Hurt/Battelle Memorial Library
of West Jefferson
The Library's facilities are open to organizations engaged in educational, cultural, intellectual, or charitable activities, and to individuals for family related activities.
The following rules and regulations must be observed by all users:
- The use of illegal drugs, alcoholic beverages and smoking are strictly prohibited on Library premises. Any organization using the meeting room MAY NOT charge an admission fee to participants. Meeting room is for nonprofit use only.
- The meeting room should be booked by a responsible adult (21 or older). This person shall assume full responsibility for any injury or damage to library property, building, furnishings or equipment that results from their use of the facility. In addition, this person is responsible for seeing that the room and/or kitchen facilities, parking area and grounds are returned to their original condition.
The Board of Trustees reserve the right to assess a fee if the above conditions are not met. Violation of these rules will preclude further use of the meeting room.
- A fee of $25.00 per day for the use of the meeting room and $10.00 per day for the use of the kitchen will be assessed when applicable.
- Persons using the meeting room will not be granted access to the main library, staff rooms, or maintenance rooms. The key to the rear entrance of the meeting room may be obtained from the Librarian in charge by a responsible adult.
- Patrons must enter and exit the building through the rear entrance of the meeting room only. Entering or exiting the Library through any other doors to the outside will set off the burglar alarm and the Police will automatically be called.
- After locking the meeting room door following use, the key is to be returned through the book drop located to the right of the front entrance doors.
- Meetings or events may be scheduled seven (7) days a week between the hours of 10:00 A.M. and 12:00 midnight if available. Access to the meeting room prior to the starting time of the event may be arranged with the Librarian in charge. Library activities always take precedence in the use of the Library facilities.
*See "Meeting Rooms: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights" FACILITY POLICIES Appendix 1.
Appendix 1
Meeting Rooms: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights
Many libraries provide meeting rooms for individuals and groups as part of a program of service. Article six of the LIBRARY BILL OF RIGHTS states that such facilities should be made available to the public served by the given library "on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting their use."
Libraries maintaining meeting room facilities should develop and publish policy statements governing use. These statements can properly define time, place, and manner of use; such qualifications should not pertain to the content of the meeting or to the beliefs or affiliations of the sponsors. These statements should be made available in any commonly used language within the community served.
If meeting rooms in libraries supported by public funds are made available to the general public for non–library–sponsored events, the library may not exclude any group based on the subject matter to be discussed or based on the ideas that the group advocates. For example, if a library allows charities and sports clubs to discuss their activities in library meeting rooms, then the library should not exclude partisan political or religious groups from discussing their activities in the same facilities. If a library opens its meeting rooms to a wide variety of civic organizations, then the library may not deny access to a religious organization. Libraries may wish to post a permanent notice near the meeting room stating that the library does not advocate or endorse the viewpoints of meetings or meeting room users.
Written policies for meeting room use should be stated in inclusive rather than exclusive terms. For example, a policy that the library's facilities are open "to organizations engaged in educational, cultural, intellectual, or charitable activities" is an inclusive statement of the limited uses to which the facilities may be put. This defined limitation would permit religious groups to use the facilities because they engage in intellectual activities, but would exclude commercial uses of the facility.
A publicly supported library may limit use of its meeting rooms to strictly "library–related" activities, provided that the limitation is clearly circumscribed and is viewpoint–neutral.
Written policies may include limitations on frequency of use, and whether or not meetings held in library meeting rooms must be open to the public. If state and local laws permit private as well as public sessions of meetings in libraries, libraries may choose to offer both options. The same standard should be applicable to all.
If meetings are open to the public, libraries should include in their meeting room policy statement a section which addresses admission fees. If admission fees are permitted, libraries shall seek to make it possible that these fees do not limit access to individuals who may be unable to pay, but who wish to attend the meeting. Article five of the LIBRARY BILL OF RIGHT states that a "person's right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views." It is inconsistent with Article 5 to restrict indirectly access to library meeting rooms based on an individual's or a group's ability to pay for that access.
Adopted July 2, 1991, by the ALA Council.
