Public Distribution of Materials, Display, and Posting of Public Notices

Last Updated Date

 

 

 

 

CITY OF PALM DESERT

Subject

Public Distribution of Materials Policy

Policy No.

LIBR-011

Date

Issued: June27, 2024 Amended: N/A

Approved by

Resolution No. {2024-XX}

Authored by

Library Services

 

  1. PURPOSE

    1. This policy outlines the distribution of public materials policy for the Palm Desert Library.

  2. SCOPE

    1. The Palm Desert Library's display policy is to educate and inform the public about library services and community activities through controlled display spaces. It ensures that materials displayed are from educational, cultural, intellectual, or charitable organizations while excluding commercial, political, and private promotions. The policy maintains the library’s neutrality and operational control by outlining clear guidelines for the content, duration, and presentation of displayed materials.

  3. GENERAL POLICIES

    1. The Palm Desert Library may provide physical display space to educate and inform the public about library services and to promote other community services and activities. The term “display” is used collectively to include handouts, flyers, posters, and exhibit items. The Palm Desert Library does not advocate or endorse the viewpoints of exhibits or exhibitors using public forum locations.
    2. The library’s public information areas are open to organizations engaged in educational, cultural, intellectual, or charitable activities. This defined limitation allows civic, service, religious or community groups to use these areas to place materials that serve intellectual and cultural purposes and excludes all materials that solicit contributions or seek to sell goods and services. No political candidate or proposition materials, commercial promotions, or private events, such as yard sales, and “services provided,” are eligible for display.
    3. The materials in the public information areas are provided by groups within the community served by the library. Materials should be of a reasonable size for the display space available. The library reserves the right to refuse display materials that are awkward to display or take up disproportionate space. Staff routinely remove outdated materials.
    4. The library retains the option to prioritize use of public information areas to strictly “library-related” activities.
    5. Just as libraries do not endorse the viewpoints of those whose works are represented in their collections and public meeting room reservations, the library also does not endorse the beliefs or viewpoints on topics which may be the subject of information distributed through public information areas.
      1. Handouts, flyers, and posters are displayed no more than one month prior to the event and will be placed in the appropriate public forum location by library staff.
      2. All items must identify the group or person responsible for distribution and provide a contact address or telephone number.
      3. Posters, flyers, and pamphlets may be discarded by the library staff after 30 days. The library will relocate, rearrange, and remove materials as it chooses.
      4. The library does not store materials. Any items brought early must be redelivered within the display period.
      5. Active distribution, in which a person on site hands out materials, canvasses, solicits or petitions, is not allowed in the library.
      6. Items to be posted/distributed must not be in violation of any federal, state or local laws.
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