E5.1 Policy Statement
Except for twelve designated holidays, the City Library System is open to the public Monday through Saturday, year-round, and at some locations on Sunday. The Director or designated Acting Director will close the City Library System only in extremely bad weather or if having a library open would be a security or safety risk due to an emergency or building disaster.
E5.2 Procedures
All library staff are expected to report to work during their regular work schedules unless notified differently by their supervisor, designated staff, or library administration. Under extreme weather conditions, emergencies, disasters, etc., staff may elect to use vacation or personal leave where available if they believe it would be unsafe to travel. The Library will try to work with staff who have no paid time available. Such emergency absence must be reported directly to the immediate supervisor or agency as soon as possible. This may necessitate calling the supervisor at home.
E5.2.1 Only the Director or designated Acting Director has the authority to close a library on a day that the Library is scheduled to be open. Factors to be considered include:
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Who else is closing (city offices, buildings and businesses in the immediate area, et. al.)?
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What are the safety factors? Traffic/road conditions? Weather conditions?
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Overall impact on library users?
E5.2.2 Once the decision to close has been made, the Director, other administrators, or the Business Office notifies agency managers who call their staff. Communications will contact the radio and television stations with a statement. The Library will use electronic means to notify staff and patrons as appropriate. If only one building is closing due to a localized condition, staff will also notify the Switchboard Operator so that all other locations can be made aware of the situation. The Switchboard Operator will make appropriate choices for notifying the public. Staff will act responsibly in notifying patrons in the building and providing for the safety of unattended children present.
E5.2.3 Staff are paid for their time if they are scheduled to work during an emergency closure. Additional compensatory time is given for staff who are turned away from their scheduled shifts. Staff already at work are compensated for their full shift should the Library close later in the day. If for safety reasons a staff member requests to leave work early, they may use vacation or personal leave to cover that time. If the Library subsequently closes, the staff member is compensated for time the Library was closed during that person’s scheduled shift.
Approved by Library Board of Directors, October 2000