While the library occasionally presents educational programs that feature animals, members of the public may only enter the library with an animal if it is a service animal that requires accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Under the ADA, a service animal is one that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability. The animal must be trained to take a specific action to assist the person with a disability, and the task(s) performed must be directly related to the disability.
Emotional support, therapy, comfort, or companion animals which have not been trained to perform a specific job or task do not qualify as service animals under the ADA.
If it is not obvious that an animal brought into the library is a service animal, a staff member may ask the following questions:
Is the animal a service animal required because of a disability?
What specific work or task has the animal been trained to perform?
