices at its meeting on Tuesday, June 29, 1999.

The policies and practices listed below continue the library’s ongoing efforts to work closely with parents to be sure the library meets the goals parents set for their children. The library has always strongly encouraged parents to participate actively in their children's selection of library materials.

Educational Assistance

Library staff will work with parents who are educating their children at home, to develop reading lists for their children.

Parental Guidance Provisions

At a parent’s direction, library staff will add a No Videos designation to a child’s library card, to prevent the child from checking out library videos.

Library staff will work with parents to create library materials lists for their children’s reading, listening, and viewing, to meet their family’s educational and personal development goals.

County libraries will post the Motion Picture Association ratings code near the videos, to assist parents in their decision-making.

Internet Access

The Advisory Board reaffirmed the current Library Internet policy, including the requirement that all library Internet users sign the Library’s Acceptable Use Policy.(Staff monitor Internet use regularly to prevent people from accessing obscene sites.)

• Library staff will offer annual classes on Internet use for families and children at all county library branches.

• Library staff will develop and provide parents and other library patrons with lists of websites for children and lists of websites about safe Internet use.

An American Value

Finally, the Advisory Board adopted Libraries: An American Value (PDF) as a library policy. In 1998 / 1999, Placer County library patrons checked out more than 720,000 pieces of material. Library staff received three or four complaints about content.