Guardians' Responsibilities for Youths

The Library uses guardian to refer to a parent, guardian, child care provider or other person who is 18 years of age or older and who is generally responsible for the youth or specifically responsible for the youth while s/he is in The Library. The Library uses youth to refer to any person under 18 years of age: the New Jersey Statutes Annotated uses both child and infant for any person under 18 years of age.

Responsibility for a youth using the library rests with the guardian, not with Library personnel. The staff cannot know if a youth is with a guardian, friends or strangers. Any youth who is unable to care for him/herself and who is left in the library without a guardian for any period of time and/or who is not picked up at closing time is considered abandoned by The Library as set forth in New Jersey Statutes Annotated 9:6-1.

Guardians are also responsible for injury or destruction caused by youths, as set forth in New Jersey Statutes Annotated 2A:53A.