Atchison Public Library
Unattended Children Policy
The Board of Trustees hopes that the children who use the library will find the facility to be a warm and inviting place to develop a love of books, reading, and the library.
Prompted by genuine concern for the safety and well-being of this community’s children, the Board of Trustees has adopted a policy for unattended children. This policy affirms that library personnel do not take the place of the parent, act as caregiver, nor assume responsibility for unattended children. For your child’s safety and for the comfort of all library patrons, we ask that these guidelines be followed.
All children under the age of 10 must be accompanied by a responsible care provider at all times. Parents, or other accountable persons, accompanying children are responsible for their child/ren’s behavior during their visit to the library.
Children aged ten or older may be left unattended providing their behavior follows the Patron Code of Conduct for the library. Should the child’s behavior become unacceptable, the child may be asked to leave. Concern for the child’s safety is paramount and an attempt will be made to locate the child’s parents so they are aware of the situation and may pick up their child if they wish. If a parent cannot be located, the police may be called for assistance.
The staff cannot be responsible for the safety of your child. Should it come to the attention of the library staff that a child under the age of ten has been left alone, we may attempt to locate the parents and explain our concerns. If the parents cannot be located within 15 minutes or if the library is closing, the police may be contacted for assistance.
Parents are responsible for picking up their children before the library closes. When the library closes, the doors are locked, the lights are turned off, and no one is available to supervise the outside areas. If a child under the age of 18 or a dependent adult is still in the library at closing time and the parents or caregivers cannot be located, the police may be called to assist in locating a parent or caregiver.
These procedures are in place for the safety of your child/ren and for the comfort of all those using the library facilities and services. The Atchison Public Library encourages you to bring your children to the library often and allow them to explore and appreciate what it has to offer.
Approved by the Atchison Library Board of Directors January 29, 2024
