Revised Laws of Saint Lucia (2021)

Central Library of Saint Lucia Regulations – Section 9

(Statutory Instruments 31/1953 and 8/1955)

Statutory Instrument 31/1953 .. in force 27 June 1953

Amended by S.I. 8/1955

ARRANGEMENT OF REGULATIONS

CENTRAL LIBRARY OF SAINT LUCIA REGULATIONS – SECTION 9

Commencement [27 June 1953]

1.   Citation

These Regulations may be cited as the Central Library of Saint Lucia Regulations.

2.   Interpretation

In these Regulations—

“Act” means the Central Library of Saint Lucia Act;

“Board” means the Central Library Board established under the provisions of section 4 of the Act;

“book” means any book, periodical, newspaper, pamphlet, picture, print, photograph, map, chart, plan or manuscript, or any other article of like nature forming part of the contents of a library operated under these Regulations;

“book van” means a van used for the purpose of a travelling library operated as a branch of the Central Library;

“Central Library” means the Central Library of Saint Lucia established by virtue of the Act;

“librarian” means the person appointed as such under the provisions of section 3 of the Act and includes any person appointed to act or acting as librarian;

“library” includes a lending library, reference library, travelling library and reading room;

“library premises” includes every room, office, passage, staircase, entrance, and exit occupied together as one set of premises and used for the purpose of affording library facilities to members of the Central Library.

3.   Establishment of libraries

For the purpose of the Act there shall be established such reference libraries, lending libraries (including travelling libraries), and reading rooms for adults, and such lending libraries (including travelling libraries) and reading rooms for children, as the Governor General with the advice of the Board shall determine.

4.   Librarian

The librarian shall have the general charge of all libraries established and maintained under the Act and shall be responsible for the safe keeping of the books and property acquired for the purposes of efficiently carrying on the library services.

5.   Recovery of Subscriptions

All moneys due to the Central Library for arrears of subscriptions, cost of books lost or damaged or otherwise may be sued for and recovered by civil suit instituted by and in the name of the librarian.

6.   Days and hours of opening

The Board shall fix the days and hours on which library facilities shall be available to members of the Central Library and notices indicating such days and hours shall be displayed in the respective departments and branches of the Central Library.

7.   Qualifications for membership of Library

Books may be borrowed for home reading by any member of the Library qualified as hereunder—

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   (a)     persons 16 years of age and over ordinarily resident in Saint Lucia;

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   (b)     persons temporarily resident in Saint Lucia subject to a deposit of $2 which may be refunded on satisfactory termination of membership of the Central Library; and

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   (c)     other persons at the discretion of the librarian.

8.   Application for membership tickets

Applications for tickets of membership of the Central Library shall be made on forms provided for the purpose by the librarian, and an applicant shall be deemed to have consented to be bound by the provisions of these Regulations on signing a form. Tickets of membership shall not be transferable and the loss of a ticket of membership shall be notified by the member concerned to the librarian.

Conditions of Issue and Use of Books

9.   Borrowing and renewal of books

The time allowed a member of the Central Library for reading books shall, unless otherwise notified, be 14 days from the date of borrowing; but the time may be extended for 2 successive periods of 14 days each, on notice being given personally or by telephone or in writing to the librarian, however, any such book is not requested by other members. A member detaining books beyond the time allowed is liable to a fine of $0.01 per day for each book so detained. A member shall not borrow a book from any lending library unless duly authorised by the librarian or one of his or her assistants.

10.   Access to premises

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   (1)   Registered members shall have a right of access to that part of any premises which is set apart for the purposes of a lending library. No other member of the public shall have such right but the librarian may, in his or her discretion, permit the agent or the servant of a registered member access to the said part of any such premises for the purpose of changing books for such members.

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   (2)   Every person shall, if so requested by any officer or servant of the Central Library, leave all handbags, baskets or similar articles which he or she is carrying, at the counter before entering the said part of any such premises. The Library will not hold itself responsible for the contents of such articles left at the counter as aforesaid.

11.   Return of books

Returned books shall be delivered into the hands of an officer of the Central Library, and if on examination they are found to have sustained any damage, the borrower may be called upon by the librarian to pay the amount of the damage or to replace the book or series to which it belongs or a new copy of equal value. The librarian may also require a borrower to pay the original cost of a book which has been lost while in the possession of the borrower or to replace it by a new copy of equal value.

