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Electronic
Information Access Policy
Sharon Public Library
The Board of
Trustees of the Sharon Public Library endorses the cause of intellectual freedom
and the free exchange of ideas representative of many points of view. The Board
of Trustees is also committed to new forms of dissemination of information,
such as the Internet, and other sources of electronic information, and extend
this commitment to the incorporation of these electronic resources into the
traditional role of the Library in providing wide access to ideas and the products
of cultural expression.
The Board of Trustees supports the idea that all
members of the Sharon community have free and equal access to the entire range
of library resources, regardless of content, approach, format, or amount of
detail. This principle of library service applies equally to all users, minors
as well as adults. In support of this ideal, the Library endorses the American
Library Association documents: Access to Electronic Information, Services, and
Networks: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights and Free Access to
Libraries for Minors: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights.
Massachusetts law makes theft or mutilation of library materials or property
a crime. Any person who willfully alters or destroys library ownership, electronic
or catalog records; or mutilates, destroys or otherwise damages, in whole or
in part, any library materials or property may be punished upon conviction by
imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $25,000 and required to make full restitution.
Federal laws may also apply.