Meeting Room Policy
General Information
The Board of Trustees allows the use of meeting rooms for civic, educational, philanthropic, and recreational purposes having a substantial connection to the Gardner community. In allocating the use of meeting rooms, the Board of Trustees and Library Director will not discriminate on the basis of the political or religious beliefs of applicant groups, or on any other constitutionally or statutorily prohibited basis. However, the provision of meeting room space is not the primary mission of the library, and must always be subordinate to the paramount need to provide a safe, peaceful, and respectful environment in which to read and study. No use of meeting rooms will be allowed that is likely to disturb library patrons in their customary use of library facilities, impede library staff in the performance of their duties, or endanger the library building or collection.
Use of meeting rooms for library purposes will take precedence over all other uses.
Meeting rooms may not be used for entrepreneurial or commercial purposes, for the solicitation or development of business, for profit or for fundraising, without the prior approval of the Board of Trustees. No goods or services shall be promoted, sold, or exchanged upon the premises or by sample, pictures, or descriptions.
Exceptions to this policy may be made at the discretion of the Board of Trustees as it deems in the best interest of the library and the community.
Requirements for Meeting Room Reservations
All groups using any meeting room shall complete, submit and, at the request of the library staff update an application on a form approved by the Board of Trustees. Such a form shall incorporate by reference this policy and shall recite that the applicant group has received a copy of this policy and agrees to abide by the terms and conditions of this policy.
To download a registration form click here.
Reservations for the Volunteer Room and the Greenwood Meeting Room shall be made through the office of the Library Director, or his/her designee. Every group wishing to reserve or use any meeting room must comply with the provisions of this policy and must submit a fully-executed form, the application and indemnification agreement called for in this policy, and any insurance certificate requested pursuant hereto. No meeting room reservation shall be deemed complete until the library staff receives a complete, signed original form (together, if applicable, with an original insurance certificate).
Any false, misleading or incomplete statement on the application form shall be grounds to prohibit the use of meeting rooms by the applicant group.
The Board of Trustees and the library staff reserve the right to reject a reservation request 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 violation of any of the terms and conditions of this policy. In determining whether such a likelihood exists, the Board of Trustees and/or the library staff may take into consideration the contents of the application form, the history of the group’s meeting room use in the library, the history of the group’s use of meeting facilities elsewhere, and such other information as they may deem appropriate.
Reservations may be made up to 12 months in advance. Groups which are not charged a fee for the meeting rooms are limited to six (6) meetings within a 12 month period. Reservations will be accepted, subject to the provisions of this policy, in the order received.
Groups who pay a fee for room use are limited to twelve (12) meetings within a 12 month period.
In order to reduce the likelihood of the meeting rooms being used repeatedly by some groups to the exclusion of others, requests to use rooms to conduct recurring classes for educational courses, or to conduct regularly scheduled meetings of scout groups or other youth groups, are subject to the discretion of the Board of Trustees or the Library Director.
Failure to notify the library of cancellations may result in the library canceling future reservations and refusing to make future reservations.
Minors may not reserve a meeting room or serve as sponsors of a meeting.
The Children’s Programming Room will be used only by Children’s Room Staff, except as otherwise approved by the Library Director. Initial inquiries about availability may be directed to the Head of Children’s Services but approval for bookings must come from the Library Director.
Rules for Use
The occupancy limits are as follows:
Greenwood Meeting Room--one hundred twenty-five (125) persons
Volunteer Room--thirty (30) persons
Children’s Program Room—twenty-five to thirty (25-30) persons
Groups shall, at their own expense, procure all licenses and permits necessary for the conduct of their meetings.
Groups using meeting rooms may arrange the available tables and chairs as they choose, provided that all pieces of furniture are returned to their original positions at the close of the meeting. Because the library is unable to set up and break down rooms, groups requiring this service should ask at the Reference Desk for alternate sites in the Gardner area.
For the health and comfort of library patrons there is no smoking in the building or on library property. Alcohol is also prohibited except with the prior written approval of the Board of Trustees.
The small kitchenette off the Greenwood Meeting Room may be used and light refreshments may be served with the prior approval of the Library Director. No food is to be left on the premises. Food other than light refreshments may be served only with prior written approval of the Board of Trustees. With prior permission from the Head of Children’s Services, light refreshments may be served in the Children’s Program Room. The users are responsible for cleaning up. No food or drink is allowed in the Volunteer Room. Water fountains are available on each level of the library.
Each group using a meeting room shall be responsible to ensure that the meeting room is returned to the same condition after the meeting as it was prior to the meeting. Failure to restore the meeting room to such prior condition shall render the group liable to the Board of Trustees for the cost of repair and clean up and may result in forfeiture of future bookings.
Under no circumstances may use of the meeting rooms interfere with the use of the library by other patrons, the work of the library staff or any other aspect of normal library operation.
All persons attending a meeting in a meeting room shall comply with all requests by library staff and, if applicable, the Gardner Police Department. Individuals who fail to comply will be required to leave the library premises. Groups who fail to comply, or whose leaders fail to comply, will be prohibited from using the meeting rooms.
Indemnification and Insurance
All groups using any of the meeting rooms shall execute and deliver a written indemnification on a form to be prescribed by the Board of Trustees under which such groups agree to hold the Board of Trustees, the City of Gardner, and all library staff, harmless from and to indemnify them against all costs, damages, losses, claims, and expenses incurred, directly or indirectly, as a result of their use of a meeting room.
