Berlin Free Town Library
Employee Code of Conduct
Customer service is a top priority of the Library. All Library patrons will be treated promptly and respectfully without regard to age, gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, disability, language proficiency, social or economic status, or any other federally protected classification.
1. Staff members are responsible for providing the best customer service possible and are empowered to make decisions that will ensure the best experience for each patron while balancing the needs of the individual with the overall needs of Library customers throughout the Library district.
2. When answering the phone, Library employees will speak in a professional manner and will identify themselves to the callers. If the callers are attempting to contact a person who is not available, the employees will ask if they would like to leave a message.
3. Staff will assist customers on a first-come, first-served basis to the extent possible without infringing on the service needs of other patrons.
4. Staff members will enable successful Library use by assisting patrons with the Library’s resources and equipment.
5. In cases where the Library’s resources are not sufficient to meet a patron’s needs, staff will offer interlibrary loan service or refer patrons to other libraries with more appropriate collections. Whenever possible, staff will contact the agency to which a patron is being referred to insure that the information, material, or equipment needed is available.
6. A patron with complaints about the service received or about Library policy shall be referred to the senior staff on duty at the time or to the Library Director. (See “Complaint Policy.”)
7. All employees shall dress and conduct themselves in a professional manner when working at the Library and while interacting with all age groups.
8. Smoking and use of e-cigarettes/vaping are not permitted anywhere within 100 feet of BFTL (law).
9. Only Library staff, trustees, or volunteers shall be allowed behind the circulation desk unless others have been granted permission by the Director to do so.
10. Staff are expected to complete all of their duties during their shift. If they are unable to complete something, they will be asked to leave a note for the next staff member to finish.
11. Inappropriate behavior or contact with minors is prohibited.
12. Library business takes precedence over personal visiting and social interactions during the time that an employee is scheduled to work.
13. All staff members are required to work their scheduled shifts at the Library. If a situation arises in which the staff member is unable to come to work when they are scheduled, it is their responsibility to notify the Library Director as soon as possible. If staff members do not show up for their scheduled shift without notice, a call will be made to their residence and cellular phone. If employees do not come in to work for their scheduled shift, they will be given a single verbal warning. If this situation happens again, employees will be given a written notice of their insubordination that will then be placed in their personnel file. The Berlin Free Town Library Board of Trustees will be notified, and their employment may be terminated.