12.   Reserving books

Any member of the Central Library may have a particular book or books reserved for him or her on its return to a lending library by notifying the librarian accordingly.

13.   Exposure of books to infection

A person shall not take out of the library any book for use in any house in which there is a person suffering from an infectious disease, and a person shall not return to a library any book which has been exposed to infection from any infectious disease, but in every such case shall at once give notice that such book has been so exposed to the medical officer of health of the appropriate district and leave the book at the office of the medical officer of health of the district or hand it over to any sanitary inspector acting on his or her behalf, who shall cause the same to be disinfected or destroyed.

Reference Libraries

14.   Use of reference library

A person over the age of 14 years, and, with the permission of the librarian, a person under that age may use a reference library. Members' tickets shall not be required for reference libraries.

15.   Removal of books from reference libraries

A book shall not be taken out of a reference library without the permission of the librarian. Except with the permission of the librarian, a person shall not use any ink in a reference library.

Adults' Reading Rooms

16.   Use of adults reading rooms

A person under 14 years shall not use any reading room set apart for adults except by permission of the librarian or one of his or her assistants.

17.   Conditions of issue and use of periodicals, magazines, newspapers

A person who desires the privilege of taking out any magazines, periodicals or newspapers shall pay a subscription of $0.48 monthly. This amount is subject to revision by the Board. Any subscriber who is in arrears with his or her subscription for one month will be debarred from receiving periodicals, magazines or newspapers until such subscription is paid.

18.   Removal of newspapers or periodicals

Newspapers or periodicals shall not be taken out of any such reading room or be retained for use longer than 10 minutes after it is required by the librarian or any of his or her assistants.

Children's Libraries

19.   Access to children's libraries

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   (1)   Children's lending libraries and reading rooms shall be free to boys and girls of such ages as the Board shall decide. Applications for tickets of membership of children's libraries must be made on forms provided for the purpose by the librarian and each application must be recommended in writing on the forms by the child's parent or guardian or school teacher who shall guarantee thereon to make good any damage or loss and to pay any fines imposed upon the child under regulation 9 in respect of any book borrowed by him or her.

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   (2)   The provisions of regulations 9, 10, 12 and 13 shall apply in respect of children and Children's Libraries as they apply in respect of adults and Adults' Lending Libraries.

Local Advisory Committees

20.   Local Committees

The Board may appoint local committees to advise and assist it in the administration and management of its branch libraries, and may determine the terms and conditions of appointments to such committees as well as the numbers of their members.

Conditions of Use of the Libraries

21.   Offences and penalties

A person who—

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   (a)     engages in audible conversation in any part of any library premises after having been requested not to do so by an officer or servant of the Central Library;

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   (b)     wilfully obstructs any officer or servant of the Central Library in the execution of his or her duty or wilfully disturbs, interrupts or annoys any person in the proper use of the library;

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   (c)     causes or allows any dog or other animal belonging to him or her or under his or her control to enter or remain on any library premises, or brings into any part of the library premises a bicycle or other wheeled vehicle or conveyance;

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   (d)     enters or remains in any part of any library premises not set apart for the use of the public, unless he or she is an officer or servant of the Central Library or has the permission of the officer or servant of the Central Library to do so;

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   (e)     smokes or strikes a light in any part of any library premises;

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   (f)     soils, tears, cuts, defaces, damages, injures or destroys any book forming part of the stock of a library;

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   (g)     affixes or posts any bill, placard or notice to or upon any part of library premises unless he or she be a duly authorised officer or servant of the Central Library;

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   (h)     enters any library premises if he or she is offensively unclean in person or dress, or suffering from an offensive, contagious or infectious disease;

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   (i)     lies on any bench, chair, table or floor of the library;

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   (j)     partakes of refreshment on library premises;

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   (k)     gives a false name or address for the purpose of entering any part of library premises or obtaining any privilege to which a member of the Central Library is entitled;

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   (l)     makes a tracing of any portion of a book without the permission of the librarian or one of his or her assistants; or

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   (m)     takes any book from any lending library unless duly authorised by the librarian or one of his or her assistants,

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   commits an offence against these Regulations and is liable on summary conviction for every such offence to a penalty not exceeding $25.

22.   Exclusion of persons

A person who commits any offence against these Regulations may be excluded or removed from the Library premises by any officer or servant of the Central Library.