By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
The library is a great place for kids, a safe space for kids, but it’s not a day care center and the staff members are not babysitters.
The Wood County District Public Library approved a policy Tuesday that clarifies just how employees will deal with unattended children.
The policy, said Library Director Michael Penrod, was drawn based on guidelines from Child Protective Services.
The library staff needs to know, he said, what to do if they have a 6-year-old running around and the parent is two miles away at home.
Penrod said that in discussions with parents, staff has been told that there are no guidelines. Now there are.
From birth to age 7, the parent or guardian, must be “in the immediate vicinity.”
There was some discussion whether that should be more precisely defined, but Penrod said short of getting measuring tape out, that may prove to be too restrictive.
“You’ve got to be able to see them,” Board president Brian Paskvan said
For children 8 or 9, Penrod said, the parent needs to be in the building. Those 10, 11 and 12 years old can use it on their own. Here the issue becomes transportation. “If a child is not able to leave the library without an adult, they should not be in the library without an adult,” Penrod said.
Also, if a child needs to wait for a ride at closing time, the staff will call the police to provide transportation if the ride hasn’t arrived within 15 minutes. Penrod said there have been instances when a staff member has had to wait 45 minutes for a parent to pick up their child.
If a sibling is watching the children, that child must be at least 13 and know they are responsible.
Teens over 13 can use the library on their own, and are treated as adults and are expected to act as adults.
The board also set rates for the meeting rooms in the library, including the new one on the second floor. The biggest change is that fees will now have different rates for individuals and for-profit entities and non-profit groups. The fee will be $75 for three hours for individuals and for-profit entities with $20 for each additional hour. The rent for an entire day of at least six hours will be $300.The fee will be $20 for non-profit groups for three hours and $10 for each additional hour, and $100 for a full day.
Renters will be charged $150 if the event requires staff to be there earlier or later than regular operating hours.
The fee to use the Carter House, which is across Church Street from the library, will increase from $100 to $125. Penrod said the rate is reasonable enough that there is no price break for non-profits.
He said the rates balance the need for the library to bring in revenue while at the same time making its facilities available.
The board also approved a policy covering naming rights for various parts of the library, such as that new meeting room.
Paskvan noted the policy leaves some wiggle room on whether something can be named for living people. “Generally” that’s not done, the policy reads.
The board also changed its policy on paying employees for unused sick time when they retire. Now they are paid 10 percent of accumulated, unused leave when they retire after 10 or more years. Employees cannot carry more than 900 hours of sick leave.
Penrod said he wanted to better reward employees for not over-using sick leave. At the same time, he wants to be fiscally prudent.
The new policy calls for sliding scale with employees being paid for 20 percent of their unused leave to a maximum of 300 hours if retiring after 10 years, 25 percent when retiring after 15 years, 30 percent after 20 years, and 5 percent after 25 years.
This, he noted, is still somewhat less generous than county government’s policy.
