Acceptable & Fair Use Policy

Last updated: 17/11/2022

This page outlines the fair usage policy for using the computing and printing facilities at the North Harrow Community Library. We reserve the right to make amendments to the policy at any time.

For the purpose of this policy, the following definitions apply from herein:

• Patron: Any member of the library, any member of the general public or a volunteer.
• Facility/ facilities: Any equipment or service which includes our computers, internet services (both wired or wireless), printers and charging sockets. It also includes, but is not limited to, any secondary device owned by patrons such as USB sticks, mobile phones, smartwatches, laptops, chargers or otherwise which are used in conjunction with any facility offered by the Library listed above.

If you use our facilities on our premises, you agree to the following:

• You must not use the facilities to gain unauthorised access to other facilities.
• You must not tamper with our facilities, which includes its hardware, software, service or settings.
• You must not visit, access or stream any pornographic material.
• You must not visit pirate or related websites, nor download any such content, whose purpose is to infringe or violate copyright.
• You must not visit, download or stream any content whose purpose it is to infringe or violate copyright. This includes, but is not limited to, illegal sports or network TV streams.
• You must not use our facilities to carry out any other illegal activities such as those outlined by the computer misuse act.
• We ask patrons to avoid using our internet service to download extremely large files such as games, to ensure that other patrons can use the service to an acceptable level.

Any facility is always subject to a certain level of risk of unauthorised access and/or tampering. Whilst the Library attempts to keep its facilities as secure as possible, we cannot provide guarantees nor assurances to any patron. By using our facilities you agree that you will not hold the Library liable for any damages or actions incurred.

With this in mind, we strongly advise all patrons to use strong, unique passwords for all their accounts as well as enable two-factor authentication where possible. Further information can be found on the following sites:

• Microsoft’s “Create and use passwords” guide.
• Microsoft’s “securing your devices and accounts” guide.

The UK government has also published guides which provide advice for using facilities securely:

• Shopping online securely: The National Cyber Security Centre’s shopping online securely guide.
• Staying secure online: The National Cyber Security Centre’s top tips for staying secure online guide.

The Library offers a “first come, first served” basis for all its facilities. We do not provide a reservation system. A staff-only computer is often available for those patrons who only need to print documents, but we cannot guarantee that this will always be available for immediate use, if at all.

The Library endeavours to ensure that all its facilities are operational during regular Library opening hours. However we cannot provide any guarantees nor assurances that this will always be the case.

The Library cannot guarantee compatibility of its facilities with any other facility nor device. This includes, but is not limited to, connecting USB devices to the computer or connecting a mobile phone or laptop to the WiFi. Our volunteers will offer assistance where possible but we cannot guarantee that we will be able to identify or resolve any issues.

The Library does not offer any external cable adapters, data cables or chargers.

If a facility is to be out of service for an extended period of time or decommissioned, we will do our best to communicate this to patrons via our website or social media platforms.

The Library expects all patrons to use electrical chargers, cables or powerbanks which have been obtained from reputable manufacturers. We do not permit the use of any of the aforementioned devices which have any signs of damage.

We also remind patrons that the Library is run entirely by donations and volunteers and therefore request that device charging is kept to a minimum where possible.

The Library has a laser based printer which prints typical standard A4 documents suitable for an office environment. We do not provide professional printing services.

Printing charges are listed clearly both on the computing and printing facilities pages and on the printer itself. We reserve the right to change these prices at any given notice. However, in doing so, we will endeavour to try and inform patrons on our website and social media beforehand.

Our volunteers will offer IT support where possible to carry out basic computer and printing tasks. However, we cannot guarantee that volunteers will be able to solve all problems, if at all. If in doubt, please email or call the Library beforehand by visiting our contact page.