New law affecting Vermont Public Libraries

Vermont Act No. 150 (S.220)

A new law that takes effect on July 1st will impact library services to teens and tweens. S 220/Act 150 allows people ages 12-17 to have complete privacy regarding what they check out from the library. In the coming weeks, we will be talking to teens about their new rights and how they now have more responsibility for the library materials they check out. We will be updating contact information to ensure that we share information with the correct people and asking teens and tweens who they want to have access to their accounts.

That means 12-17 year olds are:

• Guaranteed privacy about their library use, including what they check out. We will ask teen card holders their preferences regarding the privacy of their account and who has access to checkout records. Adults will not be able to check out on teen cards, unless the teen is present.
• 12-17 year olds are also ultimately responsible for returning library materials and taking care of them, and will be the point of contact for communication about this unless they give permission for us to contact their guardians/guarantors.

We understand that this is a change for some families. For more information click this link.