The Akron-Summit County Public Library welcomes the support of institutions, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and community groups to enhance or improve Library activities, services, events, and programs by establishing sponsorships or collaborative partnerships. These relationships serve to pool resources and advance the Library's vision, mission, core values, and strategic plan.

The Library will enter sponsorships and collaborative partnerships determined to be in the Library’s best interest. Sponsorships and collaborative partnerships will be subject to the approval of the Executive Director or their designee.

Agreements between the Library, its sponsors, and collaborative partners must benefit all parties. These relationships should further the Library's goals in one or more of the following ways:

1. Increase Library visibility in the community;
2. Support regular or special Library activities, services, events, and programs;
3. Enhance or create ways to respond to identified community needs.

Sponsors & Sponsorships

Definitions

Sponsor

A sponsor is an institution, business, nonprofit organization, community group, or individual who contributes funds, products, or services of a defined value to the Library in support of an activity, service, event, or program.

Sponsorship

A sponsorship is a mutually beneficial exchange between the Library and a sponsor, whereby the sponsor contributes funds, products, or services of a defined value to the Library and receives recognition, acknowledgement, or other promotional considerations. Sponsors will be provided with a level of recognition commensurate with their contribution. A sponsorship of $1,000 or more requires a Letter of Agreement between the Library and the sponsor.

Sponsorships must:

• Advance the Library's mission, core values, goals, objectives, and priorities.
• Not compete with or contradict the Library’s mission to support, improve, and enrich individual, family, and community life.
• Safeguard equity of access to Library services; sponsorship agreements must not give an unfair advantage to or cause discrimination against sectors of the community.
• Respect the principle of intellectual freedom; sponsors may not direct the selection of collections nor require the endorsement of products or services.
• Not abridge or undermine the confidentiality of user records; the Library will not sell nor provide access to Library records in exchange for gifts or support.
• Leave open the opportunity for other actual or potential donors to have similar opportunities to provide support to the Library.
• Not violate the community’s trust in the Library as a safe place for children. The Library will treat sponsorships for programming in the following way:
  • Sponsorships may not result in the direct marketing of products to children, except where relevant and previously approved educational materials are promoted in conjunction with programs;
  • The Library will not accept sponsorships for activities involving or targeted at children from companies whose products are deemed inappropriate by the Library administration for use by children.

The Library reserves the right to decide on the implementation of each sponsorship. Purchasing decisions – including the type of equipment, materials, furnishings, and other components of a gift – will reside with the Library Administration. Decisions regarding all details as they relate to the design of programs and allocation of resources will also reside with the Library Administration.

Sponsorships do not imply Library endorsement of the sponsor, its products, or services. The sponsor is responsible for determining deductibility and gift valuation for tax purposes.

A sponsorship differs from a philanthropic gift or donation in that a philanthropic gift or donation is a contribution of cash and or products or services without expectation or requirement of a reciprocal benefit.

Collaborative Partners & Partnerships

Definitions

Collaborative Partner

A collaborative partner is an institution, business, nonprofit organization, or community group that collaborates with the Library to provide and/or promote activities, services, events, and programs to the public in ways that are mutually beneficial and without the contribution of funds, products, or services of a defined value to the library. Collaborative partners will be provided with a level of recognition commensurate with their level of collaboration.

Collaborative Partnership

A collaborative partnership is a relationship between the Library and an institution, business, nonprofit organization, or community group that involves working together to provide and/or promote activities, services, events, and programs to the public in ways that are mutually beneficial and without the partner's contribution of money, products, or services of a defined value.

Recognition And Acknowledgment

The Library will ensure that each sponsor or collaborative partner receives an acknowledgment and, to the degree that the donor is willing, public recognition. The Library will work with sponsors and collaborative partners to design a program that meets its marketing and public relations goals.
In all cases, the type and scope of recognition required by the sponsor or collaborative partner will be weighed against the benefit to the Library. The sponsor or collaborative partner organization has marketing rights to promote its involvement with the Library for the duration of the agreement. Still, the Library logo and/or naming must be approved by the Library’s Development Director and Marketing & Communications Director and is subject to the provisions of this policy.

Friends Of The Library

The Friends of the Library are independent groups that work in cooperation with the Library to provide valuable support and assistance throughout the Library. Members of the Friends are volunteers who work to increase awareness of the Library by advocating and supporting the Library's activities, services, events, and programs. Because the Library's Friends groups were established solely to support the Library and enjoy a special relationship with it, they are not required to endorse a Letter of Agreement with the Library.

Requests Made Of The Library

Requests from institutions, businesses, nonprofit organizations, or community groups seeking a sponsor or partner relationship with the Library for a non-Library activity, service, event, or program are subject to the approval of the Executive Director.

Approved by the Board of Trustees on September 29, 2022.

It is the policy of the Akron-Summit County Public Library to adhere to the state's Public Records Act. Public records are to be open to the public at all reasonable times with exceptions only as provided for in the law, such as exemptions that prohibit the Library from disclosing patron information except in specified situations.

Any denial of public records in response to a valid request must be accompanied by an explanation, including legal authority.

Public Records

In accordance with the Ohio Revised Code and applicable judicial decisions, records are defined as any item that (i) contains information stored on a fixed medium (such as paper, electronic – including but not limited to email – and other formats); (ii) is created or received by, or sent under the jurisdiction of a public office and (iii) documents the organization, functions, policies, decisions, procedures, operations or other activities of the office. Public records are to be open to the public at all reasonable times with exceptions only as provided for in the law.

As required by Ohio law, records will be organized and maintained so that they are available for inspection and copying at all reasonable times during regular business hours. Copies will be made available within a reasonable period of time.