The said written undertaking shall also constitute a release by the group and each and all of its members of any claim against the Board of Trustees, the City of Gardner and the library staff for any injury to persons or damage to property suffered by such group or any of its members during or as a result of the use of the meeting room, except insofar as such injury or damage is directly and solely caused by the negligence or intentional misconduct of any person belonging to or acting on behalf of the Board of Trustees, the city government of the City of Gardner or the library staff.
The Board of Trustees reserves the right to require any applicant group to supply a certificate of insurance, from an insurer licensed to do business in Massachusetts, in such amount and in such form as the Board of Trustees may reasonably deem appropriate, such amount not to exceed $1 million, naming the Board of Trustees as an additional insured, and covering damage to the library building, grounds and collection and injury to persons occasioned by the meeting. The certificate shall evidence that the insurance it represents is not cancelable except on at least ten (10) days’ written notice to the Board of Trustees. In the event of such cancellation, the meeting reservation shall be canceled unless the group immediately substitutes a new insurance certificate meeting the said requirements.
Publicity
Allowing a group to use a meeting room does not imply an endorsement of the group by the Board of Trustees or library staff.
Groups may identify the library and provide its address in their publicity for the meeting, but may not give out the library’s telephone number or invite potential attendees to contact the library.
Parking
There is limited off-street parking on the library premises and at nearby municipal lots, both subject to posted limits.
Hours and Fees
Fees are based on type of organization and length of time of the meeting:
There is no charge of room use by local (Gardner) non-profit organizations.
Non-local not for profit organizations may use the Greenwood Room for $25 / half day or evening meeting, $50/ full day meeting.
For profit or private group rates for the Greenwood Meeting Room are $50/ half day or evening meeting, and $75/ all day meeting.
There is no charge for use of the Volunteer Room by local (Gardner) non-profit organizations. Non-local not for profit organizations may use the Volunteer Room for $25/half day or evening meeting, $50/ all day meeting.
For profit or private group rates for the Volunteer Room is $50 for a half day or evening meeting and $75 for an all day meeting.
If any meeting room has not been returned to its previous condition and vacated by closing time, thus necessitating the services of a custodian, additional charges will apply.
Checks for room use should be made payable to the Levi Heywood Memorial Library Association and shall be given to library personnel before the start of the meeting.
Adopted November 10, 2004
Revised and adopted November 8, 2006
Revised and adopted April 13, 2011
--Board of Trustees
Conference Room Policy
General Information
The Board of Trustees allows the use of conference rooms for civic, educational, philanthropic, and recreational purposes having a substantial connection to the Gardner community. In allocating the use of conference rooms, the Board of Trustees and Library Director will not discriminate on the basis of the political or religious beliefs of applicant groups, or on any other constitutionally or statutorily prohibited basis. However, the provision of conference room space is not the primary mission of the library, and must always be subordinate to the paramount need to provide a safe, peaceful, and respectful environment in which to read and study. No use of conference rooms will be allowed that is likely to disturb library patrons in their customary use of library facilities, impede library staff in the performance of their duties, or endanger the library building or collection.
Use of conference rooms for library purposes will take precedence over all other uses.
Conference rooms may not be used for entrepreneurial or commercial purposes, for the solicitation or development of business, for profit or for fundraising, without the prior approval of the Board of Trustees. However, academic tutors employed by the Gardner Public School System may use the conference rooms during library hours with the prior approval of the Library Director. No goods or services shall be promoted, sold, or exchanged upon the premises or by sample, pictures, or descriptions.
Exceptions to this policy may be made at the discretion of the Board of Trustees as it deems in the best interest of the library and the community.
Requirements for Conference Room Reservations
All groups using the conference rooms will be required to give name, phone number, number of people who will be using the room, and name of the organization they represent, if applicable. This shall be in effect for prior registrations and walk-ins. Conference rooms are not for individual use and cannot be used as offsite offices for individual conference calls or private work or study. There are designated “quiet areas” for adult study in the Reference Department which can be utilized should patrons desire a space which is away from public areas. Because of the open-concept design of the building, however, we can never guarantee absolute quiet in these study areas. As in other library departments, cell phone use is not permitted in these adult study areas.
Reservations will be accepted, subject to the provisions of this policy, in the order received. Reservations for conference rooms are limited to four (4) dates at any given time.
Failure to notify the library of cancellations may result in the library canceling upcoming reservations and refusing to make additional future reservations.
Minors may not reserve conference rooms or serve as sponsors of a meeting.
Rules for Use
The occupancy limits are as follows:
Conference room #1-- four (4) persons
Conference room #2-- eight (8) persons
Conference room #3-- six (6) persons
No exceptions can be made to the occupancy limits. Staff reserves the right to limit the number of individuals in a specific conference room and if no larger room is available to cancel the reservation.
No food or drink is allowed in any of the conference rooms. Water fountains are available on each level of the library.
Under no circumstances may use of the conference rooms interfere with the use of the library by other patrons, the work of the library staff, or any other aspect of normal library operation.
All persons attending a meeting in a conference room shall comply with all requests by library staff and, if applicable, the Gardner Police Department. Individuals who fail to comply will be required to leave the library premises. Groups who fail to comply, or whose leaders fail to comply, will be prohibited from using the conference rooms.
Hours and Fees
Conference rooms will be booked up until fifteen (15) minutes prior to closing. When the lights flash at ten (10) minutes prior to closing, all conference rooms should be vacated so that Reference staff is able to complete their closing tasks.
There is no charge for the use of the conference rooms. Donations to the Levi Heywood Memorial Library Association would be appreciated if conference room users deem it appropriate.
Adopted November 10, 2004
Revised and adopted November 8, 2006
Revised and adopted April 13, 2011
--Board of Trustees