Meeting Room Policy

General Guidelines

1.  Priority use.  The Johnson City Library sponsored events will have precedence in the scheduling of the Meeting Room.  The Johnson City Woman's Civic Club has next priority use.

2.  Permitted use.  The Meeting Room of the Johnson City Library is designed to meet general informational, educational, cultural and civic needs including activities such as discussion groups, panels, lectures, meetings, conferences, seminars, exhibits, displays, children's programming,films etc.

3  Reservation for use.  Reservations will be made no more than three months in advance of the scheduled event.  Meeting Room use will normally be scheduled for use when Library staff is available.  Reservations for after-hours use require special permission from the Library Director on the reservation form.  After hours use is permitted no later than 10:00 p.m.

4.  Room set-up/take down.  Groups using the Meeting Room will be responsible for their own set-up and will be required to return the Meeting Room to the condition they found it.  Set up and take down time must be included in the scheduled meeting room time.

5.  Admissions or charges.  There shall not be any admission charged for events held in the Meeting Room.  Commercial use of the Meeting Room, for a business to promote its products or services, is allowed.  The booking organization will determine, if its meeting is open to the general public or closed to the general public.

6.  Restrictions.  The Meeting Room shall not be used for the following purposes:

     a.  Social gatherings such as showers, birthday parties, weddings, etc.

     b.  Religious services

     c.  Political endeavors

     d.  Activities or functions that disrupt the normal function of the Library due to sound, crowd size, or other factors.

     e.  Other activities deemed inappropriate by the Library Board.

7.  Endorsement.  Use of the Library Me3eting Room does not constitute Library endorsement of viewpoints expressed in meeting room events.  Advertisements or announcements implying such endorsements are expressly prohibited.  Signage or literature concerning an event in the Meeting Room can only be posted or distributed in the Library with the Library Director's permission.

8.  Prohibited.  Smoking, tobacco products, candles, and alcoholic beverages are expressly prohibited on Library property.  Requests for food or drink in the Meeting Room must be approved by the Library Director.

9.  Availability.  The Meeting Room is closed on Sundays and official Library designated holidays.

Reservations

Reservation applications will be honored on a first-come, first-serve basis.  Requests for reservations will not be scheduled until an application has been received.  A completed reservation form must be on file at least 48 hours prior tot he meeting.  Reservation forms are available upon request.

1.  Reservation forms.  The reservation form must be filled out and submitted in person.  One reservation form per meeting date - no single form for multiple meetings.  reservation forms are not required for Library or Library related groups, or the Johnson City Woman's Civic Club.

2.  Advance notice.  Reservations accepted up to 3 months in advance only.  Only one reservation may be submitted at a time.

3.  Fair access.  To provide fair access tot he Meeting Room for all groups, an organization, individual, or business may reserve meeting space only once a month.  Library or Library related groups are excluded from this restriction.

4.  Cancellation.  It is the responsibility of the group representative to notify the Library of a cancellation as soon as possible. After 30 minutes, a group forfeits its reservation if ti fails to appear as scheduled.

Care and Use of the Johnson City Library Meeting Room

The Meeting Room has a maximum capacity of 100 individuals, however, there is comfortable seating for sixty at tables.  There are 60 folding chairs, 8 (1 1/2 ft x 6 ft) folding tables, 2 (30 inch x 6 ft) folding tabvles, a pull-down projection screen, and a large dry-erase board on the wall in the Meeting Room.  No audio/visual or computer equipment is available.

1.  Set-up and take-down.  Groups must include time for set-up and take-down in their reservation time.  Set-up and take-down includes furniture arrangement, cleaning, and taking out the trash.  If the Meeting Room furniture was in a particular arrangement prior to a group's use, it must be returned to that original arrangement.

2.  Meeting Room Furniture & Equipment.  Furniture and equipment fromo the main area of the Library may not be brought into the Meeting Room.  Neither may the Meeting Room furniture or equipment be removed.  Personal furniture or equipment may be brought by a group with prior approval by the Libray Director.  Arrangements for the use of personal furniture or equipment should be made at the time of reservation.

3.  Walls.  No nails, tacks, tape, staples, adhesives, or holes of any kind are to be put in or on the walls.  Nothing may be attached to the wallsw at all.  Resulting damage and repair will be charges tot eh group or organization responsible.

4.  Storage.  Equipment, supplies, or personal effects cannot be stored or left in the Liibrary Meeting Room prior or after use.  The Library shall not be responsible for materials, equipment, supplies, or personal effects of those using the Meeting Room.

5.  Safety.  Attendance at meetings shall be limited t the capacity of the Meeting room (100 individuals)).  Exits shall be unlocked and unblocked and open asiles must be maintained in seating arrangements to allow clear access to room exits.

6.  Food and Beverage.  The Meeting Room has a simple kitchen.  No cooking is allowed in the Meeting Room kitchen.  Light refreshments such as coffee, sodas or bottled drinks, pastries, cookies, or other finger food items, or sack lunches are allowed with prior approval of the Library Director.  Paper goods, cups, napkins, condiments, etc., are not provided by the Library.  Simple cleaning supplies will be available in the kitchen.  All trash must be removed by the group and placed in the trash cans at the rear of the Library building.

7.  Securing meeting room.  It is the responsibility of the group to secure the Library Meeting Room space according to the instruction of of the Library Staff.  This is particularly important, if the meeting occurs after library hours.  In addition, the Library Director or her designee shall have the authority to end meetings and close the Meeting Room as deemed necessary to protect the health, safety and welfare of individuals and property, and to maintain proper use of the Library facilities.

8.  Damages, losses, etc.  The individual making the reservation, as well as the membership of the whole group, will be held responsible for any and all damages or losses that occur as a result of use of Library meeting space and use of the attached kitchen or bathrooms.  Further fees can be charged t the organization or group, or the responsible individual, as appropriate.

Denial of Use

Meeting Room use by outside groups may be denied based on failure of a group to comply with meeting room policies.  Use will be denied to any group or organization deemed to present a threat to Library staff or property.  The Library reserves the right to deny use for any activites it deems inappropriate.

Special permissions

Upon review of the Library Director, non-conforming meetings may be granted special permission.

Charges

Organizations, groups or business reserving the Meeting Room will be charge accordingly:

          Charges For Meeting Room:

          Individuals/Nonprofits:   $10.00

          Business/Commerical:  $100.00 for up to 4 ours; $25.00 for each additional hour