Oradell Free Public Library Communications Policy
Photographs, video, media relations, and social media are all tools that help communicate the mission of the Oradell Public Library. The Communications Policy supports organizational strategies to raise awareness of services and communicate an inspiring vision and the library’s story of impact.
The purpose of this policy is to establish standards for and responsibilities regarding the means by which we communicate about Oradell Public Library in a consistent and compelling voice. These standards ensure that Oradell Public Library is using media tools and methods that are compliant with existing policies and legal requirements.
Media Release
Programs, events, and classes are regularly photographed or videotaped for library promotional purposes. By participating in these events, you are giving consent that the Library can use/publish group photos for publication and/or distribution. In order to protect patrons’ privacy, Oradell Public Library may require the receipt of a patron-signed media release form before an individual’s identifiable image is used in Library publications, social media, and web sites.
Media Relations
With the intention of providing effective, responsive, and consistent communications to our community through news outlets, primary spokespersons for Oradell Public Library are the Library Director, the Youth Services Librarian, the Information Services Librarian, and/or President of the Library Board of Trustees.
Social Media
Oradell Public Library strives to use social media in advancing its organizational mission and goals. All official Oradell Public Library presences on social media sites or services are considered an extension of the organization’s information networks and are governed by the organization’s policies including e-mail, Internet usage, and computer policies; this policy applies to all types of online public communications.
Approved by the Library Board of Trustees – September 13, 2017
The purpose of this policy is to establish standards for and responsibilities regarding the means by which we communicate about Oradell Public Library in a consistent and compelling voice. These standards ensure that Oradell Public Library is using media tools and methods that are compliant with existing policies and legal requirements.
Media Release
Programs, events, and classes are regularly photographed or videotaped for library promotional purposes. By participating in these events, you are giving consent that the Library can use/publish group photos for publication and/or distribution. In order to protect patrons’ privacy, Oradell Public Library may require the receipt of a patron-signed media release form before an individual’s identifiable image is used in Library publications, social media, and web sites.
Media Relations
With the intention of providing effective, responsive, and consistent communications to our community through news outlets, primary spokespersons for Oradell Public Library are the Library Director, the Youth Services Librarian, the Information Services Librarian, and/or President of the Library Board of Trustees.
Social Media
Oradell Public Library strives to use social media in advancing its organizational mission and goals. All official Oradell Public Library presences on social media sites or services are considered an extension of the organization’s information networks and are governed by the organization’s policies including e-mail, Internet usage, and computer policies; this policy applies to all types of online public communications.
- Official use by Oradell Public Library of social media services is ultimately the responsibility of the Librarians. Only authorized agents are permitted to conduct official Oradell Public Library business using social media sites and tools.
- Library staff is responsible for complying with all applicable federal, state, and county laws, regulations, and policies. This includes adherence to established laws and policies regarding copyright, fair use, records retention, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), First Amendment, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), privacy laws and information security policies established by Oradell Public Library and the Borough of Oradell.
- Oradell Public Library reserves the right to withdraw certain posts and/or remove inappropriate comments that are not consistent with Oradell Public Library policies.
- Oradell Public Library will monitor all social media content and evaluate the effectiveness of the organization’s social media presence to ensure adherence to the Communications Policy for appropriate use, messaging and branding consistent with realizing the mission and vision of the Oradell Public Library.
- Social Media and Internet postings should not disclose any information that is confidential or proprietary to Oradell Public Library or to any third party that has disclosed information to the organization.
- Oradell Public Library Social Media and Internet postings should include Oradell Public Library logos or images.
- Library staff communicating with the public and/or posting content in any Oradell Public Library sanctioned social media presence will be clearly identifiable as a Oradell Public Library employee and abide by the same employee code of conduct applied to normal business operations.
- Staff members using social media are responsible for regularly reviewing and consistently following the Oradell Public Library Communications Policy.
- Oradell Public Library employees posting library and/or public sector industry related content on personal social media account(s) should neither claim nor imply that they are speaking on the organization’s behalf. In such instances that an employee is identifiable as a library staff member on their personal social media accounts, the staff member’s comments should include a disclaimer: "The views expressed are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of Oradell Public Library".
Approved by the Library Board of Trustees – September 13, 2017