Meeting Room Use Policy

Meeting rooms are available to community and non-profit groups and organizations for purposes that are educational, philanthropic, cultural, or civic in nature. The use of the facilities shall be in accordance with the policies and procedures set by the Trustees of the Lunenburg Public Library. The Library Director has the authority to reject requests for use of the room under the established policy if the anticipated meeting is likely to be unreasonably disruptive to regular library functions, too large for the applicable room capacity, disorderly, dangerous to persons or property, or in any other way inconsistent with or in contravention of any of the terms and conditions of this policy.

Other than use of the quiet study rooms, the contact person must be over eighteen (18) years of age and have signed a Meeting Room Policy Form. The applicant or designee is responsible for the conduct of participants and for care of the room. Failure to comply will result in withdrawal of meeting room use privileges as well as responsibility for any resulting damages.

Reservations are on a first-come, first-serve basis. Use of meeting rooms for Library purposes shall take precedence over all other uses. Should the need arise, the Lunenburg Public Library reserves the right to preempt any scheduled meeting. The Library will make every effort to give advance notices of such preemption.

In allocating the use of meeting rooms, the Trustees of the Library and Library staff shall not discriminate on the basis of the political or religious beliefs of applicant groups, or on any other constitutionally or statutorily-prohibited basis. To promote the accessibility of the meeting rooms to a wide variety of community groups, the Library may limit meetings for any particular organization.

Permission to use a Library meeting room does not constitute or imply Library endorsement of the aims, policies or activities of any group or organization, or the views expressed in the meeting. Groups using Library meeting rooms must not use advertising and publicity which imply that their programs are sponsored, co-sponsored, endorsed or approved by the Library, unless written permission to do so has been previously given by the Library Director.

All meetings must be free of charge and open to the public. Any request for a donation or the sale of any items, with the exception of books written by a featured author, must be approved of by the Director.

Meeting rooms shall not be used for entrepreneurial or commercial purposes, for the solicitation of business, for profit or for fundraising other than fundraising that supports the Library, unless specifically permitted by the Director.

No group may consider the Library its permanent meeting place or use the Library as its mailing address.

All organizations or groups shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Lunenburg Public Library and the Town of Lunenburg, its officers, agents and employees from and against any and all claims, suits, actions of any kind, arising and resulting and accruing from any negligent act, omission or error of the organization or group resulting in or relating to personal injuries or property damage arising from the organization/group’s use of the Library meeting room. The Lunenburg Public Library Board of Trustees delegates to the Library Director or his/her designee the authority to develop and implement procedures which carry out the provisions of this policy. Exceptions to the policy may be granted only by the Lunenburg Public Library Board of Trustees or its delegate.

Meeting Room Use Considerations and Care

The Contact Person or the designee must be present at all times and is responsible for the conduct of all participants. The number of attendees shall be limited to the maximum capacity as determined by the Fire Chief: twelve (12) for the Sudolnik Conference Room; twenty-four (24) for the Story and Craft Room; and seventy-five (75) for the Wallace Community Room. No custodial services are provided in connection with the use of the meeting rooms, so they must be left as found. For events other than simple meetings, you will need to remove trash when you exit the building. Library building and grounds are smoke-free and no alcoholic beverages are allowed on town property. Meetings that take place in the Story and Craft Room or Quiet Study Rooms must conform to the scheduled operating hours. When using the Sudolnik Conference Room or Wallace Community Room, the Contact Person or designee is responsible for confirming that everyone has left, the lights are turned off, and the exterior door is locked upon exiting the building. Library equipment such as projectors, white board, and laptops are available for use. Please request in advance to reserve them. Outside equipment may be brought in if given prior approval by the Director. The group may set up or rearrange tables and chairs according to their requirements; however, they must be returned to their proper place when the event has been completed. Nothing may be nailed, tacked, or taped to walls or doors. The small kitchen next to the Wallace Community Room is available for use but you must request it be unlocked prior to the meeting. The kitchen provides access to a sink and a small refrigerator. Paper cups, plates, and other supplies must be provided by the organization and removed, as the library is unable to provide storage for any group. The Town of Lunenburg, the Trustees of the Library, and Library employees assume no responsibility for the loss, theft or damage of any property of any group, individual or organization using library facilities. Groups reserving meeting rooms assume full responsibility for providing and paying for special accommodations that are requested by participants in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

I hereby acknowledge that I have read and understand the above policy and requirements.

Name: _______________________________________________________

Date: __________________________

Adopted by the Library Board of Trustees in June 2018.