Pierce County Library System
Information & Imagination

About Us

Social Media

Facebook  LinkedIn YouTube

Twitter  Instagram

Policy Statement

Pierce County Library System (PCLS) creates and manages accounts on a variety of social media sites to offer welcoming, inviting, and useful information about PCLS and its services and offer the public an online space to engage about PCLS offerings and related topics. Individuals accessing, posting, or commenting on PCLS social media accept the terms of this policy.

Purpose

This policy ensures the proper use of PCLS’s social media by library staff and the public. PCLS’s use of social media is for the purpose of facilitating the sharing of ideas, opinions and information about library-related subjects and issues.

Definitions

Social media is defined as websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking.

Policy

PCLS’s social media constitutes a limited public forum. PCLS monitors its social media and reserves the right to moderate, edit, delete, move, restrict, close, or remove any content that is deemed to violate PCLS policy or applicable law without warning or explanation. PCLS may edit or delete posts, comments, or links that contain any of the following:

• Comments not topically related to the subject being commented upon.
• Obscene or profane content.
• Personal attacks and name-calling.
• Content that promotes, fosters, or perpetuates discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, age, religion, gender, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, and/or disability.
• Sexual content or links to sexual content.
• Conduct or encouragement of illegal activity.
• Threats.
• Information that may compromise the safety of the public or public systems.
• Content that violates the privacy policies or terms of use of the social media platform.
• Spam and multiple disruptive or repetitive messages.
• Commercial materials, advertising, chain letters, pyramid schemes, or solicitations.
• Possible copyright violations.
• Posting or requesting personal information such as last name, age, phone number, address.
• Falsely stating or otherwise misrepresenting an affiliation with a person or entity.
• Support for or opposition to political campaigns or ballot measures (see RCW 42.17A.555).
• Any activity prohibited by law not otherwise mentioned above.

All PCLS social media sites are managed centrally by the Marketing and Communications Department. PCLS’s Social Media Team is responsible for generating content for PCLS’s social media sites. All social media posts and comments are public records. The public is strongly encouraged to protect their privacy when commenting or posting. Individual staff may not post to PCLS social media speaking as a PCLS employee without authorization from PCLS’s Marketing and Communications Department.

Communications to PCLS on social media do not constitute official notice to PCLS or any PCLS personnel. Public record requests may not be made through PCLS social media. PCLS is not responsible for the content that appears on outside links and provides links as a convenience only. Opinions expressed on PCLS social media do not reflect the opinions of PCLS. All information and materials generated by PCLS and provided on PCLS social media are the property of PCLS and PCLS retains copyright on all text, graphic images, and other content produced by PCLS and found on PCLS’s social media. Commercial use of PCLS text, logos, photos, or other graphics is prohibited without written permission from PCLS.

Associated Policies

Board Policy on Employee Use of Library Equipment

Adopted January 30, 2018.  Updated January 2019.  Reviewed February 2020.  Reviewed February 2021.  Reviewed February 2022.