Public computers, internet and wifi in libraries

When using our computers, loanable tablets, internet or our public wifi you need to observe the following terms and conditions:

you must not access material which is obscene or violent or which may be offensive to other library users
use of chat rooms is not permitted
anyone found abusing the system or behaving in a manner likely to offend other customers or staff will be asked to leave
in using this service, you are responsible for complying with the law. In particular the law relating to copyright and intellectual property means that you cannot copy any material (this includes music, lyrics, photographs, film clips and drawings) to any device without the necessary permission
public computers and loanable tablets are set up for general use and you must not tamper with settings or alter the configuration
access to the public computers and loanable tablets ceases 15 minutes before the library closes

Children and young people

Changes to the policy, now allows children between the ages of 13 and 15, to use public computers without requiring parental consent.

Children aged 0 to 4	Children will not be able to use their library membership to access public computers.
Children aged 5 to 12	You (parents) must inform library staff if you do not want your child to be able to access public computers. Alternatively, you can do this by emailing [email protected]. Children under 8 years must be accompanied by a parent or carer when using the library to access any of our services including the wifi, library computers and loanable tablets.
Children aged 13 and over	Children can use public computers using their library membership without parental consent. This is aligned with GDPR guidance from the Information Commissioner's Office.

Acceptable use of wifi

Our wifi service is not encrypted and as such information sent over the network may be liable to interception by others. Use of this network is entirely at your own risk.

You are responsible for all activities that occur under your username and for keeping your password confidential.

The wifi service may only be used for lawful purposes in accordance with all laws, statutes and regulations in force at that time in the United Kingdom (“Laws”).

You may not use this wifi service to send, receive, store, distribute, transmit, post, upload or download any data or materials which:

is or promotes any criminal or illegal activity
is in breach of any third-party copyright and intellectual property rights (including music, lyrics, photographs, films and drawings)
is defamatory, offensive, abusive, indecent, obscene, or constitutes harassment
is or may be harmful to minors
has any fraudulent purpose or intent (including impersonating another person or misrepresenting oneself)

The wifi service may not be used for:

high volume data transfers (especially sustained transfers)
hosting or providing hosting facilities for any website, server or online service
sending of unsolicited bulk email, mail-bombing or any other form of bulk electronic communication
unauthorised access or attempted access to any data, account, system or network (including monitoring, capture, probing, scanning)
the deliberate spread of any programs containing malware, viruses, worms, trojan horses, corrupted files, hoaxes or any program intended to cause harm or disruption
reselling of this service

You must agree to these terms to use our facilities.

Loanable tablets - Hublets

Buckinghamshire Libraries provide loanable tablets known as Hublets, at various libraries in Buckinghamshire for customers to use while in the library. These loanable tablets should remain inside the library buildings and are subject to the terms outlined in this policy.

View Hublet’s Privacy Policy for further information on data and privacy.

Further information

We use software to monitor and filter all use of the internet on public computers and devices. The wifi service usage is also monitored, including the retention of browsing activity.

Buckinghamshire Council reserve the right that if they or a member of staff reasonably suspect that a user has breached this policy to:

immediately suspend and block access to the service until such a time we are satisfied no breach has occurred
investigate any complaint or suspected breach including the gathering of information and examination of any data or material on the wifi network or servers
notify and/or pass on details of any breach to any government, statutory, self-regulatory or law enforcement authority where appropriate

Failure to comply with this policy will result in access to the facilities being withdrawn.