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Library bye-laws

Made under section 19 of the public libraries and museums act 1964.

The rights and responsibilities of library customers and staff are set out in the library bye-laws.

These laws are there to ensure that everyone is able freely to enjoy and make use of their library service without disturbance and disruption.

Buckinghamshire Council library bye-laws for the county of Buckinghamshire made under section 19 of the public libraries and museums act 1964 by Buckinghamshire Council

These bye-laws are also on display at your local library.

  1. In these bye-laws, unless the context otherwise requires:

(a) ‘the Act’ means the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964

(b) ‘charge’ means any charge imposed in accordance with the Regulations

(c) ‘child’ means a person under the age of 18 years

(d) ‘emergency situation’ includes situations where a library, or part of a library, is required to be evacuated for security reasons, or because of threat from fire of other hazard and practices and false alarms in relation thereto

(e) ‘last know address’ means the Buckinghamshire Council

(f) ‘the library authority’ means the Buckinghamshire Council

(g) ‘library’ means

(i) any premises which are occupied by a library authority and are premises where library facilities are made available by the authority, in the course of their provision of a public library service, to members of the public

(ii) any vehicle which is used by the library authority for the purpose of providing a public library service to members of the public and is a vehicle in which facilities are made available; and includes any part of such premises or vehicle

(h) ‘the library officer’ means any officer employed by the library authority in connection with its functions under the Act

(i) ‘library property’ includes property owned by, or provided for the use of the library authority, whether or not it is made available by the library authority for use by the public, and property obtained by the library authority for the loan to or use of the public

(j) ‘the Regulations’ means The Library Charges (England and Wales) Regulations 1991 S.I. 1991/2712

(k) words importing the masculine gender include the feminine, words in the singular include the plural and words in the plural include the singular

(l) expressions used, unless the contrary intention appears, have the meaning which they bear in the Act and Regulations

  1. An act performed in connection with the proper execution of his duty by a library officer shall not be a contravention of these bye-laws.
  2. No person shall give a false name or address for the purpose of entering the library, or for the purpose of using any library facility.
  3. No person who in the reasonable opinion of a library officer is offensively unclean in person or clothing, or both, shall remain in the library.
  4. Except with the consent of a library officer, no person shall;

(a) cause or allow any dog (other than a working dog accompanying a disabled person) or other animal belonging to him, or under his control, to enter or remain in the library

(b) bring into any part of the library a wheeled vehicle or conveyance (other than a wheelchair, pram, pushchair or shopping trolley)

(c) enter or remain in any part of the library which a reasonable person would, or should, know is prohibited to the public or

(d) remain in the library after the time fixed for its closing

  1. No person shall remain in the library after an emergency situation has been made known to him.
  2. No person shall, unless specifically permitted by a library officer, take, or attempt to take, any library property from the library, or past a checkout or security point.
  3. No person shall, without lawful excuse, destroy or damage any library property, intending to destroy or damage such property, or being reckless as to whether such property should be destroyed or damaged.
  4. No person shall behave in a disorderly manner in the library, use violent, abusive or obscene language therein, or intentionally or recklessly cause or do anything likely to cause injury to any other person or property.
  5. No person shall sleep in the library after having been requested not to do so by a library officer.
  6. No person shall remain in a library without making proper use of the library’s facilities after having been requested, by a library officer, to make such proper use of the facilities.
  7. No person shall engage in audible conversation in any part of the library set apart as a reference department, study area, or for reading, after having been requested not to do so by a library officer, or where such conversation is prohibited by notice, or after having been requested not to do so by a library officer.
  8. No person shall intentionally or recklessly obstruct any library officer in the execution of his duty, or intentionally or recklessly disturb, obstruct, interrupt, abuse or annoy any other person properly using the library.
  9. No person shall, without the consent of a library officer, intentionally display, distribute, or leave any bill, placard, notice or other document in the library.
  10. No persona shall, without the consent of a library officer, offer anything for sale in the library, or canvass or seek signatures for petitions.
  11. No person having charge of a child shall, without the consent of a library officer, leave him unsupervised in the library.
  12. No person shall smoke, light a match or use a cigarette lighter in the library, other than in an area, if any, designated as an area where smoking is permitted.
  13. No person in any part of the library shall inhale any toxic substance for the purpose of causing intoxication, or take any controlled drug as defined by Schedule 2 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, other than drugs dispensed for and pursuant to prescription issued for him by a doctor, under and in accordance with the aforesaid Act.
  14. No person shall, except with the consent of a library officer, partake of refreshment in the library.

20. No person shall, except with the consent of a library officer, cause or allow any mobile telephone, portable computer, or other electrical equipment, or apparatus for the reception of sound broadcasting or for the reproduction of sound, to be operated in any part of the library to which the public has access.

21. No person who:

(a) Borrows library property which is, or if returned, would be late

(b) fails to pay any charge shall, unless with the specific consent of a library officer, borrow any other library property

22a. Any person who has borrowed library property which if returned would be returned late, and who has been served with a notice by the library authority demanding return of the library property, shall return the library property to the library from which it was borrowed within 14 days from the date the notice was served.

22b. For the purpose of this bye-law, a notice may be served upon any person by delivering it to him, or by leaving it at his last known address, or by sending it by post addressed to him at that address.

23. Except as regards bye-laws 8 and 18, any person who contravenes any of the aforegoing bye-laws shall be liable to prosecution by the library authority and shall be liable, on summary conviction, to a fine, not exceeding level 2 on the standard scale, in respect of each offence.

24. A library officer may exclude any person who contravenes any of the foregoing bye-laws from any library maintained by the library authority under the Act.

25. On the coming into operation of these bye-laws, the bye-laws relating to libraries which were made by the Buckinghamshire Council on the 3rd day of June 1981, and amended on the 9th June 1986, and were respectively confirmed by the Secretary of State for Education and Science on the 2nd day of October 1981 and 24th September 1986, shall be revoked.

The COMMON SEAL of BUCKINGHAMSHIRE COUNCIL was hereunto affixed this 14th day of February 1996 in the presence of: K I ROSS Member of Council P B THOMAS Acting County Secretary and Solicitor

The foregoing bye-laws are confirmed on behalf of the Secretary of State for National heritage by the Head of Libraries and Information Division, Department of National Heritage and shall come into force on 23rd May 1996.

Signed by Duncan H Wilson Head of Libraries and Information Division Department of National Heritage

Dated 23rd April 1996