Meeting Room Policy

The Woodridge Public Library (“Library”) provides meeting rooms for use by the Woodridge community. These rooms are available for use by community groups, organizations (both non-profit and ad-hoc) and businesses, subject to the terms of this Meeting Room Policy (“Policy”). The meeting room is available for use by these groups when not being used for Library programs or its business. Use of a meeting room does not constitute the Woodridge Public Library’s endorsement of viewpoints expressed by the persons holding the meeting, program speakers, or other participants. Meeting Rooms are not a public forum for First Amendment purposes.

The maximum capacity of the large meeting room is 70, or when divided in half, each separate room’s capacity is 35 or less, depending on room setup. Certain layouts of the room may reduce this number, and maximum capacity is determined by the Library in its sole discretion.

Rules for Meeting Room Use

1. Meeting rooms are available free of charge.
2. Reservation requests must be submitted online and are available on a first-come first served basis. Applications for meeting room use are not confirmed until approved by the Library.
3. Meeting rooms may only be reserved for groups with five or more people.
4. The person reserving a meeting room must be 18 years or older, have a valid physical Woodridge Public Library card (not a digital card or reciprocal card), be a member of the group booking the room, and must attend the meeting.
5. Groups using the meeting room may not charge admission, require fees, or request donations for attendance or participation. All meetings must be open to the public.
6. Meeting rooms may not be used for:
       a. Social events, defined as an event intended for entertainment through companionship with friends and associates, including, but not limited to, weddings, anniversaries, showers, parties, and social club events.
       b. Commercial purposes, sales, fundraising, marketing, or personal and/or financial gain, including presentations of products or services.
7. Meeting room reservation applications are accepted no more than 90 days in advance and no less than 3 days in advance.  Reservation requests must be submitted through the Library’s website. Library staff will review each request for compliance with the Library’s Meeting Room Policy after the reservation has been submitted online. The applicant will receive approval or denial of most requests within 3 weekdays or a reasonable time thereafter.
8. Library users who do not have Internet access may use computers at the Library, where reservation assistance is available.
9. Meeting rooms are available only during the hours that the Library is open. Meetings must end at least 15 minutes prior to the library’s closing time, or as directed by Library staff.
10. Standard room setups are available and must be requested at the time of application. Staff will not be made available to change the arrangement if a non-standard setup is required or if changes/equipment not on the application are requested. Groups may rearrange the room.
11. Time limits must be adhered to. Meeting preparation and take down must be made within the approved reservation time period. Remaining in the meeting room beyond the reserved time may result in denial of future reservations.
12. The booking cardholders must bring their own equipment and supplies, remove same, and clean up the area after use.  Alcoholic beverages and smoking are prohibited.
13. Only light refreshments may be served in the rooms, and must be approved in advance as part of the reservation process.
14. Reservations may not be made for more than one day in a calendar month for any single group, organization, or business. This includes different subgroups of the same group. If the participants of a meeting are substantially the same as the participants of a subsequent meeting, this will count the same as a group or subgroup.
15. The Library reserves the right to change or cancel meeting room reservations.
16. Library staff shall have free and open access to the meeting room at all times, including during meetings. The Library retains the right to monitor all meetings conducted on Library premises for the purpose of ensuring compliance with the Policy and the Library’s rules and regulations.
17. Use of meeting rooms by outside groups does not constitute the Library’s endorsement of viewpoints expressed by participants in the program. Announcements implying or stating such endorsement are prohibited. Publicity for any event in the meeting rooms must include the disclaimer, “This event is not sponsored by the Woodridge Public Library.” The Library telephone number is not to be included in any news releases or flyers publicizing the event. No group may use the Library as a mailing address. No publicity will be done by the Library for groups booking a meeting room.
18. Repeated cancellations or no-shows may result in loss of meeting room privileges.
19. Meeting room users are responsible for complying with provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act and all other Federal, State and local laws, ordinances, regulations, and directives.
20. All use of the meeting rooms must be in compliance with the Library’s Behavior Policy, the Unattended Child Policy, and other applicable policies.
21. Individuals or groups presenting and attending meetings, programs and events are subject to all Library policies, rules and regulations. The Library reserves the right to suspend or revoke permission to use the Meeting Room for any violation of Library policies, rules, or regulations. Inclusion of false information on the application form will result in automatic and immediate revocation of permission. Failure to comply with Library policies, rules, and regulations (including this policy) is grounds for suspension of meeting room privileges for up to one year.
22. The Library reserves the right to impose conditions of approval of meeting room requests, including but not limited to, setting hours for the meeting to take place, room layout requirements, and maximum occupancy.

Security, Damages and Liability

The Library may require, at any time leading up to or during a meeting, that security and liability measures be put in place at the expense of the individual or group reserving the room.

If, on the advice of law enforcement officials, the Library staff, Library Director or Board of Trustees determine that a reasonable possibility of a threat to the safety of Library staff, Library users or members of the public may occur, based on the prior experience with the group or speaker at this Library or at other occasions where the group has held meetings which have been disruptive or had a potential for violence, the following shall be required:

• the individual or group reserving the meeting room shall be required to pay in advance by cashier’s check the reasonably estimated cost of any security measures, including, but not limited to, hiring of security personnel, to be furnished to the Library Director at least 3 workdays beforehand.
• the individual or group reserving the meeting room shall be required to pay in advance by cashier’s check the reasonably estimated cost of any special event liability policy for injury or damage to property occurring at the meeting, program or event in the amount of $1,000,000 million dollars on a primary and non-contributory basis with proof of insurance to be furnished to the Library Director at least 3 workdays beforehand and naming the Library, its officers, agents and employees as an additional insureds.

Meeting room events may include only non-physical activities permitted by the library's insurance carrier. The Library is not responsible for possessions left in a meeting room.

Any individual, group or organization using the meeting room shall be held responsible for damage to the building, grounds, collections or equipment caused by the group or organization, its members or those attending its meeting. All individuals, groups or organizations shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Library, its officers, agents and employees from and against any and all claims, suits, actions of any kind relating to injuries or damage arising from any act or omission of the individual, group or organization’s use of the meeting room.

Use of the meeting room and approval of individual meeting situations not described here will be determined by the Library Director or the Library Director’s designee.

Library staff shall develop such rules and procedures as are necessary to ensure compliance with the Meeting Room Policy

Approved by the Woodridge Public Library Board of Trustees on 11/15/23