A.      INTRODUCTION / OVERVIEW:

            Berkshire Athenaeum bylaws (Article XVII) authorizes the Director to “exclude from the privileges of the Library” a problem patron.

            The Director delegates to library supervisors, and by extension to public service personnel, the authority to request a patron leave the building.  According to the Library’s “Behavior Policy & Procedures”, patrons misbehaving are generally given two warnings and then asked to leave the facility.  Patrons asked to leave the facility for disciplinary reasons are at a minimum suspended for the remainder of the day and/or evening.

            The decision to suspend a patron for a period greater than one day will be made by the Library Director or his representative in his absence.  If an informal approach to implementing an action of this nature is unsuccessful, then the Director shall utilize the following procedures to suspend a patron from the facility. 

            It is important to emphasize that at no time will physical force be used by any library personnel to remove a patron from the building.  As appropriate, other library staff on duty may accompany an employee (a supervisor is preferred, if available) when a patron is to be informed that he/she is requested to leave the building or is not permitted to enter the building.  This may help portray a “united front,” as well as reinforce the authority to take this action.  If the patron resists and immediate removal is needed, contact the Police using Standard Emergency Notification Procedures outlined in the “Behavior Policy & Procedures”.

B.      SUSPENSION OF SERVICE:

B.1.      To initiate a suspension of use privilege, the Library Director shall draft a letter with the date, problem patron’s name and address, a brief description of the offense, and the specific terms of suspension.

B.2.      A copy of the letter is forwarded to each appropriate public service department (that might reasonably expect a visit from the offending patron).

B.3.      Suspensions include both total facility bans as well as targeted service privileges (i.e. computer use, telephone reference assistance, interlibrary loan, access to specific library departments, etc.), depending upon the misbehavior.

B.4.      If the suspended patron violates the terms of suspension (or claims the letter was never received), the senior employee on duty in the department that first notices the violation should exercise discretion and either confront the patron with a copy of the letter of suspension and request their immediate departure, or contact the police department and request they issue a Notice of Trespass to the offender. 

B.5.      Any violation of suspension, especially if the offending patron is confronted by a library employee, should be documented on an Incident Form which would include the date, time and circumstances of the confrontation.

B.6.      If the police are contacted, that senior employee should immediately after making the contact with police (and before an officer can respond), secure copies of the initial letter of suspension and a blank copy of the Notice of Trespass form so as to be prepared for the visit. 

B.7.      That senior employee on duty should meet the responding officer when he/she arrives.  Supply the officer with a copy of the letter of suspension and blank Notice of Trespass, and direct the officer to the offending patron. 

B.8.      Have the attending officer confirm the name and address of the patron. Three copies of the original Notice of Trespass form should be created.  The problem patron should be given the form as should the responding police officer.  A copy of the original letter should be provided to the offending patron at this time.  Complete an Incident Report to document the event and attach it to the library’s copy of the Notice of Trespass form to be kept on file.

B.9.      Extraordinary circumstances may prevent the drafting of a letter of suspension prior to seeking the help of police.  In such a situation, the Library Director should follow-up the Notice of Trespass with a letter amending any terms of the suspension as necessary.

B.10.    Should the offending patron violate the terms of suspension after having been served a Notice of Trespass by police, the senior employee on duty in the department where the violation was first noted should contact the police to report the violation at the time of violation.

B.11.    A violation of the terms of any suspension will receive a progressive disciplinary response from the library.