Safety Tips

SAFETY IN THE LIBRARY

Benicia Librarians have published a new pamphlet called “Kids in the Library Safety Tips”. Feel free to download it and talk to your children about safety while in the Library.

SAFETY ON THE INTERNET

Three useful Web sites:

  • Child Safety on the Information Highway, produced by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Lists the benefits and risks of the Internet, and ways parents can help reduce the risks for their children.
  • Kids Rules for Online Safety adapted from Child Safety on the Information Highway
  • NetSmartz411 has tips for parents which are more up-to-date than the "Child Safety on the Information Highway".  

A note about the Internet and parental guidance:

The Internet is a worldwide computer network of information. Some things on the Internet are good, some things are bad, and some things are illegal. As with anything else, it is your guidance as a parent that ensures your child’s most appropriate use of the Internet.

You know your child, and you know your family’s values. It is your right and your responsibility to teach your child these values. You have the right to guide your child’s use of the Internet. You have the responsibility to see that your child knows your expectations, whether on the Internet or in the real world.

Please talk frankly with your child about the Internet. The guidelines you provide and the values you teach will help keep your child safe--in the online world as well as the real world.

More about the Internet at the Library:

  • The Library provides free and unfiltered access to the Internet to all its patrons.
  • The librarians have selected a number of Web sites that are appropriate for children and teenagers. The Library provides links to these sites from its Web page. Librarians can also recommend other Web sites, such as special search engines designed to help children find age-appropriate Web sites.
  • Librarians are always available to provide assistance to those who need help locating information, whether on the Internet or in the Library.
  • If you and your child are interested in learning more about the Internet, you can schedule an appointment with a volunteer docent who can provide a personalized tutoring session.
  • The Library’s Internet and Electronic Use Policy defines unacceptable uses of the Internet. All patrons who violate the policy will be restricted from using the Internet.
  • The Internet and Electronic Use Policy affirms “the right and responsibility of parents and guardians to determine and monitor their children’s use of library materials and resources.”
  • The Internet and Electronic Use Policy also states, in part, that “Parents or guardians should let their children know if there are materials which they do not want them to use,” and that the Library “does not have the right or responsibility to act in the place of the parent.”

updated 8/18/09