Guiding Principles
Policies
View the complete Olds Municipal Library Policies
Censorship and Intellectual Freedom
Expression of Concern Online Form or Printable form
Censorship
The ODML Board does not interpret its function nor that of its administrators to be the supervisor of public morals. It believes in freedom of the individual and the rights and obligations of parents to develop, interpret and enforce their own code of acceptable conduct/reading upon their own household.
There is a possibility that an item or items in the library may be regarded by some as unpleasant or offensive, or in political opposition to local beliefs. If the ODML is to fulfill its obligation to its community it must include materials of varied points of view, even those which may be regarded by some as controversial. The Library will provide, as much as possible, materials on all sides of controversial issues, including representation of unpopular or unorthodox positions without censorship or bias.
Unless an item is officially prohibited from entering the province, it cannot be legally withdrawn from the library shelves. If an individual objects very strongly to a particular item she/he will have the right to make an official complaint. Each complaint will be dealt with in the following manner:
- Patron will complete an Expression of Concern Regarding Library Materials form or an Expression of Concern Regarding information accessed through ODML Internet. For more information regarding Internet Policy, see Policy 12.0. Only written complaints will be dealt with. A staff member will review the material with the patron, noting areas of contention. The patron will be informed of the review procedure and when to expect a reply from the Board regarding the complaint.
- The material will be removed from the shelf until a review is conducted.
- The Library Manager will present the Expression of Concern at the next Board meeting held. If a decision cannot be reached at the Board meeting, an ad hoc Reconsideration Committee, composed of the Library Manager and two Board Members, will meet to review the concerns and decide the future status of the material.
- The Library Manager will inform the patron by letter of library policy and of the review outcome.
- If the concern cannot be satisfactorily dealt with through this process, assistance will be solicited from Parkland Regional Library Consultants.
Statement of Intellectual Freedom
The ODML affirms the Canadian Library Association's "Statement on Intellectual Freedom" (adopted by the Canadian Library Association in 1974 and amended in 1983 and 1985 [as outlined in the Alberta Library Trustees Association's "The Handbook - third edition]) which reads:
Every person in Canada has the fundamental right, as embodied in the nation's Bill of Rights and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, to have access to all expressions of knowledge, creativity and intellectual activity and to express their thoughts publicly. The right to intellectual freedom under the law is essential to the health and development of Canadian society.
Libraries have a basic responsibility for the development and maintenance of intellectual freedom.
It is the responsibility of libraries to guarantee and facilitate access to all expressions of knowledge and intellectual activity including those which some elements of society may consider to be unconventional, unpopular or unacceptable. To this end, libraries shall acquire and make available the widest variety of materials. It is the responsibility of libraries to guarantee the right of free expression by making available all the library's public facilities and services to all individuals and groups who need them. Libraries should resist all efforts to limit the exercise of these responsibilities while recognizing the right of criticism by individuals and groups. Both employees and employers in libraries have a duty, in addition to their institutional responsibilities, to uphold these principles.
The Olds Library recognizes its duty, in addition to its institutional responsibilities, to uphold these principles.
Bylaws
Olds Municipal Library also follows bylaws. See our Bylaw Schedules.
Your Privacy
The Olds Municipal Library is committed to protecting the privacy of visitors to its website. In accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP), and with our policy on the Confidentiality of Users’ Records, your personal information will not be collected on this website unless you choose to use online products and services that require it. Your personal information will then only be used to provide you with the library services that you select, and for no other purpose. Olds Municipal Library does not track the websites you visit when using library computers.
We use Google Analytics to see how library websites are being used. The data retrieved from Google Analytics is anonymous; we are not able to connect it with specific users. For people who prefer to disable Google Analytics tracking of their web use, Google provides a browser add-on that automatically prevents information from being sent to Google Analytics. Follow the link to find out more about this add-on.