Meeting Room Policy

Our policy changed effective January 17, 2024. Please review all terms of the policy carefully before submitting your application for use.

The Maitland Public Library Meeting Room and Director’s Conference Room are used primarily for Library activities and Library-sponsored programs, including programs and events sponsored by the Friends of the Maitland Public Library and the Maitland Library Foundation. When not being used by the Library, these rooms may be reserved by government agencies and by groups that are non-profit and who are recognized as operating for public benefit and interest.

Groups wishing to use either of these rooms must abide by this Policy and by the Patron Behavior Policy. Failure to do so will result in denial of future reservation requests.

1. Meeting rooms are available to groups that are not for profit and whose programs serve an informational, educational, or cultural interest of the Maitland community. For-profit and other commercial entities are not eligible to reserve a meeting room. Rooms may not be reserved for single users.
2. Meetings/events must be free and open to the public. Groups and organizations may not charge admission or request donations, gratuities, or any type of monetary fee or charge for admission or participation; groups with annual or other periodic dues for membership may reserve the room, but the meeting or event at the Library must be free and open to all. Meetings/events for the purpose of fundraising are prohibited, except for events sponsored by the Library, Friends of the Maitland Public Library, or Maitland Library Foundation. Commercial sales, solicitation, and promotion of business are prohibited. Activities likely to disrupt library functions are prohibited.
3. Groups may reserve a meeting room up to three (3) months in advance, with up to three (3) reservations per three-month period. Reservations are taken on a first-come, first-served basis and will not be accepted on an automatically recurring basis. No group may consider the Library its permanent meeting place, storage facility, or mailing address.
4. Attendance must not exceed the limit established for each meeting room by the Library and the Fire Marshal. Room set-ups must not block access to fire extinguishers or impede safe egress from the room.
5. Meeting rooms are available only when the Library is open to the public and rooms must be vacated fifteen (15) minutes prior to Library closing time. The minimum time a group may reserve a room is one (1) hour.
6. Groups are responsible for setting up chairs and tables, as staff is not available for this purpose. Reservations for the Meeting Room must include adequate time for the group to set up and take down tables and chairs (e.g., 30 minutes before and/or after). All items must be returned to their original placements. A member of the group must report attendance to Library staff prior to departure.
7. Use of the Library meeting rooms is free. Facilities must be left clean and in the original condition. The Library will not be responsible for materials or personal equipment left in the building by users.
8. Groups may bring in food and non-alcoholic beverages for consumption by attendees; groups must clean up afterwards and properly dispose of all trash. Use of the oven or induction burners in the demonstration kitchen is prohibited.
9. There are wall-mounted monitors in both meeting rooms that can be connected to a laptop computer for PowerPoint or other multimedia presentations. Subject to availability, groups may request other equipment at the time of booking; the reservation form online will list available equipment. Groups who provide their own computer should ensure that it is in good working order and has the appropriate ports or adapters to connect to the monitor; the Library does not provide technical assistance with non-Library equipment.
10. The Director’s Conference Room is available for booking only for small group meetings, including group study. Groups using the Conference Room acknowledge that the Conference Room has an ongoing business purpose for the operations of the Library and meetings in the Conference Room may be interrupted by Library staff needing access to Library materials in the Conference Room.
11. Any group wishing to reserve a meeting room must do so online at least 72 hours in advance and provide the specific date, time, and room requested, as well as the name, address, e-mail address, and phone number of the officer or organizer responsible for the meeting and the room. The designated officer or organizer shall be liable for any damage resulting from the use of the Meeting Room or Conference Room by the group.
12. Groups needing to cancel confirmed reservations should cancel those reservations as soon as possible, using the link provided in the confirmation email. Repeated failure to provide notice of cancellation may result in denial of future reservation requests.
13. The fact that a group is permitted to meet at the Library does not in any way constitute an endorsement of the group’s policies or beliefs by the Library. A statement to this effect must appear on any promotional materials and handouts. Groups may use the Library’s name and address on such materials only to the extent that it is to state location of the meeting or event; groups may not use the Library’s phone number or website as a contact for further information in publicity materials. Each group is responsible for its own publicity.
14. The Library welcomes the opportunity to make accommodations for people with disabilities.
15. Rooms without scheduled activities or reservations may be used on a same day, first-come, first-served basis. Such use must be approved by the Manager of Public Services or designee and the user must report attendance numbers prior to departure.
16. Limited resources, including parking, staff, and space may limit or prohibit use of the meeting rooms. Public safety will be taken into consideration.
17. The Library reserves the right to deny or cancel the use of its facilities when it is deemed by the Director of Library Services that persons or property might be endangered; that Library business operations might be disrupted; that the activity is illegal under Federal, State, or local law; when the activity is likely to incite illegal, violent, or otherwise uncivil behavior; or when the current use is deemed in violation of this Policy or when there have been repeated violations of the Policy by the applicant.
18. The Library reserves the right to cancel any meeting in favor of Library programming with forty-eight (48) hours’ notice. Further, the Library reserves the right to cancel any meeting without notice and to refuse future reservations from groups who fail to abide by this Policy. In the event of an emergency, the Library reserves the right to cancel any meeting without notice.

Prohibited Activities

1. Meeting rooms are not available for political fundraisers or campaign events. Candidate or ballot issues forums that present all opposing viewpoints are permitted; elected and appointed government officials may use meeting rooms for “meet your representative” or town hall meetings, and similar activities.
2. Meeting rooms are not available for purely social gatherings, including family and personal purposes, parties, or commercial ventures.
3. No solicitation, sale, or lease of products or services is permitted at the Library; the sole exception to these guidelines is the sale of books or other materials at official Library, Friends of the Maitland Public Library, or Maitland Library Foundation programs and events.
4. Nails, tacks, staples, tape, or marring materials may not be used or attached to walls or fixtures. Removable adhesives, such as sticky notes or masking tape, may be used provided they are not marring or “super sticky” and they must be removed at the end of the meeting.
5. Confetti, candles, and open flames are prohibited.
6. Use of hazardous materials is prohibited.
7. The Library assumes no legal responsibility for personal injuries, theft, or losses of private property while on or using Library facilities.

Approved by the Board of Trustees, January 17, 2024