Customer Service

As the library is a place that may be well known in your community for providing excellent services to children and families, you may find yourself dealing with the issue of unattended children in the library. While older teens are perfectly capable of being on their own in public spaces, it is important that your library has a clear policy that addresses at what age younger children may be at the library and/or alone in the youth services area, without adult supervision. Some libraries require adult supervision for any child under a certain age, while others may only require someone older than 13. Be sure to check on any state laws regarding ages of unaccompanied minors. Other libraries don’t mind having unattended children during specific times, for example when school lets out and all elementary and middle schoolers come to the library to wait for their parents to pick them up. Whatever the case may be, having a policy in place before this becomes a big issue is a good way to make sure that all young children are safe, especially as library staff are unable to keep a constant eye on them.