Social Media Policy Content will be created by the Belmond Public Library staff to meet the mission of providing access to information, technology and services that will meet the informational, cultural, and recreational needs of all persons in our community and the surrounding area. Much of the content will relate to libraries, authors, books, and the book-publishing industry; as well as to programs, events, photos and/or images, or special topics that the Library is discussing or promoting.

The goals of the Belmond Public Library sponsored social networking sites are:
 To inform the public about library resources and activities
 To increase the public’s use of library resources
 To provide additional communication with members of the public Publically posted information will be professional and reflect positively on the Belmond Public Library as well as the City of Belmond, its staff, volunteers, and services.

Staff shall check facts, cite sources, present balanced views, acknowledge and correct errors, and check spelling and grammar when publishing any posts. Comments and postings from the public are encouraged, but will be reviewed by Library staff for content. Library staff reserves the right to delete comments or postings.

Comments or postings that fall within one of the following categories will be deleted by the Library staff:
 Obscene, sexist, or racist content.
 Harassing Library staff or other social media users. Harassing comments or postings include profane or obscene statements or images, threatening physical harm toward another person, and engaging in behavior with the sole intent of annoying another person.
 Libelous and slanderous statements.
 Plagiarizing or posting copy-righted material without permission or authority.
 Private, personal information of another person without appropriate consent or authority.
 Advertisement, solicitation, and spam.
 A consent form must be completed by a parent/guardian prior to posting pictures of minors. Designated staff members appointed by the Library Director will regularly review the Library’s social media to check postings and respond.

Material that is deemed inappropriate based on the general policy criteria will be handled via deletion of the material.

Adopted May 17, 2021
Reviewed April 15, 2024