Internet and Online Access

The intent of the Morgan County Library’s Internet and Online Access Policy is to meet and comply with the provisions of Sections 9-7-213 Rulemaking, 9-7-215 Internet and online access policy required, and Section 9-7-216 Process and content standards for policy UCA, and Administrative Rule R223-2, as well as provide guidelines for patrons and staff regarding Internet and online accessibility.

This Internet and Online Access Policy was developed under the direction of the Morgan County Library Board, was discussed and adopted in an open meeting. This policy supersedes all previous Internet and Online Access Policy statements and is effective on May 9, 2007. This policy will be reviewed by the library board at least every three years.

The Morgan County Library has in place a policy of Internet safety for minors. “Minor” means any individual younger than 18 years of age. This includes the operation of a technology protection measure on any publicly accessible computer with Internet access that restricts access to (1) visual depictions that are child pornography, or (2) harmful to minors, or (3) obscene. The filtering software will be enforced to provide Internet safety during any use of a computer by a minor.

In addition, the Morgan County Library has in place a policy of Internet safety, relating to all public access and staff computers and includes the operation of a technology protection measure on any publicly accessible computer with Internet access that restricts access to (1) visual depictions that are child pornography, or (2) obscene. The filtering software will be enforced to provide Internet safety during any use of a computer.

All staff and publicly accessible computers connected to the Internet employ technology protection measures in the form of filtering through the Utah Education Network.

Access by minors to sites that contain visual depictions that are child pornography, harmful to minors or obscene materials is restricted.

According to Utah House Bill 131: the Internet Child Protection Act, “obscene” means materials meeting the standard established by the U.S. Supreme Court in Miller vs. California, 412 U.S. 15 (1973) whereby an affirmative answer is required to each of the following three questions:

• (a) whether the “average person applying contemporary community standards” would find that the work, taken as a whole, appeals to prurient interest;
• (b) whether the work depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexual content specifically defined by the application of state law; and
• (c) whether the work, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.

Adult patrons may request that authorized library staff disable the filter during their Internet sessions to enable access to research or for other lawful purposes.

It is also the intent of this policy to protect patrons and the library against materials other than the materials specified in Utah law.

Use of the public access computers for inappropriate activities such as gambling, computer hacking, viewing pornography or obscene images is strictly prohibited. Chatting, which includes Instant Messaging, is prohibited unless patron is over the age of 18 and can present legitimate reasons supporting the use of chat. Those conditions are available upon request.

Use of social networking websites are also prohibited for patrons under the age of 18.

Administrative procedures and guidelines have been established for library staff to follow in the enforcement of this policy, handling patron complaints regarding this policy, and what a patron should do if they observe inappropriate behavior by another library patron. These guidelines are available for review at the front desk in the Morgan County Library Policies and Procedures manual.

Notice of the availability of this policy is posted at each public access computer.

Policy adopted: June 9, 2004
Last modified: May 8, 2013 

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