Independence County Library provides open access to all forms of educational, cultural and recreational information including ideas and the free expression of all points of view. In keeping with these principles, Independence County Library provides a meeting space for residents of Independence County to present and exchange views on subjects of all kinds.

The meeting room is available at no charge to all nonprofit and community groups regardless of their beliefs or affiliations. Granting permission to use library facilities does not constitute endorsement by the Independence County Library, its staff, or the Library Board. No advertisement or announcement implying such endorsement is permitted. Examples of events that are NOT allowed in library meeting room include, but are not limited to, wedding receptions, birthday parties, money-raising functions, and commercial endeavors.

Meetings, workshops, and events scheduled to occur in the library, which are not co-organized by library staff and community partners, are not eligible to receive promotional or other support from library staff, or to utilize resources beyond the provision of the room and access to the equipment and furniture in the room. Please include the following statement on any/all promotional materials, including, but not limited to, signs/posters, flyers/mailings, press releases, online promotions, etc.:

"This event is not sponsored by Independence County Library. For more information, please contact [insert your organization's contact information]. Access to meeting room is a service of Independence County Library."

Meeting Room Guidelines

The meeting room is provided during regular library hours and is available for reservation and use by patrons after library programs, events, or meetings, or library-sponsored programs and events are scheduled.

• Room may be reserved for groups of 10 people or more.
• Room will be reserved in 30-minute blocks. Setup and clean up time must be included within the reservation time. For example, for a 1-hour program, room should be reserved for three (3) 30-minute blocks to allow time to setup and clean up.
• Room may be booked up to 8 weeks in advance.
• Meeting room may be reserved by adults 18 years or older. Youth organizations using the meeting room must have an adult sponsor reserve the room and sponsor must be present throughout the time the room is reserved.
• Meeting room contains a large screen, projector, and speakers. Groups must provide their own laptop computer or electronic devices and HDMI or VGA cable and adaptors to connect to the meeting room equipment. All technical support is the responsibility of the group. If assistance is needed to connect to the audiovisual equipment provided, a basic training session may be scheduled with a library staff member prior to the meeting.
• Groups may supply and serve refreshments but must keep all food in the meeting room. No cooking is allowed in the meeting room.
• The meeting room holds forty-eight (48) seats. That capacity is diminished when tables are added. There are fourteen (14) tables, which will seat twenty-eight (28) in a classroom style meeting.

Cancellations

Please cancel meeting room reservations you no longer need 24 hours prior to a scheduled event. Reservations are considered forfeit if the individual or group does not show up within 15 minutes after the reservation time. Please call the library's office manager, Janet Swaim, at (870) 793-8814 to cancel your reservation.

The library reserves the right to cancel programs as needed for any weather, health, or safety-related issue.

Terms of Use

1. Groups must limit attendees to the posted room capacity.
2. There is no charge for meeting room use. However, a $50 deposit is required within 24 hours of the time the reservation is made. If deposit is not paid, the room reservation will be cancelled. The deposit will be fully refunded after the event when assigned library staff member inspects the room and determines room is in exact condition it was before the event.
3. Meetings must be held during the library facility's operating hours listed on the library's website:indcolib.com. Meetings must conclude 15 minutes before the facility closing time.
4. Groups using the room are responsible for arranging the room to meet their needs and for cleaning and straightening the room after use.
5. All trash and recyclables must be deposited in the proper receptacles.
6. The library's office manager or designee may grant permission for groups to post or distribute materials outside of the meeting room.
7. No fees for admission or selling of any items is allowed on the premisis.
8. No storage is provided for groups using the library, and the library is not responsible for anything left in the building before and during meetings.
9. A group or customer may not affix, tape, or fix with an adhesive any item to any part of a meeting room, including a wall, door, window treatment, or woodwork.
10. Movies shown or recordings played must have the appropriate public performance rights. Obtaining the license and all applicable fees are the responsibility of the group. Proof of public performance rights shall be provided to the library's office manager prior to the event date.
11. The library is a public space. In accordance with our mission, we encourage all groups to use our meeting room. If the meeting is not advertised as being "open to the public," groups using the meeting room have the right to limit attendance. However, library staff cannot be expected to enforce or ensure the privacy of any meeting.

Independence County Library, at its sole discretion, reserves the right to revoke meeting room privileges at any time or to refuse future bookings to groups that fail to appear on scheduled meeting dates or who do not abide by the meeting room terms of use or Library Rules of Conduct. The library reserves the right to take photographs of events for its own records and for future promotional materials.

Approved by the Independence County Library Board on April 16, 2018.