Meeting Room Policy
Purpose:
The Bowling Green Public Library, in response to the special needs of community residents meeting in groups, has provided a program area in the Library for public use on a requested basis. The ultimate goal of providing for public meeting space within or on Library grounds is that of: (1) providing for greater awareness of the Library in the community; (2) recognizing the available library materials, resources, and services both within the Library and without; and (3) promoting an awareness in the community that the Library is an active informational and educational service of the local government.
Library Conference Room (1st floor): This room provides chair seating for a maximum of 59 persons. For table seating this room will accommodate a suggested seating capacity of 28 persons.
Who May Use the Library Conference Room:
Any club or community group of persons meeting 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. Eligible groups include:
- Civic organizations
- Social clubs whose intent is educational or cultural in nature
- Academic classes or study groups
- Professional or honorary groups
- Organized school or academic groups which have a civic interest or goal
- Groups must be meeting for non-profit purposes; no product literature may be distributed.
All meetings are open to the public. The Library staff reserves the right to enter meeting rooms at any time.
Who May Not Use the Library Conference Room:
Any group which uses the Library (and including any of the above mentioned groups) may not use the Library conference room if for any reason they come under the following:
- Any group meeting for a profitable reason
- Family group 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
Requests for conference room use may be denied if the hours of use are unsatisfactory to 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.
No admission or attendance charge is to be made unless the Library is serving as a sponsor, and funds from the attendance are necessary and announced in advance in order to provide the necessary gratuities or matching funds required to produce the program.
Scheduling:
The Office Manager 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. Weekly or monthly meetings, which limit other groups using the facility, are prohibited.
The Office Manager will maintain an appointment record for all meetings scheduled for the Library facilities and advise the staff in regard to facility use. All scheduled meetings will be kept on a calendar for use by the entire staff.
In the event that weather conditions cause the Library to close, the Library will cancel use of the meeting room during the time that the Library is closed.
Hours of Use:
The Bowling Green Public Library is normally open Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., and Sunday 1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. No group will be allowed to use the building on a day or during times which the Library is not normally open.
Maintenance of the Facilities:
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. 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 not longer be allowed to use the facility.
No alcoholic beverages may be brought into the building. The Library is a smoke-free facility.
Special Note:
Library needs will take precedence over public use of the meeting areas, as library programming is an important aspect of the Library’s service to the community. The library director has the final authority on considering what groups may use the meeting room. The Board of Trustees reserves the right to cancel reservations and the groups will be notified of such cancellations. Appeals may be made in writing to the Board of Trustees for reconsideration by the Board and library director.
The fact that a group is permitted to meet in the library’s meeting room in no way constitutes an endorsement of the group’s objectives or beliefs by the Library employees or the Board of Trustees.
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