Internet Use Policy

Accessibility and Responsibility

To use the public Internet computers, a patron must have an Allen Public Library card, and the account must be in good standing.

Allen Public Library provides computers with Internet access in the adult, teen, and children's areas of the Library and supports the right and responsibility of its patrons to direct their own and their children's Internet usage.  The Library recognizes that the Internet is open to a diverse population of users and is not subject to any regulation or control of its content.  Some Internet sites may display material that is offensive, disturbing, and/or illegal.  Library staff cannot act in the place of parents and/or legal guardians in supervising children's use of the Internet or take responsibility for the material they may encounter.

Balancing these rights and concerns, Allen Public Library provides filtered access to the Internet on the Children's and Teen'scape computers and offers parents and/or guardians the option of approving unfiltered access to the Internet computers for teens ages 13 and older.

The Library encourages parents and/or guardians to work closely with their children in selecting materials consistent with personal and family values, and in learning to evaluate Internet resources for their currency, accuracy, and reliability.

Due to the public nature of our computers, the Library cannot guarantee access to all websites or networks.  

Privacy and Confidentiality

The Allen Public Library seeks to protect the First Amendment rights of its patrons and their individual rights to privacy.  However, limited space for computer stations means that images on the screen are visible to others in the area and the Library cannot provide absolute privacy for its online patrons.

Users are also cautioned that the Internet is not a secure environment and the Library cannot take responsibility for protecting users' personal information.  Patrons should never give personal identification information to unknown or unverified sources on the Internet.  This includes public internet computer usage, connecting to the public Wi-Fi, sending documents to be printed through the mobile printing service, or transmitting documents from the public Library Document Scanner.

Computer users are responsible for logging off at the end of each session to prevent accidental access to transactions, files, or communications by unauthorized third parties and are expected to respect the privacy and confidentiality of other computer users.  The Allen Public Library respects the confidentiality of those using its electronic resources and will only release Library records as required by law.

Acceptable Use

The Allen Public Library provided Public Internet PC access and public Wi-Fi as a service to the community.  The use of these resources by Library patrons is intended for but not limited to research, learning, job searches and applications, education, and leisure.  The Library computers support standard Internet browsing and MS Office applications.  Additional third-party software will not be installed or supported by Library staff.  

No user accessing or using computers or telecommunication resources owned and/or operated by the City of Allen can have any expectation of privacy.  The City of Allen reserves the right to monitor, intercept, archive, view, or distribute any communications and/or content transmitted over the resource it owns, leases, or operates subject to applicable laws.

The Internet access computers at the Allen Public Library may not be used by anyone to access inappropriate or illegal materials including but not limited to materials of an obscene nature or child pornography. 

Materials obtained or copied from the Internet may be subject to laws protecting those works from unauthorized reproduction.  Unless the proposed use falls within the definition of "Fair Use," a work protected by copyright may not be copied without the permission of the copyright holder.  Internet users are responsible for compliance with all international, national, and state laws governing copyrighted materials. 

No person shall install or operate any equipment or service which has the effect of redirecting or proxying any network traffic to or from any other network or disguising the source of any network transmission.

Guest passes

Guest passes are issued to Library patrons who do not qualify for a Library card due to residency or age restrictions. Guest passes are valid for the day they are issued.  To obtain a guest pass, patrons must show a valid form of identification.  The Library reserves the right to refuse access to patrons who do not comply with all Library policies.  Guest passes provide five hours of computer use per day with extensions granted at the discretion of Library staff.