Usage & Access
HELEN PLUM LIBRARY
U-10 Social Media
Approved by the Library Board of Trustees July 19, 2022.
Definitions and Purpose
This policy outlines the requirements for acceptable use and behavior for both external and internal users of Helen Plum Library’s social media accounts.
External Users
Moderation of Content
The following section applies to content—such as comments and replies—posted to official social media channels by external users.
Content published to official social media channels by external users is monitored. The organization will not allow content to remain on official social media channels that:
• Makes use of profanity.
• Contains obscene material.
• Contains any form of hate speech.
• Depicts or encourages violence and other illegal activities.
• Displays sensitive and personal identifying information (PII).
• Promotes commercial products/services.
• Can reasonably be argued to place the public in danger.
Helen Plum Library will remove any content posted that falls within the categories mentioned above.
Blocking of Public Access
All official social media accounts are considered to be public forums containing official Library communication, and the public will therefore not be prevented from accessing the information they contain. While Helen Plum Library reserves the right to remove inappropriate content, it will refrain from blocking users from viewing and interacting with official accounts.
Records Retention and The Public Records Act
As a public-sector organization, all communication over social media channels is subject to public records laws. There is no statutory requirement under either the Local or the State Records Acts to retain the social media platform in its entirety in the form of a screen-capture, or through additional digital storage services as a record. The social media platform is a venue, or portal for displaying copies of records, but is not in and of itself a record. (https://www.ilsos.gov/publications/pdf_publications/ard167.pdf)
Appeal and Review
The Helen Plum Library Board of Trustees will review the Social Media Policy and regulations periodically and reserves the right to amend them at any time. The Board authorizes the Executive Director to waive regulations under appropriate circumstances. The Executive Director is the chief person empowered to make decisions regarding the availability and use of social media and commenting. The Executive Director has delegated authority to implement this policy to the Marketing Manager.
Any appeals for changes to, or exceptions to, any portion of the Social Media Policy will be considered. An individual wishing to file an appeal shall submit it to the Executive Director in writing. The Executive Director will respond in writing.
Internal Users
Social media use is utilized by designated staff as a means to inform the public and is considered official government communication.
Acceptable Use of Social Media Platforms
Employees must receive authorization from the Marketing Manager before receiving login credentials and being allowed to publish content.
All posts and comments should align with the Library’s Policies and Strategic Plan and may need approval before being published.
Only content relevant to the Library’s mission may be published on social media channels. Employees are not allowed to:
• Make statements that are not endorsed by Helen Plum Library.
• Publish content that is irrelevant to the mission of Helen Plum Library.
• Share confidential information.
• Make any commercial endorsements or conduct private business.
Acceptable Use of Personal Accounts
Employees may have personal social media accounts, but they may not:
• Use these accounts to conduct Library business.
• Publish official statements to the pages of personal accounts.
• Make use of Helen Plum Library email accounts or login credentials as your login for personal social media accounts.
Employees are also encouraged to:
• Place a disclaimer in their user bios emphasizing the fact that all opinions are strictly their own.
Acceptable Social Media Conduct & Disciplinary Action
All communication on official social media channels must remain cordial and professional.
Employees are not allowed to:
• Criticize or attack any individual/organization.
• Make any political statements not sanctioned by the organization.
• Make use of profanity.
• Share obscene material.
• Make use of any form of hate speech.
• Depict or encourage violence and other illegal activities.
• Display sensitive and personal identifying information (PII).
• Promote commercial products/services.
• Post copyrighted material that Helen Plum Library does not have the right to use.
• Share information that could reasonably be argued to place the public in danger.
This also applies for employees’ online replies to comments made by external users. Regardless of the inappropriate nature of these comments, employees must remain professional and continue to conform to the rules set out above when replying or performing any other action.
Additionally, employees should aim to make all communication as clear and concise as possible. This means making every effort to maintain professional standards in terms of grammar and spelling and avoiding unnecessary acronyms and other jargon.
Any employee who fails to follow these guidelines may lose the privilege of taking part in the Library’s social media activities. As with other policies and guidelines, extreme infractions may result in more severe disciplinary action.
Acceptable Conduct on Personal Accounts
This document does not attempt to govern employee conduct on personal social media accounts. However, employees are encouraged to keep in mind that they may still be seen as representatives of the Library, even when posting to personal accounts, so any disreputable conduct can reflect badly on the Library.
Approval of Accounts
The following steps must be followed when a new official social media account is registered:
• The creation of the account must be undertaken/approved by the Marketing Manager.
• The account must be managed only through approved tools.
• On platforms where it is possible, only official Library credentials may be used to create and access the account. If necessary, personal accounts can be granted organization access.
• Account login credentials may not be shared with anyone who does not have official authorization to make use of the account.