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Acceptable Use Policy - PROPOSED
Introduction
DOC: Digital Online Community is a community-wide information network for the
service area of Flint River Regional Library System including Butts, Fayette,
Lamar,
Monroe, Pike and Spalding counties. It is offered as a community service by the
Griffin-Spalding County Library, the headquarters of the Flint River Regional
Library
System.
DOC: Digital Online Community 's mission is to:
- strengthen community organizations by helping them provide and retrieve
networked information,
- empower individuals by providing access to networked information and by
teaching the skills necessary to access and use this information,
- Facilitate information and resource sharing in support of community
development efforts,
- promote equity in access to computer resources for everyone in the
community.
General Principles
Access to computer systems and networks owned or operated by Flint
River Regional
Library System or DOC: Digital Online Community imposes certain responsibilities
and
obligations and is granted subject to DOC: Digital Online Community policies,
Flint
River Regional Library System policies, and local, state, and federal laws.
Acceptable use
is always ethical, reflects personal honesty, and shows restraint in the
consumption of
shared resources. It demonstrates respect for intellectual property, ownership
of data,
system security mechanisms, and individuals' rights to privacy and to freedom
from
intimidation, harassment, and unwarranted annoyance.
Guidelines
A user of the DOC: Digital Online Community must understand and agree
to the
conditions put forth in this Acceptable Use Policy. Use of DOC: Digital
Online
Community constitutes understanding of and acceptance of these conditions.
The intent of this policy is to make clear certain uses which are consistent
with the
purposes of the DOC: Digital Online Community, not to exhaustively enumerate all
such possible uses.
The director or staff of the Flint River Regional Library System may at any
time make
a determination that particular uses are or are not consistent with the purpose
of
DOC: Digital Online Community.
If a use is consistent with the purposes of DOC: Digital Online Community,
then
activities in direct support of that use will be considered consistent with the
purposes
of DOC: Digital Online Community.
In making acceptable use of resources you must:
- Use resources only for authorized purposes.
- Protect your user id and accounts from unauthorized use. You are
responsible
for all activities on your user id or that originate from DOC: Digital
Online
Community account or service that you use.
- Access only files and data that are your own, that are publicly available,
or to
which you have been given authorized access.
- Use only legal versions of copyrighted software in compliance with vendor
license requirements.
- Be considerate in your use of shared resources. Refrain from monopolizing
systems, overloading networks with excessive data, or wasting computer time,
connect time, disk space, printer paper, manuals, or other resources.
In making acceptable use of resources you must NOT:
- Use another person's system, user id, password, files, or data without
permission.
- Use computer programs to decode passwords or access control information.
- Attempt to circumvent or subvert system or network security measures.
- Engage in any activity that might be harmful to systems or to any
information stored therein, such as creating or propagating viruses,
disrupting services, or damaging files.
- Use DOC: Digital Online Community systems for commercial or partisan
political purposes, such as using electronic mail to circulate advertising
for products (commonly known as "spam") or for political
candidates.
- Make or use illegal copies of copyrighted software, store such copies on
DOC: Digital Online Community systems, or transmit them over DOC: Digital
Online Community networks.
- Use mail or messaging services to harass, intimidate, or otherwise annoy
another person, for example, by broadcasting unsolicited messages or sending
unwanted mail.
- Waste computing resources, for example, by intentionally placing a program
in an endless loop.
- Use DOC: Digital Online Community 's systems or networks for personal
gain; for example, by selling access to your user id or to DOC: Digital
Online Community systems or networks, or by performing work for profit with
DOC: Digital Online Community resources in a manner not authorized by DOC:
Digital Online Community.
- Engage in any other activity that does not comply with the General
Principles presented above.
Commercial Use
- All uses must conform with the DOC: Digital Online Community Acceptable
Use Policy and other DOC: Digital Online Community policy documents.
- No monetary transactions may take place using the DOC: Digital Online
Community system. This includes sending or receiving credit card orders or
bank account numbers.
- For-profit pricing information may not be placed on the DOC: Digital
Online Community system. For-profit commercial organizations or enterprises
of any sort are specifically not permitted to include pricing information in
any DOC: Digital Online Community information area. Not-for-profit
enterprises may include pricing information in their own DOC: Digital Online
Community menu area for events directly related to their non-profit
activities. Individuals placing one-time "for sale" or
"wanted" solicitations are specifically exempted from this
prohibition.
Enforcement
DOC: Digital Online Community considers any violation of acceptable
use principles or guidelines to be a serious offense and reserves the right to
copy and examine any files or information resident on DOC: Digital Online
Community systems allegedly related to unacceptable use. Violators are subject
to disciplinary action, including but not limited to:
- Loss of account privileges temporarily
- Loss of account privileges permanently
If DOC: Digital Online Community believes illegal or improper behavior is
taking place, or if your actions are affecting the reliability of DOC: Digital
Online Community services, DOC: Digital Online Community reserves the right to
suspend services and/or access privileges until you have been contacted and a
full review of the situation takes place.
