Library and Museums Byelaws
Rotherham Library and Museums Byelaws made under Section 19 of the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 by the Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses of the County Borough of Rotherham acting by the Council.
1. In these Byelaws, unless the context otherwise - requires:
(a) "the Act" means the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964:
(b) "the Museum Authority" means the Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses of the County Borough of Rotherham;
(c) "museum" means any museum, art gallery or period house maintained by the Museum Authority under the Act and includes a vehicle when being used for purposes connected therewith;
(d) "the Curator" means the person appointed by the Museum Authority to be the curator, director or keeper of the museum or any other person authorised by the Museum Authority to act on his behalf;
(e) "museum officer" means the Curator or any other person, employed by the Museum Authority for the purposes of its functions. under the Act;:
(f) "exhibit" means any object forming part of the collection kept at the museum for purposes of exhibition to the public and includes any object for the time being shown, stored, or exhibited thereafter.
2. An act necessary for the proper execution of his duty by a museum officer shall not be deemed to be a contravention of these byelaws.
3. A person shall not give a false name or address for the purpose of entering any part of the museum or for the purpose of using any facilities provided in connection therewith.
4. A person who is offensively - unclean in person or in-dress, or who is suffering from an offensive disease, shall not enter or use the museum.
5. Except with the consent of a museum officer, a person shall not:—
(a) cause or allow any dog (other than a guide—dog accompanying a blind person) or other animal belonging to him or under his control to enter or remain in the museum; or
(b) bring into any part of the museum a wheeled vehicle or conveyance (other than an invalid chair).
6. A person shall not, after a warning by a museum officer, remain in the museum after the time fixed for its closing.
7. A person shall not, unless duly authorised, take from the museum
either:
(a) any exhibit; or
(b) any catalogue or other publication or any tape player or other equipment the use of which has been allowed to him by the Museum Authority.
8. A person shall not handle or touch any exhibit unless authorised so to do by a museum officer or by the Museum Authority by notice in writing.
9. A person shall not carelessly or negligently soil, tear, cut, deface, damage, injure, or destroy any exhibit or the furniture, fittings or other contents of. the museum.
10. (1) A person having the charge or possession of any exhibit which the Museum Authority is entitled to have returned to it shall deliver it up to the Curator within fourteen days of the service upon him by that Authority of a notice requiring him so to do.
(2) For the purposes of this byelaw, a notice may be served upon any person by delivering it to him, or by leaving it at his usual or last known place of residence, or by sending it by registered post or recorded delivery service addressed to Him at that place.
11. A person shall not behave in a disorderly manner in the museum or use violent, abusive or obscene language therein.
12. A person shall not spit in the museum.
13. A person shall not, after a warning by a: museum officer, persist in sleeping in the museum.
14. A person shall not wilfully obstruct any museum officer in the execution of his duty or wilfully disturb, obstruct, interrupt or annoy any other person in the proper use of the museum.
15. Except with the consent of a museum officer, a person shall not display, distribute, affix or post any bill, placard or notice in, to or upon any part of the museum.
16. A person shall not, without the consent of a museum officer, offer anything for sale in the museum.
17. A person shall not lie on the furniture or fittings of the museum or on the floor thereof except, with the consent of a museum officer, on the floor of any part of the museum for the time being set apart for the use of children.
18. A person shall not smoke or strike a light in any part of the museum set apart from the use of the public, except in any part thereof in which the Curator for the time being allows smoking.
19. A person shall not partake of refreshments in any part of the museum set apart for the use of the public except in any part thereof in which the Curator for the time being allows the partaking of refreshments.
20. Except with the consent of a museum officer, a person shall not cause or allow any apparatus for the reception of sound or television broadcasting or for the reproduction of sound to be operated in any part of the museum set apart for the use of the public.
21. Every person who shall offend against any of the foregoing byelaws - shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding the sum of £20, and in the case of a continuing offence a further fine not exceeding the sum of £2 for each day during which the offence continues after conviction therefor,
22. Every person who, within the view of a museum officer, contravenes any of the foregoing byelaws may be excluded or removed from the museum by such officer if:
(a) his mame and address are unknown to and cannot readily be ascertained by the officer; or
(b) from the nature of the contravention or from any other fact of which the officer may have knowledge or be credibly informed there is reasonable ground for belief that his continuance in the museum may result in another contravention of the byelaws or that his exclusion or removal from the museum is otherwise necessary for the proper use and regulation thereof.
23. On the coming into operation of these byelaws, the byelaws relating to the museum which were made by the Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses of the County Borough of Rotherham on the fourth day of August, 1967 and were confirmed by the Secretary of State for Education and Science on the Sixteenth day of October, 1967 shall be revoked.
GIVEN under the Common Seal of the Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses of the County Borough of Rotherham this day of 197
The Common Seal of the Mayor Aldermen and Burgesses of the County Borough of Rotherham was hereunto affixed in the presence of:
L. Frost,
Town Clerk
Confirmed under the Official Seal of the Secretary of State for Education and Science on:
Authorised under Section 3 of the Education Act, 1944.