Meeting Room Policy

• Community Meeting Room (Upper Level):  This room provides chair seating for a maximum of 48 persons. For table seating this room will accommodate a suggested seating capacity of 28 persons.
• Study Rooms (Lower Level):  These rooms provide chair seating for a maximum of 4 persons each.  Only table seating is provided.

Who May Use the Library Community Meeting Room:

• Any club or community group of persons, not meeting on a regular basis, but meeting otherwise for non-profit purposes, may request and be assigned use of Library facilities, provided the proper request has been made and recorded with the designated Library staff member.

Who May Not Use the Community Meeting Room:

• Any group meeting for a profitable reason. (Exceptions: training materials may be purchased at cost, and the selling of books, media and CDs by an author/speaker is permitted.)
• Family groups meeting for family or personal reasons, such as family reunion, wedding, reception, etc.
• Any group which has proven unsatisfactory for any reason during prior use.
• Any group meeting on a regular basis (weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc.) except for library-based groups or those holding a library-related function.

Other General Rules Governing Meeting Room Use:   

• The Library is a public forum, and as such is content neutral.  A library cannot decide who to allow to use its meeting rooms and facilities on the basis of the content of the user’s speech.  The library in no way endorses or opposes the point of view of any speaker, but simply remains neutral on the content spoken. 
• Any group that requests use of the Library’s meeting rooms and facilities must sign a statement agreeing to the terms of this policy.  (Appendix A of this Policy).
• All meetings are open to the public. Any meeting held by a group in the Library’s Community Meeting Room must be open to the public and cannot be limited to the group’s membership only.
• The Library staff reserve the right to enter meeting rooms at any time.
• Groups requiring multimedia equipment should supply their own equipment as needed, or schedule equipment from the Library provided said equipment is not already scheduled for another group.  When planning to use equipment, groups must observe the Library’s equipment usage procedures, and must secure a library card for the group in advance of using Library equipment.
• Groups are responsible for their own room setup and take down.  
• Access is at all times subject to reasonable time, place and manner restrictions.  Requests for meeting room use may be denied if the hours of use are incompatible with the planned operating hours of the Library or if the noise from the activity planned would disturb the normal library operations and use by Library customers. 
• Requests may be denied or cancelled if the Library will be using the meeting rooms.  Library programming will always have precedence, and the library will provide adequate notification (at least one week) in the unlikely event that library programming should require cancellation of a prior meeting room reservation.
• No admission or attendance charge is permitted, including “donations.” The Library cannot act as a sponsor for or approve any events held in the Community Meeting Room that will bring in any revenue for another organization.

Scheduling:
In addition to library-themed events and library-based groups, the library will also give priority to other county departments, the county government, and the Board of County Commissioners for use of the Community Meeting Room.  In Saluda, the Saluda City government will also have priority.

No group may use the library meeting room as a permanent meeting place or mailing address. The meeting rooms may be requested up to two (2) months in advance.

The Reference and Adult Services Librarian or designated person on the Library staff will be responsible for confirming and scheduling any room request. Each room reservation must be complete, giving the date, time, and name of the person responsible for the Library facilities during the time the group is meeting. 

Priority will be given on a first-come, first-served basis.  No group may request regular scheduling on a monthly, quarterly, annual, or other regular basis unless theirs is a library function or they are a library-based group. Weekly meetings which limit other groups using the facility are not permitted.

Review of scheduling patterns will be completed by library staff on an annual, calendar year basis. If conflicts develop or are apparent during the review, Library staff will use discretion in creating a democratic basis for alternating groups. Rotation may be required on a yearly basis to assure fair treatment for all.

The Reference and Adult Services Librarian or designated Library staff member will maintain an appointment record for all meetings scheduled for the Library facilities and advise the staff in regard to facility use. The Director of Public Services will keep all scheduled meetings on a calendar for use by the entire staff. Staff members should remain aware daily of all meetings in the building.

In the event that weather conditions cause the Library to close, the Library reserves the right to cancel use of the meeting room during the time that the Library is closed.

Availability
The Main Library is normally open Tuesday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m., Friday, 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m., and Saturday, 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m
., and the Saluda Library is normally open Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.   However, groups will be allowed to use both meeting rooms on days or evenings when the Libraries are not normally open.  At those times, the rest of the building will be locked but the Community Meeting Room /Rest Room block will be key accessible to scheduled groups. Meetings held at night must wrap up at a reasonable hour, so that the meeting room is completely picked up and the entire facility is locked and vacated no later than 10:00 p .m..  Under special circumstances, prior written approval may be obtained from the library for a group to stay later than 10:00 p .m.

Only persons participating in the specific meeting being held at the scheduled time may enter the Community Meeting Room block of the Library after hours. 
A leader of the group using the Community Meeting Room after hours will be designated as the responsible person to pick up the key prior to the meeting from Library staff, coordinate cleanup of the room after the meeting, turn off lights, assure that all doors are locked, report any problems or damage, and return the key to the Library on the next day the Library is open. 
 
Room Use:
The group using the Library will be responsible for setup and cleanup of the meeting facility for normal use. Each group should return the room to its original setup after using it. The posted room capacity must be observed.
There are three established layouts for use of the meeting room:

• theatre seating
• work group seating; and
• open space with a single table.

Groups using library facilities are responsible for restitution for any damage to the room or its equipment due to misuse, carelessness, or vandalism. Any group which does not properly maintain the library meeting room facility will no longer be allowed to use the facility.

Refreshments:
Since there is no oven or microwave in the Community Meeting Room’s kitchenette, food will be limited to light refreshments.  Users are responsible for removing debris from tables and floors, and cleaning up spills. 
A deposit of $20, representing the equivalent of one hour of janitorial service, must be provided to the Library by all groups planning to serve refreshments.  This deposit will be refunded if the group leaves the meeting room in the same clean condition they found it.  The deposit will be left “in escrow” for groups scheduling more than one meeting.

Alcohol and Smoking Prohibitions: 
No alcoholic beverages may be brought onto the Library property or parking lot or into the Library building.  The Library is a smoke-free facility, including the property and parking lot. 

Publicizing Your Program:
When using posters and other publicity, groups using the Library’s Community Meeting Room must not give the public the impression that the program is sponsored or approved by the Polk County Public Library.

Policy prepared by the Polk County Public Library Director and staff and approved by the Library Board of Trustees, July 20, 2006.
Last Updated:  January 25, 2007 

Appendix A:
Polk County Library Meeting Room Use Agreement
Name of Group______________________________________
Name of Person Responsible__________________________Phone__________
Address____________________________________________
Purpose of Meeting___________________________________
Date_______________Start Time__________End Time______
Number of Persons Attending___________________________
Will You Need (Setup Is Your Responsibility): 
Chairs________     Tables________
                    (number)      (number)
AV Equipment (list)______________________________
                       
My meeting is within the guidelines of the Library’s Meeting Room Policy and I agree to the conditions as described in the
Policy.
Signature_____________________________Date__________