Policy Introduction

The Roswell Public Library, in an effort to be more accessible to the community and our patrons, is participating in social media to increase promotion of the Library’s services and resources. In doing so, it recognizes that its employees and patrons may also be active participants in both personal and professional capacities. The Roswell Public Library has outlined some key standards to consider when participating in social media networking web sites.

Social Media Definition

Social Media Technology is defined as any website or application which allows users to share information, and may include, but is not limited to, blogging, instant messaging, social networking sites, and wikis. Many social networking sites allow users of those sites to become a “friend”, “fan” or otherwise associate their own “profiles” or virtual presences with the library’s profile on these sites. Examples of such sites are Twitter, Face book, YouTube and various blogging sites.

Parent Responsibilities

As with more traditional resources, the Roswell Public Library does not act in place of or in the absence of a parent and is not responsible for enforcing any restrictions which a parent or guardian may place on a minor’s use of this resource.

User Responsibilities

Users may remove themselves at any time from the Library’s “friends” or “fan” list by following established procedures of the site owner.

Privacy Policy

Users should be aware that third party websites have their own privacy policies and should proceed accordingly.

Comments, Posts & Messages

Comments, posts, and messages are welcome on Roswell Public Library’s social networking sites. While the Roswell Public Library recognizes and respects differences in opinion, all such interactions will be monitored and reviewed for relevancy and content.

Removal & Banning

All postings which contain any of the following will be removed and the poster barred from posting any subsequent messages to Roswell Public Library social networking sites:

• Obscene or Racist Content
• Personal attacks, insults, or threatening language
• Potentially libelous statements
• Plagiarized or copy-written material
• Private, personal information published without consent
• Comments totally unrelated to the content of the forum
• Hyperlinks to material that is not directly related to the discussion
• Commercial promotions or spam
• Organized political or religious activity
• Photos or other images that fall in any of the above categories

Modification & Reproduction of Comments

Roswell Public Library reserves the right to edit or modify any postings or comments for space or content, while retaining the intent of the original post.

Roswell Public Library shall also be granted the right to reproduce user comments, posts, and messages in other public venues for publicity purposes.

Liability Statement

Roswell Public Library assumes no liability regarding any event or interaction that takes place by any participant in any library-sponsored social networking service, and does not endorse or review content outside the pages created by library staff.

Agreement Implication

Participation in the library’s social networking services implies agreement with all library policies and the terms of service of each individual third-party service. If a user does not agree to these terms, they are not to use the services provided.

Periodic Evaluation

The role and utility of social networking sites will be evaluated periodically by library staff and may be terminated at any time without notice to subscribers.