PURPOSE:

The mission of the State Library of Louisiana is to build an informed, literate and democratic society by ensuring access to informational, cultural, and recreational resources, especially those resources unique to Louisiana. The State Library subscribes to the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights, Freedom to Read and the Freedom to View statements. The Library affords users unrestricted access to public information resources, subject to published principles of collection development, technological capabilities, and financial constraints. It is within this context that the State Library offers access to the Internet and other online electronic resources.

The Library staff provides assistance with the use of library resources, collections, and materials, including a basic introduction to electronic resources.

RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF USERS:

The Internet enables access to a wealth of valuable and reliable information from a variety of sources. However, it also provides access to information that may be inaccurate, controversial, personally offensive to the viewer, or inappropriate for children. The State Library of Louisiana is responsible only for data on those pages pertaining specifically to the State Library. Individual users must exercise judgment in evaluating the validity and appropriateness of information retrieved via the Internet and must assume personal responsibility for its use.

Parents, not the Library, are responsible for the use of library resources by their children. In compliance with the Children’s Internet Protection Act, children are not allowed to:

• Access the Internet and World Wide Web inappropriately
• Use electronic mail, chat rooms and other forms of direct electronic communications
• Pursue unlawful activities online, including hacking
• Give out personal information online

In order to access online resources at the State Library of Louisiana, the following conditions must be met:

• Respect for the privacy of other users.
• Respect for the legal protection provided by copyright law and license agreements for programs and data.
• Respect for the integrity of data, information technologies, properties, and equipment.
• Users will not use the Internet terminals for illegal purposes, or in support of such activities. Illegal acts may subject violator to prosecution by local, state, or federal authorities.
• Patrons will not attach other peripherals to the Library’s public computers and shall not install their own software. Files cannot be saved to the computer’s hard drive.

The Library reserves the right to prohibit violators of these conditions of use from future access to the Library’s computers and online services.

VIRUS WARNING:

Although the Library uses a program that checks for viruses, there is no guarantee that files downloaded from the Internet will not contain a virus. The State Library of Louisiana is not responsible for any damages that may arise from saving, downloading or emailing files.