Buckland Public Library

Buckland Public Library, Inc. Community Room Use Policy

PURPOSE
The Board of Library Trustees allows the use of meeting rooms for civic, educational, philanthropic, and recreational purposes, as well as use by individual Buckland residents outside of library hours for broadband internet access. Any group seeking to use a meeting room should have a sponsor who resides in Buckland, Massachusetts; this person should sign the reservation form prescribed below. In allocating the use of meeting rooms, the Board of Trustees 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. 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, study, and conduct other quiet activities. 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 shall take precedence over all other uses. Meeting rooms shall not be used for entrepreneurial or commercial purposes, for the solicitation or development of business, for profit or for fundraising. 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 Library Trustees as it deems in the best interest of the library and the community. No one under 18 is allowed to use the community room during hours the library is closed.

REQUIREMENTS FOR ROOM RESERVATIONS
All groups and individuals using any meeting room shall complete, submit and, at the request of the Scheduler, library staff, or trustees, update an application on a form approved by the Board. Such a form shall incorporate (by reference) this policy, and shall indicate that the applicant group/individual has received a copy of this policy and agrees to abide by the terms and conditions of this policy.

Reservations shall be made through the office of the Scheduler, Library Director, or other Board designee. No group or individual may reserve or use any meeting room unless it complies in all respects with the provisions of this policy and submits, in 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 Scheduler, library director, or Board designee 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 forbid the use of meeting rooms by the applicant group/individual.

The Board of Library Trustees and the library director reserve the right to reject a reservation request if the anticipated meeting is likely to be unreasonably disruptive to regular library functions or the neighborhood atmosphere, too large for the applicable room capacity, disorderly, dangerous to persons or property, or in any other way inconsistent with or in conflict of any of the terms and conditions of this policy. In determining whether such a likelihood exists, the Board of Library Trustees, Scheduler, or library director may take into consideration the contents of the application form, the history of the group/individual’s meeting room use in the library and elsewhere, and such other information as they may deem appropriate.

The Board of Library Trustees reserves the right to determine, in its reasonable discretion, whether any proposed use of a meeting room will require a police detail or other extraordinary police protection, and if so the anticipated cost thereof. In making this determination, the Board may take into consideration the contents of the application form, the history of the group’s meeting room use in the library and elsewhere, and such other information as it may deem appropriate, and may consult with the Chief of Police or his designee. If the Board determines that such police protection will be reasonably necessary, the group seeking to reserve the use of a meeting room shall be required, as a condition of such reservation, to pay to Buckland Public Library, Inc. by such date in advance of the meeting as the Board reasonably sets the anticipated cost of such police protection. The sum shall be applied thereto, with any surplus being returned to the group after the meeting. The group shall be liable to the Buckland Public Library, Inc. and/or the Town of Buckland for any deficiency.

Reservations may be made up to one year in advance for up to eighteen (18) meetings annually. Reservations shall be accepted, subject to the provisions of this policy, in the order received.

Failure to notify, in advance, the Scheduler or library director of cancellations may result in forfeiture of future bookings.

Minors may not reserve a meeting room, nor can they serve as sponsors.

RULES OF USE
Library meeting rooms are available, at the discretions of the Board, to municipal employees for conducting business regarding the internal operations of their departments. Such meetings not subject to the Open Meeting Law are not required to be open to the public.

The occupancy limits are as follows: 30 for the community room and 20 for the Griswold Rm. The latter may be available by special arrangement.
The groups shall, at their own expense, procure any license or permit necessary for the conduct of their meetings.

Groups/individuals 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.

Smoking and alcohol are prohibited on the premises. Light refreshments are permitted in the community room only, provided the group/individual cleans up.

No food is to be left on the premises.

Each group/individual 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/individual liable to the Buckland Public Library, Inc. for the cost of repair and clean up and may result in forfeiture of future bookings.
If the temperature is adjusted, it must be returned to its original setting before leaving.

In case of a problem with the building, the library director or the chair of the Trustees (or another trustee) shall be notified. Contact numbers are posted inside the closet door of the Community Room.

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 Buckland Police and Fire Departments. Individuals who fail to comply will be required to leave the library building. Groups who fail to comply, or whose leaders fail to comply, will be prohibited from using the meeting rooms.

When the community room is reserved it is open to all community members participating in that activity.
The room is closed to community members who are not participating in that activity.

INDIVIDUAL USE OF COMMUNITY ROOM WHILE LIBRARY IS CLOSED
Individuals using the community room after hours for internet access shall be given privileges and access code via email. These are renewable annually. The access code will be changed yearly or as otherwise needed. Registered users will be informed of any changes.

Individuals are required to register the SIGN-IN BOOK when using the Community Room after hours.

No one under the age of 18 may use the room during closed hours. Children ages 12-18, however, may do so when accompanied by an adult. (Children under the age of 12 are not allowed to accompany individuals using the Community Room after hours.) The thermostat should NOT be adjusted by individuals using the community room. Scheduled group meetings will take precedence over individual use of the community room during closed hours.

Anyone abusing this policy will lose privileges immediately. In the event of the suspension of a user’s privileges, the Scheduler shall notify other users of access code changes.

INDEMNIFICATIONS AND INSURANCE
All groups (except for municipal employees conducting business relating to internal operations) using any of the meeting rooms shall execute and deliver a application and indemnification shall agree to hold the Board of Library Trustees, the Board of Trustees, the Town of Buckland, 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 such group’s use of a meeting room. Such costs, damages, losses, claims, and expenses shall include, without limitation, any damage to the meeting room or any other part of the library building, grounds or collection; the cost of employee overtime, if occasioned by the use of the meeting room; the cost of police protection, if deemed necessary by the Board of Library Trustees; and any claim asserted by any third person against the Board of Library Trustees, the Town of Buckland, and/or any library staff on account of any alleged injury causally related to the meeting, together with defense costs including reasonable attorneys’ fees.

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 Library Trustees, the Town of Buckland 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 Library Trustees, the town government of the Town of Buckland or the library staff.

The Board of Library 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 Library Trustees may reasonably deem appropriate, such amount not to exceed $1 million, naming the Board of Library Trustees as an additional insured, and covering damage to the library building, grounds and collection and injury to persons occasioned by the meeting. Such certificate shall evidence that the insurance it represents is not cancelable except on at least ten (10) days’ written notice to the Board of Library Trustees. In the event of such cancellation, the meeting reservation shall be canceled unless the group forthwith substitutes a new insurance certificate meeting the aforesaid requirements.

PUBLICITY
In allowing a group to use a meeting room, the Board of Library Trustees and library staff do not imply any endorsement of the group’s beliefs, policies or program. No group shall in any of its publicity state or suggest that the Buckland Public Library, the Board of Library Trustees, the Town of Buckland or the library staff sponsors or endorses the meeting, the group or any particular set of ideas.

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
Groups/individuals using the library facilities will park in the library parking lot. Overflow parking is available on the grass parking area in front of Mary Lion Church on Upper Street.

DONATION FOR ROOM USE
While no fees are charged for use of the rooms, a donation of $10 per group use and $30 quarterly would be appreciated to offset library costs.

This policy shall be posted in the Community Room.

Approved Buckland Public Library Board of Trustees December 2013. Revised April 2019.