Emergency Closing Policy

Emergency Closing Policy

Purpose:                                    

The purpose of the Emergency Closing Policy of the Poynette Area Public Library (PAPL) is to provide guidance when the Library is closing earlier than scheduled hours for inclement weather or other emergency public safety reasons.

Authority:

The Board of Trustees of the Poynette Area Public Library designates the Poynette Library Director as the responsible party for assessing the severity of weather conditions with the aid of the PAPL Board of Trustees, media weather reports, Poynette Public Safety officials, Poynette Police Department, or other emergency management officials as necessary to determine when the library should conduct an emergency closing.

Criteria:

  • When the Poynette Area Public School District closes due to inclement weather, the Poynette Area Public Library will close.
  • The Director will consider the well-being of the PAPL staff currently at the library and those scheduled to arrive for their scheduled work time with respect to road conditions or other natural phenomena (e.g. tornado, flooding, road closures, snow accumulations, icy roads, etc.) to determine when it is safe for staff to depart from or travel to the library.
  • The Director will determine when the Library may be used as a safe haven (e.g. tornado) at which time the Library Staff and Patrons already inside the building may remain to seek emergency shelter.
  • The request to close may be initiated by local Law Enforcement or Emergency Management authorities. The request to close by responsible members of these agencies will carry weight in the Director's decision process. 
  • The Director will provide timely notification and obtain at least one confirmed response from a member of the PAPL Board of Trustees for each closure.
  • The Director will contact SCLS, update the Library website and calendar, send a mass email notification, and update Facebook as appropriate.
  • The Director will have a poster placed at the entrances of the Library indicating that the Library is closed and indicating when the Library is expected to re-open, as appropriate.

Library Director Designee

  • Prior to the Director taking vacation/ leave, an emergency response Director-designee will be appointed. The Director-designee will implement this policy on behalf of the Director.
  • The Director-designee will be the Librarian on Duty.
  • When executing this policy, the Director-designee will obtain real-time approval of at least one member of the Board of Trustees to execute the emergency closure, as appropriate.

Emergency Closure Procedure

The Library Director will create and maintain an emergency closing procedure for the Library.

Extended Closures

Unusual circumstances causing an extended closure (longer than 72 hours) will be handled at the discretion of the Director in consultation with the Board President.  Library employees may be encouraged to work remotely, if it is appropriate for their position.  See Appendix A:  PAPL Remote Work / Return to Work Library Re-Opening Plan.

Compensation

Library employees who report to work but are then sent home or receive notice before their shift starts, due to the emergency closing, shall receive regular pay as if they had worked their scheduled shift.