Every child should have available a free public library which provides materials, resources, and reader guidance to meet informational, educational, and recreational needs.
The Scarborough Public Library is committed to library service which will:
- promote the lifelong enjoyment of reading and literature;
- develop capable and critical users of information and technology;
- contribute to the continuing intellectual and creative development of the community's children; and, thereby, establish the Library as a vital community resource.
The Library will allocate sufficient funding to provide for:
- qualified professional staff with direct responsibility for the planning,
- management, and evaluation of services to children;
- children's services staff possessing a broad knowledge of children's literature and information resources; a knowledge of children's physical and intellectual growth; and a genuine caring and respect for children;
- diverse collections in various formats and interest levels that capture the interest and imagination of children; meet high standards of quality and attractiveness; and reflect the changing interests of young people, parents, adults who work with children, and society in general.
- programs which promote library use and excite children about literature,
- information, and technology;
- cooperative efforts with schools and other community organizations serving children, particularly to identify underserved children and to develop appropriate services for them;
The Scarborough Public Library values a free and inquiring society, and affirms its support of the Library Bill of Rights, Free Access to Libraries for Minors, the Freedom to Read, and the Maine Revised Statutes Chapter 4-A :Library Records. The Library acknowledges and supports the rights of parents to guide their own child's viewing and reading. Parents or legal guardians are encouraged to help their children make selections of those materials which reflect family values and beliefs.
passed 1/16/97, Affirmed June 21, 2018