Community Room Policy The Community Room is open to all groups in the community, regardless of the beliefs and affiliations of their members. When not in use for Ashland Public Library sponsored events, the meeting room is available for educational, civic, social, or cultural purposes. Guidelines for Use The library reserves the right to revoke permission to use any meeting room to any individual, group or organization which violates or refuses to comply with the rules and regulations established for use of the meeting rooms. General Guidelines A). A valid in-area Ashland Public Library card is required for booking the room. To encourage use of other library services and materials, the individual booking the room must have an in-area Ashland Public Library card in good standing. B). Reservations must be made online between three days and six months in advance. Reservations must be made online via our website. Events may be scheduled between three days and six months in advance. First-time users must set up an account. The Community Room is available during and outside regular library hours. D.) Reservation times available during library hours or outside of library hours Reservation time includes the entire time you have access to a room. The room is only available during the time of the reservation. If the library is closed at the time of the booking it is the responsibility of the one who booked the reservation to pick up a key card within three days of the reservation and drop it in the drop box or return to the front desk within three days after the booking. If the reservation is before or after library hours the alarm will be set until five minutes before the booking and will set fifteen minutes after the reserved time. C). Set up and cleanup is the responsibility for the person booking. The person who made the reservation is responsible for setting up and cleaning the room, ensuring it's returned to its original condition at the conclusion of the meeting. No cleaning supplies will be provided. If the room is not returned to its original condition, a fine may be assessed and future room bookings may be denied. D). Decorations Decoration can be put up, if it causes no damage. Nothing can be hung or attached to the ceiling. Library artwork cannot be taken off the walls. Items in the kitchen and cupboards are for library use only, please get permission before use. E). The library is not responsible for any property left behind. Neither the library nor its employees shall assume responsibility for any property of groups, individuals or organizations. The library will not store any property before meetings, and at the end of each meeting, all of an organization’s property must be removed from the library. F). Proper training is required to operate library equipment. Groups may arrange to use library audio/visual equipment where it is available. However, no one shall operate library equipment unless they are properly trained. This may require that a member of the group make an appointment with a library staff member prior to the meeting to receive training. Staff cannot guarantee that personal electronic items will work with library audio/visual equipment. G). The Meeting Room capacity may not exceed the capacity set by the Fire Marshall. Please inquire with library staff for acceptable capacity. ½ the room will fit 54 people seated at tables. The full room will fit 150 people lecture style with no tables. The full room with round tables will fit 120 max. H). Meeting room groups must adhere to all the Library’s policies. Food and Refreshments Food and beverages may be served. The ovens and microwave are available for use in the warming kitchen. The refrigerator may be used for temporary storage only; all other contents are for library use only. Certain other items may be available for use upon checking with library staff. All other contents of the warming kitchen are for library use only. All other equipment is the responsibility of the group hosting the meeting. Please keep food and drinks inside the meeting room. Beverages containing alcohol cannot be served on city property. Schedule of Fees All fees must be paid within seven days of booking, in order to receive approval. Room fees may be paid with cash, check or credit at the library front desk. Please see the Credit Card policy regarding credit card fees. A). A fee of $20 per hour for half the room and $40 per hour for the whole room will be assessed for all bookings unless waiver is granted. B). Room fees are waved for any Ashland Area community group meeting that is open to the public. If there is a charge to attend or meeting is not open to the public, or anything is being sold, fees cannot be waived. Approved groups will be listed on the booking software. To get your local group approved, contact the library director. C). Any damaged item(s) will result in charges for repair or replacement of the item(s) placed on the library card holders account. D.) Failure to clean up will result in a charge for clean up on your library account and will result in no future bookings. Cancellation Groups canceling a scheduled meeting must report the cancellation to the library. If the meeting is cancelled within three (3) days or fewer, prior to the meeting date, the group forfeits the meeting room fee. If the group cancels more than three (3) days in advance or must cancel at the last minute due to inclement weather, the fee will be refunded. The Library reserves the right to cancel any reservation no less than 2 weeks before the scheduled booking. Approved 11/19/2014, Revised 3/18/2015, 9/16/2015, 1/25/2017, 10/24/2018, 9/21/2022, 3/20/2024