General Objective Policy
The social media outlets supported by the Hoboken Public Library are intended to assist in fulfilling our mission of connecting people with materials and information as well as serving the informational, educational, recreational and cultural needs of the community. Social media is broadly defined as any web application, site or account created and maintained by the library which allows users to share or obtain information.
The content of our social media will be created by Hoboken Public Library staff. Much of the content will relate to libraries, books and other library related materials; as well as to library programs, events, photos and/or images, or special topics that the library is discussing or promoting. Positive interaction with community members will be promoted on our social media to foster an atmosphere of education and learning.
These guidelines are created to supplement, not replace, existing library policies.
General Policy
The library does not collect, maintain or otherwise use the personal information stored on any third party site in any way other than to communicate with users on that site, unless permission is granted by users.
Comments and postings from the public are allowed, but will be reviewed by library staff for content appropriateness. Library staff reserves the right to review all comments and postings and delete comments that are inconsistent with the content created by the library staff. Staff may block the person who posts inconsistent comments or other material from posting any further information to the library’s social media sites, but only after said person has received one warning that they are violating the policies contained herein. Comments or postings that fall within any of the following categories will be deleted by library staff and/or lead to a warning and then a ban on posting by an individual who runs afoul of these guidelines:
- Obscene, sexist, homophobic, racist, or otherwise bigoted content.
- Harassing comments or postings against library staff or other social media users. Harassing comments or postings that include profane or obscene statements or images, threatening physical harm toward another person, and engaging in behavior with the sole intent of harassing another person.
- Libelous statements.
- Plagiarizing or posting copy-righted material without permission or authority from the copyright holder, upon request of the copyright holder.
- Private, personal information of another person without appropriate consent or authority. Comments, postings, and/or hyperlinks not related to the content created by the library staff.
- Advertisement and solicitations not expressly permitted by the library.
- Photos, videos or other images that fall in any of the above categories.
The library recommends against posting personal information to our social media platforms and is not responsible for personal information patrons post about themselves.
Any personal information, photos or other media posted about persons under the age of 18 will be removed from our social media platforms. An exception is made for photos of library events posted by library staff where parental permission was given.
Any social media user who has been banned or had a message/content deleted may appeal this decision, in writing or email, to the Library Director. The Library Director may affirm or reverse staff’s decision within 30 days of receiving the written appeal.
A staff member will be designated to monitor and maintain all library social media for content, structure and updates.
Twitter
All the aforementioned policies and guidelines.
The library’s official Twitter account may follow any of the following organizations: other public or academic libraries, special libraries, librarians, publishers, bookstores, authors, local news sources, local government, local government officials, and other government agencies. The library will monitor Twitter daily during normal library operating hours and update as close to daily or better as possible. The library can decide to stop following a person on Twitter if they have violated the library’s general social media policy.
Facebook
All the aforementioned policies and guidelines.
The library’s Facebook account will be monitored daily during normal library operating hours and will update on a daily basis when possible. Content posted by users that violates the library’s general social media policy can be removed and user banned from posting. If content is deleted the library will send a private message to that user explaining that their content violated the library’s social media policies. They will also be directed to the library director if they wish to appeal.
Eventbrite
All the aforementioned policies and guidelines.
This site will be expressly used to promote upcoming events at the library at the request of the staff member in charge of each event. All content will be created by library staff members.
Blog (WordPress)
All the aforementioned policies and guidelines.
The library blog will be centered on the recommendation and exploration of books, movies, music, and materials. Materials should be accessible through the library or the BCCLS inter-library loan system. Staff will be encouraged to post on unique subjects and genres within their field of interest. Posts may contain other media and links. Users can respond with their own comments and media, so long as the comments adhere to the library’s general social media policy.
By choosing to comment and/or utilize the above sites, users of the Hoboken Public Library’s social media sites agree to these rules.