Letterhead HeaderThe Wilmington Memorial Library welcomes children and teens from 0-18 to use and enjoy its facilities, collections and programs. In order to ensure the safety and well-being of children using the library, the following policy has been established:

Responsibility for Children Using the Library

The responsibility for the safety and behavior of children in the library rests with the parent/caregiver and not with library staff. Therefore children, ages nine and under, must have a parent or designated caregiver in the immediate vicinity and in visual contact with the child using the library. The caregiver must be at least 14 years old and must have emergency contact information for the children’s parent/caregiver. At the discretion of the library staff member running the program, children, ages nine and under, may attend certain library programs without a parent/caregiver in the room as long as the parent/caregiver remains in the library and immediately joins the child at the end of the program.
Children ten and up may use the library on their own provided that they comply with the Patron Behavior Policy. Children in this age group should have the phone number of a parent/caregiver that may be contacted in case of an emergency or if the child is asked to leave the building for violating the Patron Behavior Policy.

Children Left Unattended After Library Hours

Children must be picked up before the library closes. The parent/caregiver is expected to know the library’s hours of closing and must also keep in mind that the library may close unexpectedly for reasons, such as, a power outage, inclement weather etc. The library is not responsible for children without a ride home at closing. If no ride has arrived ten minutes after closing, staff will contact the Wilmington Police Department who may wait with the child at the library or take the child to the Public Safety Building where the child can safely wait to be picked up.

Inappropriate Use of Youth Services Room

While patrons of all ages are welcome to browse and check out materials from the Children’s and Teen collections, the seating, tables, and the use of computers, electronic equipment, and other stand-alone activities within the Youth Services Room is exclusively for the use of children, teens, and their families. The Teen Area is specifically reserved for youth in grades 6-12 and their parents/caregivers. The Youth

Services Room and adjoining areas are not meeting or workspaces for adults 19 and older. Adults unaccompanied by a child or teen are welcome to use the first-floor workspaces.

If an adult in Youth Services is not accompanied by a child or teen or is not involved in appropriate use of children’s and teen library materials and is observed by staff to be spending an unnecessary and unusual amount of time in Youth Services, such person shall be asked to use other areas of the library. Caregivers waiting for their child in a program or tutoring are welcome to wait in the Children’s Area or the first floor of the library. Adults without an accompanying child/teen cannot attend Children’s or Teen Programming with the exception of events marked “All Ages”.

Child Safety Policy approved by Board of Library Trustees 5/17/16
Renamed Youth Services Safety Policy updated and approved by Board of Library Trustees 8/15/23

Letterhead Footer

Print Friendly, PDF & Email