Access & Use Policies

"Access, ownership, privacy, and diversity are debated topics. Society’s perception of these issues shape the potential laws that may restrict freedoms or limit the capacity of the information professional to accomplish his/her job."

The perception of the community served by individual libraries also dictates accessibility, availability, what information can be accessed and used, and how the information can be accessed and used. Librarians working in different environments-- whether public, academic, private, specialized, or school-- must continually evaluate, determine, establish, and reevaluate the parameters of access and use based on objective standards, legal parameters, and community needs. In addition, provision based on clearly defined and carefully determined ethical codes must be consistently enforced via well-considered and clear written policy statements with a foundation in user-based policies.