Internet Access Policy
The Dunedin Digital Strategy (2010) provides the vision for a “Digital Dunedin” to be achieved through the leadership, commitment and support of the following strategic goals:
- A Digitally Connected City to increase the access, affordability and the quality of digital networks connecting the residents and businesses across the city.
- A Digitally Enabled City to deliver more digital content to the community, visitors and businesses across the city and develop Dunedin as a centre for digital innovation.
- A Digitally Capable City to raise the level of knowledge, literacy and skills to use digital technology across the community, business and service sectors.
- A Digitally Confident City to increase assurance that digital services are safe and reliable for residents to fully embrace and participate in.
As a key Dunedin City Council participant in delivering the Community Plan Outcomes in the area of Culture and Learning, the Dunedin Public Libraries has a pivotal role in providing free access to digital technologies to support the level of community knowledge and use of these technologies.
CONDITIONS OF USE
The Dunedin Public Libraries will provide free, high speed, broadband access to the Internet in partnership with the Aotearoa People’s Network Kaharoa (APNK) through computers and wireless access at all branches of the Dunedin Public Libraries.
Wireless access to the Internet through the APNK network is unrestricted and available within selected areas of all branches of the Dunedin Public Libraries during Library opening hours.
Public access to the Internet through APNK computers will be provided to all Library customers at no cost. Access will be provided through the booking and usage arrangements at each service location, with a maximum session time to be determined for each location based on the level of customer demand and the need to ensure equitable access.
Customers must vacate their APNK computer when their allotted session time has expired. The Library may at its discretion extend the session time for any customer and may similarly ask a customer to terminate their extended session, based on the level of user demand at the time.
Out of consideration for other customers during busy times, the Library reserves the right to limit the number of APNK sessions to two per customer, per day or to limit the time period for which a person may use any other Library computer.
Bookings for APNK computers may be made in advance, but will lapse if not activated within 5 minutes of the allocated session time.
The Library reserves the right to limit the number of people around any computer to no more than two.
The Library reserves the right to have computers with different parameters e.g. limited time sessions, Large Typeface, Catalogue Only, etc.
The Library reserves the right to make some APNK computers unavailable at times for specific purposes, such as training or community group use.
Printing costs will be charged at the rate to be determined annually by Council through the Annual Plan process.
In addition to the access to the Internet provided through the APNK computers and wireless, the Library will provide free access to its website, online catalogue, subscription databases and information on the Internet through its InfoStation computers.
Email access and printing is not available through the InfoStation computers.
Any behaviour which endangers, disturbs, interferes with, or is inconsiderate of, any other person is unacceptable.
Unacceptable conduct may lead to the termination of a usage session and a refusal to accept further booking sessions. Continued inappropriate use of any computer or offensive behaviour may result in exclusion from the Library.
DISCLAIMER
The Internet is continuously changing and no organisation has a complete knowledge of or control over its content. Some information on the Internet may be unreliable, out of date, misleading and deliberately or innocently inaccurate.
APNK and the Dunedin Public Libraries have no control over and can accept no responsibility for the accuracy or reliability of information located on the Internet, or any losses or damages resulting from the use of this information.
As access to the information on the Internet relies on the availability of local and remote computing equipment over which the Library has no control, APNK and the Library are unable to guarantee access to any specific site, and can accept no responsibility for any losses or damages for the failure to access any specific site.
As the transmission of data across the Internet relies on copying data to and from multiple servers, APNK and the Library are unable to guarantee the security of any personal data or information transmitted using the Library public access Internet facilities.
APNK and the Library can accept no responsibility for the loss or breach of privacy of any personal data or information entered or transmitted by an individual using the Library public access Internet facilities.
Customers are responsible for restarting their APNK computer at the conclusion of their session to ensure that any personal data is purged.
While APNK will attempt to block the transmission of computer viruses and malware, it is unable to guarantee that any data transmitted to or from the Dunedin Public Libraries APNK public access Internet facilities will be virus free, and can accept no responsibility for any loss or damages resulting from a computer virus received through the use of these facilities.
Users are responsible for ensuring that any important data is backed up and that files potentially containing computer viruses are scanned and disinfected prior to executing.
While APNK and the Library will attempt to block access to Internet sites with explicit content, which may reasonably be considered to be offensive, APNK and the Library are unable to guarantee that users may not encounter Internet sites with content, which they may find offensive.
The Dunedin Public Libraries has a shared responsibility with parents and carers for assisting children in the safe use of the Internet.
Parents and caregivers have the primary responsibility for supervising their children’s use of the Library, including their use of the Internet.
Any link from the Dunedin Public Libraries website to any other website does not imply an endorsement of the website or its content by the Dunedin Public Libraries or the Dunedin City Council.
Adopted by Dunedin City Council 27 June 2011