Offenders also may be prosecuted under laws including (but not limited to)
the Privacy Protection Act of 1974, The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986,
The Computer Virus Eradication Act of 1989, Interstate Transportation of Stolen
Property, The Georgia Computer Systems Protection Act, The Computer Pornography
and Child Exploitation Prevention Act of 1999, and The Electronic Communications
Privacy Act. Access to the text of these laws is available online.
Agreement
Each user of DOC: Digital Online Community must attest to the following:
- I understand that DOC: Digital Online Community and any text, data,
graphics, images, messages, communications, files or other material
(information) available through DOC: Digital Online Community is for general
informational and entertainment purposes only and is in no way intended to
refer to or be applicable to any specific person, organization, case or
situation.
Flint River Regional Library System administration is not responsible for
monitoring the information available through the DOC: Digital Online
Community network.
- I understand that the Flint River Regional Library System administration
does not warrant that the functions of this system will meet any specific
requirements nor that it will be error free or uninterrupted; nor shall it
be liable for any indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages
(including but not limited to lost data, information or profits) sustained
or incurred in connection with the use, operation, or inability to use DOC:
Digital Online Community or any computer or computing system connected to
DOC: Digital Online Community.
- I understand that Flint River Regional Library System reserves the right
to change the terms or conditions of this policy and that such changes or
revisions will be available through DOC: Digital Online Community. In
addition, users agree to follow Flint River Regional Library System
policies.
I understand that I will be notified when I use DOC: Digital Online
Community of changes to this policy that have occurred since the last time I
have used DOC: Digital Online Community.
I understand that my continued use of DOC: Digital Online Community shall
constitute my acceptance of those changes or revisions.
- I understand that DOC: Digital Online Community, its users and information
providers are, at all times, independent contractors and that no agency,
partnership, joint venture, or employment relationship shall arise, directly
or indirectly, as a result of this policy.
- I understand that the information made available through DOC: Digital
Online Community is not a substitute for individual professional
consultation and that advice on individual problems should be obtained
personally from a qualified professional.
- In consideration for the privilege of using DOC: Digital Online Community
and in consideration for having access to the information available through
it, I agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless DOC: Digital Online
Community, Flint River Regional Library System, its officers, agents,
employees, directors, and any individuals, firms, institutions, or
organizations which make information available through DOC: Digital Online
Community for any and all claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs and
expenses (including reasonable attorney's fees) of any nature arising from
my use or inability to use, DOC: Digital Online Community.
- I agree to use the DOC: Digital Online Community system appropriately by:
- respecting the privacy of others,
- respecting the legal protection provided by trade secret, copyright and
license to programs and data,
- respecting the integrity of the system, and
- informing the DOC: Digital Online Community administration of any
observed violation of this acceptable use policy.
- I agree not to use the DOC: Digital Online Community system
inappropriately by:
- intentionally seeking information on, obtaining copies of, or modifying
files, other data, or passwords belonging to other users,
- representing myself as another user,
- intentionally making my password available to another user,
- intentionally developing or distributing programs that harass other
users, infiltrate a computer or computing system, or damage or alter
software or data,
- performing acts of malice,
- violating applicable laws or regulations or placing information on the
DOC: Digital Online Community system which is illegal or violate another's
rights,
- precluding or significantly hampering the use of the system by another,
- inhibiting the effective and shared use of the system,
- distributing unsolicited advertisements - except through information
services which explicitly allow such advertisements
- using the system or information contained therein, for any unauthorized
purposes including, but not limited to, commercial use of the Internet, a
larger computing network system to which DOC: Digital Online Community is
connected.
- Repeated, unsolicited and unwanted communication of an intrusive nature is
not acceptable. For example, continuing to send e-mail messages to an
individual after being asked to stop is not acceptable.
Remedial Action
Use of DOC: Digital Online Community is a privilege that may be revoked,
suspended or altered by the staff of the Flint River Regional Library System at
any time.
The Director of the Flint River Regional Library System (or the designee of
the Director) shall be the sole arbiter of what constitutes appropriate or
inappropriate use.
The DOC: Digital Online Community administration reserves the right to review
any material stored in files which all users have access to.
It further reserves the right to review private material at the request of a
user who has legitimate access to that material.
When the DOC: Digital Online Community administration learns of possible
inappropriate use, DOC: Digital Online Community will require that the user
responsible be notified.
If the inappropriate use involves information available to other users, DOC:
Digital Online Community may require the editing or removal of the inappropriate
material.
If deemed necessary to prevent further inappropriate use, the DOC: Digital
Online Community may temporarily revoke the responsible user's privileges to use
the system.
Every reasonable effort will be made to inform the user of the charges and
allow them to respond prior to revocation of privileges.
In cases where the inappropriate use is deemed serious or the inappropriate
use is repeated after notification as described above, the responsible user may
have their privileges permanently revoked by the Director of the Flint River
Regional Library System or the designee of the Director.
A user who has had their privileges revoked may make an appeal to the
Director of the Flint River Regional Library System (or the designee of the
Director).
The decision of the Director of the Flint River Regional Library System (or
the designee of the Director) shall be final.
Comments
This is the DOC: Digital Online Community Acceptable Use Policy as proposed
by Flint River Regional Library System, 1 November 2001.
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