Anti-Bullying Policy

This policy is an addition to the Lyme Public Library’s “Library Behavior Policy”.

The Lyme Public Library defines bullying as persistent, malicious, unwelcome, severe, and pervasive mistreatment that harms, attempts to intimidate, offends, degrades or humiliates whether verbally or physically. Bullying is considered to be any malicious or unwelcome actions that adversely impacts an employee’s ability to perform his/her duties or impacts a patron’s ability to freely use the library facility.

The Lyme Public Library Board of Directors and staff consider bullying unacceptable and will not tolerate it under any circumstances. In an effort to promote a non-hostile library environment for employees and patrons the following policy related to bullying has been adopted.

This policy shall apply to all employees, regardless of their employment status and any patrons using the library facilities either virtually or in person. Any employee found in violation of this policy will be disciplined, up to and including termination, and any individual targeting an employee or other patron who is found in violation of this policy will be asked to leave the library and may barred from further access to the facility as well as being subject to criminal investigation.

Bullying in this policy includes, but is not limited to the following guidelines:

• Stalking. Which includes physically following or invading another’s personal space, which the individual finds intimidating and unwelcome, and any other physical intimidation.
• Protesting or physically appearing at the library while the targeted employee or patron is present to intimidate them resulting in the employee or patron becoming physically or emotionally affected by the unwanted attention.
• Speaking to or making physical gestures about an employee or patron in a demeaning way while they are at the library.
• Having other staff, personal family members, or friends attempt to intimidate an employee or patron while at the library.
• Unreasonable interference with an employee or patron’s ability to do his/her work at the library
• Yelling at or using verbal abuse, derogatory remarks, insults, or epithets toward an employee or patron.
• Taking photographs, while in the library, of any library employee or library patron without their direct permission.

Early reporting and intervention have proven to be the most effective methods of resolving incidents of bullying. The Lyme Library Board of Directors encourages prompt reporting of incidents of bullying in order for constructive action to be taken. Individuals who believe that they have been subjected to bullying conduct while employed at the Lyme Library or patrons using the facility owe it to themselves and others to advise the offender that his or her behavior is unwelcome and request that the behavior immediately stop and then report the incident in a timely manner to members of the library staff or Board of Directors.

Voted on and adopted by the Lyme Library Board on May 25, 2022