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Social Media
Purpose
The Watertown Free Public Library (WFPL) is committed to using current social media. Use of this technology meets a critical need to inform the public about library resources and activities, increase the use of library resources and provide additional communication with members of the public. The Watertown Free Public Library regards social media as an information source that is in accordance with its mission of serving patrons to meet their informational, educational, cultural and recreational needs. Social media sites allow all members of the community access to the resources of the Watertown Free Public Library without requiring a visit to the physical library
Definition
Social media is defined as any website or application which allows users to share information. Examples of social media are: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, wikis, photo sharing, video sharing, blogs, Flickr, Wordpress, and patron reviews and ratings of library materials.
Application
Comments, posts, and messages are welcome on Watertown Free Public Library social networking sites/media. While the library recognizes and respects differences in opinion, all such interactions will be regularly monitored and reviewed for content and relevancy (before publishing if possible). The Watertown Free Public Library social media sites provide a limited (or designated) public forum intended for moderated discussion. Postings which contain the following will be removed at the library staff’s discretion and the poster may be precluded from posting any subsequent messages to library social networking sites:
- Obscene, sexist or racist content
- Personal attacks, insults, or threatening language
- Potentially libelous statements
- Plagiarized or copy-written material
- Violation of intellectual property rights
- Private, personal information published without consent of the appropriate party
- Comments totally unrelated to the content of the discussion/posts that are off-topic
- Comments that have the sole purpose to annoy
- Hyperlinks to material that is not directly related to the discussion
- Commercial promotions, petitions or spam
- Organized political activity
- Photos or other images that fall in any of the above categories
Notwithstanding the above, the Watertown Free Public Library is not obligated to take such actions, and will not be responsible or liable for content posted by any subscriber in any forum, message board, or other area within our social media sites.
Watertown Free Public Library staff reserve the right to not publish any posting, or to remove it later. Library staff reserves the right to edit or modify postings or content, while retaining the intent of the original post. The library has right to reproduce comments, posts and messages in other public venues/library publications.
The Watertown Free Public Library assumes no liability regarding any event that occurs or interaction that takes place involving any participant in any library-sponsored social networking media service. The library does not endorse or review content outside the “pages” created by library staff.
As with more traditional resources, the Watertown Free Public Library does not act in place of, or in the absence of, a parent or guardian and is not responsible for enforcing any restrictions which a parent or guardian my place on a minor’s use of these resources.
Library social networking sites may be terminated at any time without notice to subscribers.
Challenges to social media used by the library will be dealt with in the same manner using the library’s reconsideration policy. Patrons who are blocked and/or have had comments deleted by library staff may appeal this action, in writing, to the Director/Assistant Director of the Library within 30 days; the Director/Assistant Director will affirm or reverse the staff’s decision within 30 days after the written appeal.
Indemnification
By posting content, the patron/user agrees to indemnify the Watertown Free Public Library and its officers and employees from and against all liabilities, judgments and damages and costs (including attorney’s fees) incurred by any of them which arise out of or are related to the posted content.
If any user does not agree to these terms, he or she should not use the social media services.