Intellectual Freedom
John F. Reed Library’s primary role is to support the educational mission of Fort Lewis College. The Library supports freedom of expression and its corollary, the freedom to read, in providing full access to material and information. In so doing, the Library does not restrict access to materials nor protect users from offensive or incorrect information available on the Internet, but the Library abides by the Information Technology department’s acceptable use policy. Parents and those responsible for children in Reed Library are responsible for the children’s use of the Internet in an unsupervised environment intended for adults.
Appropriate Conduct and Privacy
Internet users in the Library have the responsibility to be aware of materials that may be objectionable to others when using computers in public areas. Users should be respectful of the desire of others not to be inadvertently exposed to material and images that they find offensive. The Library seeks to protect First Amendment Rights, including freedom of access to information, for users; and the individual right to privacy. However, those using the Internet must be sensitive to the fact that workstations are in public areas and screens and printouts may be viewed by others. If a complaint is made, the user will be asked to discontinue use within sight of others. Users who do not comply or who harass staff or others will be asked leave the Library.
Resources Available and Intended Use
The computers in Reed Library are provided for access to resources and materials for research, coursework and the gathering of information for education purposes. Users are expected to reasonably limit their use to these purposes during busy times. An essential function for the computers in the Library is to access subscription databases and other online resources for which we can provide assistance. Priority is given to those engaged in research. If necessary, other users may be asked to temporarily give up their access. Some library subscription resources may have license agreements that restrict access to students, faculty and staff of Fort Lewis College. Library users are prohibited from sharing account access through user codes and passwords intended to authenticate the licensed user.
Student Instructional Computing Use Code
Since the Library extends Internet use privileges to the general public, all users of Reed Library computers are expected to follow the guidelines detailed in the Acceptable Use of Information Technology Policy.
Copyright
As with all materials, library users are responsible for following copyright restrictions. For more details, see the Fort Lewis Copyright Policy.
2005, Revised 2014, 2018.