Illinois Prairie District Public LibraryRegistered Sex Offender Policy I. StatementThe Board of Trustees, Administration and Staff of Illinois Prairie District Public Library acknowledge that registered sex offenders live within the communities that we serve.Public libraries are recognized as a community gathering place and a primary point for information of all kinds to be disseminated to the public. The Library acknowledges that the right to some level of access to a public library is constitutionally protected under the First Amendment right to receive information. To that end, all individuals are welcome in our library, provided that in doing so they do not violate the law or the The Library's Patron Code of Conduct. Like many other states, the State of Illinois enacted the “Sex Offender Registration Act” (730 ILCS 150/1, et seq.) which requires all persons adjudicated sexually dangerous who are later released, or found to be no longer sexually dangerous and discharged, to register with proper local law enforcement authorities so that their whereabouts are known by these authorities. The “Sex Offender Registration Act” also prohibits child sex offenders from residing within 500 feet of a school, park, playground or other facility providing services exclusively to persons under the age of 18. As public libraries do not provide services exclusively to persons under the age of 18, registered sex offenders in Illinois can be or reside within 500 feet of a public library.
II. Areas of Access Within Illinois Prairie District Public Library
Whenever a registered sex offender wishes to enter the library facility, they need to be aware of the following limitations with regard to where they can go, and what they can take part in while on library property.Registered sex offenders may not:
Loiter or linger outdoors on library property
Loiter or linger in entryways or any other common areas of the library
Be present in any areas of the library facility that are primarily for the use of minors, including but not limited to the Children's Department as a whole, and any story time room or room being used for children’s programming.
•Attend library programming whose audience can be reasonably expected to contain minors
Registered sex offenders may:
- Visit library collection areas intended for adults
- Use a public computer
Request and receive quality adult reference service, place holds on library materials,check out materials with a library card in good standing, and otherwise receive accessto library information
Attend library programming intended exclusively for adults
If a registered sex offender who is the parent or legal guardian of a minor child (with proper
documentation of this), a registered sex offender may accompany that child into areas of a library
facility that are primarily for the use of minors, into programs intended for minors, etc. so long as
abuse is not suspected and the minor remains with the registered sex offender the entire time.
III. Expectations of Illinois Prairie District Public Library Staff
With regard to staff knowledge of use of public library facilities by registered sex offenders, staff
are not expected to regularly review the registered sex offender database. However, library staff
may know that an individual is a registered sex offender because the individual self-identifies,
law enforcement has provided identification, or staff may have independent personal knowledge.
In such cases, the director or person-in-charge should be notified and should advise the sex
offender of the Registered Sex Offender Policy.
If another patron advises staff that a registered sex offender is on the premises, the patron will be
allowed to point out the individual and, if possible, provide the name of the alleged sex offender.
The director, or person-in-charge will then review the sex offender database, and if the individual
is listed the director or person-in-charge will advise them of the Registered Sex Offender Policy.
If the name of the purported sex offender cannot be obtained, or the fact that the individual is a
registered sex offender cannot be confirmed, the individual will not be approached and the
governance of the Registered Sex Offender Policy will suffice.
Adopted: March 11, 2025