Management: Policies
Policies are a pain to write and maintain, but they are essential for a smooth running school, library, or website.
Rather than building all new policies, see how your website issues might be addressed using current center policies. For example, you already have a collection development policy. How do web resources fit into this policy? An appendix or the addition of a sentence may be all that you need.
Some people may ask, why bother? It's the same reason you build your house to withstand an earthquake. Be prepared for the worst. In the case of a website, the worst might be a challenge to website content.
Collection Development Policy
Like the books you select, the web resources you choose should meet the guidelines established in your collection development policy. For example, if you're working with young children, you'll want to consider readability and developmentally appropriate materials.
Read the off-site article To Link or Not to Link by Joyce Latham in The Library Journal. She discusses the importance of a web selection policy.
Acceptable Use Policy
You need a policy related to acceptable use of your school or library computers. Although you might start out by quoting the ALA policy on freedom of information, you may also describe the individual's responsibility. Some schools and libraries use filters. A policy should state how these filters are used.
Licensing Policy
Many of your electronic materials have specific licensing guidelines. In other words, some subscription services must be used on library or school computers. In some cases, a password may be given to local users only. Be sure to check your subscription agreement before you open a resource to the general public.
If your policies require you to restrict access, read the links at the Remote User Authentication in Libraries.
Content Disclaimer
No matter how often you update your website, there will always be broken links and links you are unable to control. Your disclaimer should clearly state that you are responsible for the content created by your library or school, but not the external links. Always provide an email link, so people can email you broken links or content concerns.