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Children’s Rooms and Children in the Library

The Harrison Public Library encourages visits by children and wants to make these occasions memorable, educational, and enjoyable. This policy has been established to achieve these goals, and also to protect and ensure the well-being of children who use the Library.

All children under age 9 must be accompanied by an acceptable caregiver while in the Library, including throughout the child’s attendance at programs. “Acceptable caregiver” includes a parent, guardian, chaperone, babysitter, teacher, or anyone at least 14 years old who has been engaged by a parent or legal guardian to supervise a child under the age of 9.

The Library and its staff cannot, and expressly do not, assume any responsibility to supervise or care for any minor on Library premises.

Caregiver Responsibilities

The Library requires that caregivers do the following:

Disruptive Children

Children are encouraged to use the Library for homework and recreational reading and to attend programs. The Library staff realizes that the Library will be noisier at busy times and that children by nature can cause some commotion.

However, children (whether with a caregiver or not) who are deemed too disruptive by the Library staff will be warned that if they do not settle down they will be asked to leave the Library. Extreme or repetitive disruptive behavior, in the sole judgment of the Library staff, may result in immediate expulsion from the Library.

A disruptive child who needs to contact an acceptable caregiver may do so, or may ask the Library staff to do so, and then may wait in the Library until the acceptable caregiver arrives.

Children at Closing Time

Please note the posted closing times for the Library and pick up your child 15 minutes before closing time in order to ensure your child’s safety. If a child under age 12 is found in the Library at closing time without an acceptable caregiver, the police department will be notified.

Who May Use the Children’s Rooms

The Children’s Rooms are reserved for the exclusive use of the following patrons:

All other patrons must only use the other areas of the Library.

Who May Participate in Children’s Programs

Participation in children’s programs at the Library is restricted to patrons in the age range listed for the program on the Library’s website calendar and to acceptable caregivers who are accompanying children.


Reviewed and approved by the Harrison Public Library Board of Trustees, 7/7/2009. Revised 5/6/2013, 5/4/2015, 5/1/2017, 10/03/2018.

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