Public Services – 334
Approved by the Board of Trustees October 23, 2025
Suspension of Privileges for Health and Safety Reasons Policy
It is the responsibility of the St. Joseph Public Library (SJPL) to maintain a healthy and clean environment for all library users and to protect taxpayers’ investment in library collections, equipment, and property. In order to fulfill this responsibility SJPL may restrict a patron’s ability to borrow physical materials and/or visit library facilities when such use may jeopardize the health and safety of library facilities, materials, collections, patrons, or staff.
Examples of situations where access to library facilities may be suspended include, but are not limited to:
• Patrons or patron possessions with evidence of fleas, lice, or bed bugs.
• Patrons with clothing stained with urine or feces.
If library staff note a potential pest issue, they will flag the patron’s account to check returned material for damage upon the next visit of the patron.
Examples of situations where borrowing physical materials may be suspended include, but are not limited to:
• Evidence that items on loan to a patron may have been returned with pests that are known to be damaging to library materials, or that can result in pest infestations in library facilities, e.g. bed bugs, roaches, silverfish, and some types of beetles.
• Evidence that items on loan to a patron may have been returned with animal urine or other noxious smells.
If the next visit confirms a pest issue, the following steps should be taken:
• A manager or their designee will notify the patron of what was found and put a note on the patron record and follow the Pest Identification and Quarantine Procedures.
• Patrons will be shown the evidence whenever possible.
• The library materials will be discarded at the discretion of the branch manager.
• Patrons will be limited to checking out two items at a time for 3 months and given a Ziploc bag. They must return their items in the Ziploc bag during the 3-month period.
• The manager or designee will provide information to the patron about ways to address the issue (keep materials in closed containers or Ziploc bags when not being used, inspect them before being returned, talk with landlord or pest control company, etc.)
• The manager or designee will notify the patron that if additional materials are returned with evidence of a pest issue, library privileges will be suspended for six months.
• The patron will not be billed for damaged items the first-time evidence is noted.
If, in the six-month period following the notification, evidence of a pest issue is noted a second time, the following steps should be taken:
• A manager or their designee will notify a patron of what was found and put a note on the patron record and follow the Pest Identification and Quarantine Procedures.
• Patrons will be shown the evidence whenever possible.
• The library materials will be discarded at the discretion of the branch manager. The branch manager will determine if the patron will be billed for the damaged items.
• Borrowing privileges of physical materials will be suspended for six months. During that six-month suspension, the patron can provide evidence that the pest issue is resolved, and the suspension will be lifted at that time.
Any patron who has privileges suspended under the terms of this policy may request to have privileges reinstated prior to the end of the suspension. To lift the suspension, a patron must show evidence that the address in question has been inspected with no sign of infestation or that the residence has been treated. Confirming information may include copies of receipts for treatment, a letter from a licensed pest control company, or a written statement from the owner or property manager of a multi-family residence. In some instances, proof of a change of residential address may also be accepted.
Questions or concerns with this policy should be addressed to the branch manager.
*Previous approval date: March 26, 2019