Library use protocol

Courthouse Libraries BC’s vision is that everyone in BC has ready access to the legal information and resources they need. Our libraries are for our clients – the legal community and the public – to conduct legal research and access legal information. Our clients expect our libraries to be clean, comfortable and safe places to work. CLBC expects clients to behave in a responsible and courteous manner and use library resources for legal information purposes.

Our protocols are to protect the rights and safety of everyone, and to preserve and protect the libraries’ materials, equipment and facilities. Staff will enforce these protocols in a fair and reasonable manner.

Clients should:

  • exercise courtesy toward other clients and library staff
  • abide by the library Borrowing Policy
  • respect copyright law and licensing of programs and data
  • exit the library at closing, during emergency evacuations (e.g., fire alarms), and whenever requested to leave by library staff or courthouse personnel
  • comply with requests from staff
  • supervise accompanying children

Clients should not:

  • come into the library if sick
  • remove materials without permission
  • damage, deface, alter or destroy library resources, including books, furniture, equipment, software, hardware or data
  • enter any unauthorized areas without permission
  • engage in violent, threatening, abusive, discriminatory or harassing language or conduct of any kind.  This includes behavior that is unreasonably distracting or impedes the ability of staff or clients to use the library for its intended purposes
  • disturb other clients to seek, or offer, legal information or advice
  • leave personal possessions or valuables unattended
  • eat or drink while at the public access computers (PACs)
  • bring in animals, other than guide or service dogs
  • solicit, canvass, sell or distribute circulars or other articles
  • film or photograph anyone in the library, or the library facilities, without the knowledge and consent of the sheriffs, staff, and the person(s) photographed
  • use the library resources for illegal, actionable, or criminal purposes
  • use the Internet for any purpose that violates the law, including obscenity, child pornography, sedition and the incitement of hate, or in any manner that disrupts or interferes with other individuals, including displaying or sending graphics which may be reasonably interpreted as offensive
  • use the Internet to gain unauthorized access to resources or entities, invade the privacy of individuals, or represent themselves as other users
  • engage in the widespread dissemination of unsolicited and unauthorized electronic communications

Library staff reserves the right to set time limits on the use of public-access computers.

At the discretion of staff, clients whose actions violate the protocols may be asked to leave the library, may be removed by courthouse security and/or may have library privileges suspended.

Updated April 2022