Recently Asked Questions (RAQs)

We recently received 2 questions that raised related issues, so we've merged them in this "Ask the Lawyer Meeting Room Question Mash-Up" RAQ.

Here is question 1:

"Students frequently meet in the library with tutors. This typically happens in the open areas of the library but also in a few small study rooms. These rooms are available to everyone, restricted only by number of people and available for 1 hour on a first come, first served basis. Individuals and groups may stay longer in a particular room if no one else is waiting for the space. Rooms are not available to book ahead of time.

Some of the tutors are likely charging for their time, though many are not (studying with friends or similar). We have always considered the library's service to the students as paramount over any benefit to the tutor but is this an allowable use of library space due to the possible inurement and aid to an individual?"

Here is question 2:

"I've just finished viewing the first amendment audit webinar.... Such a great resource. Thank you!! I was wondering about meeting spaces and the language we can use to protect patrons in areas that they have been reserved for private meetings (scouting group in the meeting room, deposition in a tutoring room, tutoring, tele-med sessions, supervised visits etc.)"

Sometimes, people nap in the library, particularly people who we believe might not have stable or sufficient housing. We feel that a library should not exclude people who need a secure place to rest, so long as there is no interference with library operations, but are there any legal considerations to this issue?

Periodically, our library receives handwritten requests for information from individuals who are incarcerated at prisons and correctional facilities around the country.

We are an academic library at a private institution and our campus does not currently have a prison outreach program. As part of our ongoing social justice efforts within the library, we would like to be more purposeful about the way we handle these reference questions.

What are legal considerations we should keep in mind when providing reference services to incarcerated individuals? Ideally, we would want to treat these questions the same way we would questions from members of the general public. However, our team wants to be sure we understand whether there are ways we could unintentionally put ourselves or our institution at legal risk if we provide information that is somehow deemed problematic.

(Note: We are aware of the Prison Library Support Network and plan to participate in trainings they may offer.)
Thanks!

The library's podcast (Your Friendly Neighborhood Librarians), hosted by two librarians here, recently started interviewing guests from outside the organization. We are concerned about a few things: what the ramifications are if a guest does not like the way their interview was edited and whether the library owns the rights to the interview and recording. We only edit for clarity and length, and haven't done anything in regards to copyright. Additionally, any advice on whether we should be using some sort of contract or agreement with guests would be helpful. We don't have any sort of agreement in place at present, and are mostly interviewing people who are somewhat library-related. Thank you for your help!

We were asked about signage to post over the public copier at a libraries open to the public. Below is some template language with footnotes explaining why they say what they do.  Of course, before posting in your school or library, check with your lawyer!