Use of Meeting Rooms Outside Library Hours

Question

We are revising our Meeting Room Policy. Currently we have a group of seniors who meet at our library for [really healthy] exercise in the morning before the library is open. They have been doing this for about [many] years.

Answer

There are three things that are potential obstacles to this request:

1.  Safety (and its flip side: Liability)

2.  Security (and its flip side: Loss)

3.  Charitable Status (and its obscure tax-concept flip side: "Inurements")

Policy For Collecting Donations

Question

I am interested in developing a policy to outline who/how the library may collect donations on behalf of other organizations. We have always had a Lion's Club eyeglass donation box in the library. I inherited this procedure but I cannot find any policy that specifies the parameters of such an agreement. Does the organization we would collect for have to be a 501C3?

Answer

[NOTE: For exciting recent commentary and a model policy about fund-raising along with or on behalf of third parties (like Friends), check out this RAQ, addressing libraries assisting Friends groups with fund-raising activities.  The following response is limited to the very narrow issue of collecting donations on behal

Qualifications for Municipal Library Trustees

Question

I have several questions related to the legality and ethics of individuals serving as municipal library trustees. Who can serve, and who can or should not? Does an individual have to reside within the municipality in order to serve as a municipal library trustee? Can members of the municipal council or legislature simultaneously serve as municipal library trustees?

Answer

At "Ask the Lawyer" we aim to create resources that are accurate, clear, and above all... useful.

So, for accuracy and clarity, I will answer the questions briefly in the paragraphs below.

Contract Employees and FOIL

Question

Does a contractor have to comply with FOIL request if they are contracted to a county government?

Answer

New York's Freedom of Information Law, or “FOIL”, applies to government agencies (including public libraries) but cannot be used to compel private companies (or individuals) to allow inspection or copying or records.

Retention Period for Employee Records

Question

How long should the library retain employee records, payroll records, sales and purchase records, mortgage and loan documents, and other records?

Answer

Several considerations impact the answer to this question:

For a public library, the bare minimum record retention periods are found in a document called "the LGS-1."[1]  The LGS-1 has rules for retention covering everything from your library's charter, to how long you hold onto circulation records.

Napping in library

Question

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?

Answer

This is a VERY sensitive issue. There are many factors that could contribute to a person sleeping in a public space, including:

Image Use By Previous Employers

Question

This is an issue that's come up in recent conversation. If an individual who no longer works at an institution finds that their picture is still being used by said institution, whether in promotional photos or on staff/faculty pages, does that individual have any legal recourse?

Answer

This question needs to be answered on a sliding scale.

Here are three scenarios to show how the scale can slide:

Scenario 1: "Scrapbooking"