Petitions in the Library Policy

1. Policy

1.01 No petitions by individuals or groups will be considered for distribution or display in the branches of the Fort Erie Public Library other than those from the Library or Fort Erie Town Council, in which case Board approval must be obtained.

2. Guidelines for Dealing with Petitions

2.01 If a petition from a patron or representative of any organization is presented for posting in the Library, the staff member receiving the request should advise the person that the Board’s policy allows only Town and Library petitions and only when approved by the Library Board. If this explanation of the Library Board policy is not deemed satisfactory the petition and the request should be forwarded to the CEO.

2.02 When a petition has received Library Board approval, it will be forwarded from the CEO’s office to the branches in a format and in sufficient numbers to post or to provide public access according to the directions included with the petition.

2.03 The management and staff will not speak for or against the petition. The only involvement will be to post or to display the petition itself and any background material provided and to follow instructions given about additional copies of material, the dates involved, and where the signatures and other petition materials are to be sent at the end of the petition time period. Information should be included with petitions about contact points for further information.