Records retention schedules will be updated as needed and will be available to the public upon request.

A poster describing the public records policy will be displayed at Main Library and each branch location.

Record Requests

Each request for public records should be evaluated for a response using the following guidelines.

Although no specific language is required to make a request, the requester must at least identify the records requested with sufficient clarity to allow the Library to identify, retrieve, and review the records. If it is not clear what records are being sought, the requester will be allowed to revise the request to clarify it. The Library will inform the requester of the manner in which records are maintained and accessed in the ordinary course of the Library's functions in order to assist the requester in clarifying the request.

The requester does not have to put a records request in writing and does not have to provide his or her identity or the intended use of the requested public record.

Public records responsive to the request will be made available for inspection during weekdays from 10AM – 4PM when the Library is open. Public records will be available for inspection promptly. Copies of public records will be made available within a reasonable period of time. "Prompt" and "reasonable" take into account the volume of records requested; the proximity of the location where the records are stored; and the necessity for any legal review of the records requested.

Each request will be evaluated for an estimated length of time required to gather the records. Any denial of public records requested will include an explanation, including legal authority. If some portions of a record are public and others are exempt, the exempt portions will be redacted and the rest released. The redaction should be plainly visible.

Copies of Public Records

The Library will provide copies of public records on request within a reasonable period of time. On request, the Library will transmit copies of public records by mail or other means. The Library may charge the requester for the actual cost of making and transmitting the request copies. The Library may require the requester to pay such costs in advance.

Email

Email is to be treated in the same fashion as records in other formats and should follow the same retention schedules.

Public Records Disposal

The Library will dispose of records in accordance with its Record Retention Schedule.

As soon as the Library becomes aware of possible, pending or threatened litigation, a litigation hold directive will be issued to the custodian of records. The litigation hold directive overrides the records retention schedule that may otherwise call for the disposal or destruction of the relevant documents, until the hold has been lifted by the Library.

No employee who has been notified by the Library of a litigation hold may alter or delete an electronic record that falls within the scope of the hold. Violation of the hold may result in disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal, as well as personal liability for civil and/or criminal sanctions by the courts or law enforcement agencies.

Custodian of Records

The Akron-Summit County Public Library designates the Executive Director of the Library or his or her designee to be the custodian of the records.

Approved by the Board of Trustees on April 30, 2026.

Staff members answer reference requests for medical information just as they answer requests for information in other subject areas. But because these staff members are not medical professionals, they will not offer medical advice or an interpretation of medical information.  Interpretation is defined as the explanation of what is not immediately plain, explicit, or unmistakable.  Although staff members will be as helpful as possible in locating and providing requested medical information, patrons are responsible for assessing the information themselves and for choosing the information that seems appropriate to their situation.

Specifically, staff members will provide the following medical reference services.

1. Staff members will assist patrons by finding information about a disease or medical condition in books, websites, journals and pamphlets for the patrons to read.
2. Staff members will read a definition of a medical term or description of a disease or condition from an available source. The source will be cited and quoted verbatim. When the definition is difficult to understand, staff will define terms used in the definition or description, but will not give an interpretation of the term.
3. Staff members will read brief information about prescription drugs from drug dictionaries when the name of the drug is given. The source will be cited and quoted verbatim with no interpretation. Terms used in the text will be defined by using another available source. Staff will not identify a drug from a physical description offered by the patron. Staff members will read brief information about alternative therapies from the Natural Standard Database, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Therapies (NCCAM) website, or other resources deemed acceptable using standard library methods to evaluate websites.
4. Staff members will advise patrons to consult a physician or other medical specialist when additional information is needed; however, they will not recommend a specific physician.
5. Staff members will refer patrons to other health resources in the Akron area and to local health associations when these resources seem most appropriate to answer the patrons’ needs.
6. Staff members will explain how to use the Library’s print and online reference aids. When these sources do not provide sufficient information, staff members will explain how to evaluate medical information found on websites that are found via a search engine. This assistance will be accompanied by explaining that different terminology may lead to different results.
7. Staff members will not advise on the suitability of a treatment found on any website.

Approved by the Board of Trustees - December 13, 2018.

The Akron-Summit County Public Library supports its patrons' rights to privacy and protects the confidentiality of patron information and library records in accordance with Ohio law. Patron information is defined as personally identifiable information about an individual who has used any library service or borrowed any library materials. A library record is defined as a record in any form that is maintained by the library and that contains any of the following types of information:

• information an individual is required to provide in order to be eligible to use library service or borrow materials;
• information that identifies an individual as having requested or obtained specific materials or materials on a particular subject;
• information that is provided by an individual to assist a library staff member to answer a specific question or provide information on a particular subject.

Information that does not identify any individual and that is retained for the purpose of studying or evaluating the use of a library and its materials and services is not considered confidential and is not subject to this policy.

In accordance with Ohio law (Ohio Revised Code 149.432), the Akron-Summit County Public Library does not release any library record or disclose any patron information except as follows:

• in the case of the records of a minor child when requested by that minor child's parent, guardian or custodian;
• pursuant to a subpoena, search warrant, or other court order, or upon request by a law enforcement officer who is investigating a matter involving public safety in exigent circumstances;
• at the written request or with the written consent of the individual who is the subject of the record or information;
• for library administrative purposes as defined by Ohio Revised Code § 149.432, including establishment or maintenance of a system to manage the library records or to assist in the transfer of library records from one records management system to another, compilation of statistical data on library use, and collection of fines and penalties.

Additionally, the library may release records that document improper use of the internet at the library so long as any patron information is removed from those records. As used in this context, patron information does not include information about the age or gender of an individual.

Approved by the Board of Trustees on December 9, 2010.