The Wood Dale Public Library provides public meeting room space to meet the operational needs of the Library and to provide accommodations for educational, informational, cultural, and civic functions within the community. For purposes of this policy, “Meeting Rooms” shall refer to the Barbara E. Dunn Meeting Room and Small Meeting Room only.
Meeting Rooms
General Use
Meeting rooms are available on an equitable basis to community groups regardless of beliefs or affiliations of the group. The Library does not guarantee availability to any individual citizen or group. Priority for the use of the meeting rooms will be given in the following order:
- Library operational uses;
- Library sponsored programs and activities;
- Educational, informational, cultural, and civic programs sponsored or co-sponsored by the Library and related to its mission, collections, and services;
- Agencies or departments of local, state, or federal government;
- Meetings of Wood Dale organizations, or those serving the Wood Dale community, whose purposes are educational, cultural, or civic in nature and/or classified as not-for-profit (501(c)3).
Any organization, group, or individual using the meeting rooms agrees to abide by all policies, procedures, and rules of the Wood Dale Public Library.
Meeting rooms are available on those days and during those hours that the Library is open to the public. Reservations may not begin sooner than 15 minutes after the library opens and must end 15 minutes before close.
Meetings, programs, or events may not be used to conduct illegal activities, disturb or disrupt patrons or staff, endanger the building or collection, or otherwise interfere with the functions of the Library. Meetings conducted by non-library sponsored organizations must be open to the public and not closed to any person due to age, gender, race, religion, national origin, disabling condition, or any other legally protected category.
Meeting rooms are not available for social gatherings, such as private parties, receptions, reunions, or rallies.
The sale of goods and services is prohibited, except for library-sponsored programs and author book signings. The room may not be used for commercial seminars, legal conferences or proceedings, depositions, realty closings, paid tutoring, and any use through which a salary or fee is earned or business is solicited unless otherwise authorized by the Library in writing.
The Library reserves the right to cancel or refuse the use of its meeting rooms for any program deemed unsuitable for the facilities or incompatible with its mission and vision. If Library staff deny a reservation, an appeal may be made in writing to the Library Director, and then to the Board of Library Trustees. A determination by the Library Board of Trustees shall be final.
The Library is not responsible for the content of the assembly or speech during the meetings, programs, or events held on its premises. Permission to use the meeting rooms does not constitute endorsement of any business, philosophy, practice, or viewpoint of presenters, participants, or attendees. Further, permission to use the meeting rooms does not constitute library sponsorship, promotion, or endorsement.
Publicity for meetings held in the Library may not be displayed in such a manner as to suggest library sponsorship. The following disclaimer must be included in all published materials about the event: “The Wood Dale Public Library provides meeting space as a community service. The Library neither sponsors nor endorses this event, speaker(s), or organization.”
The group or individual using the meeting rooms must agree to indemnify and hold the Library harmless for any personal injury, lost or stolen items, or damage to any property owned by anyone using the Library.
Users must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and are responsible for providing, and if necessary, paying for, qualified interpreters or auxiliary aids, upon request, to individuals who require certain accommodations which would enable them to observe or participate in the meeting.
Guidelines
Advance application for use of meeting rooms is required and may be submitted up to six (6) months in advance. Meeting room applications are approved in the order they are received on a quarterly basis and are confirmed beginning one (1) month in advance of the quarter start date. To allow equitable access, groups are initially limited to one meeting per month; additional dates may be requested once the quarter has started. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age.
Library administration will approve reservations made for:
- January-March beginning December 1;
- April-June beginning March 1;
- July-September beginning June 1;
- October-December beginning September 1.
Reservations must be made at least one week in advance. On the day of the meeting, a responsible member of the group must check in with the Public Service Desk on the group's arrival.
The Library does not provide storage or assistance in carrying materials and supplies to the meeting rooms. The Library will make tables, chairs, and basic audio-visual equipment accessible. Table and chair setup and cleanup is the responsibility of the group. Groups wishing to use any audio-visual equipment are responsible for planning with library staff a minimum of one week in advance of the program if they wish to receive instruction on its proper operation and to confirm that the equipment meets presenter needs.
Light refreshments are permitted; however, catering (such as meals) and alcoholic beverages are not allowed. Meeting rooms must be left clean at the end of the meeting. Groups will be charged for any damage or cleanup resulting from use of the meeting room.
Study Rooms
General Use
The Wood Dale Public Library provides study rooms to support academic studies and to provide a space for patrons to engage in independent, collaborative, or cooperative work.
Library staff will use a reservation system that will make booking rooms convenient and maximize the availability of study rooms to patrons.
Study rooms are not available for social gatherings or political activities, religious or proselytizing functions, or for the transaction of commerce. Study rooms may not be used for commercial seminars, legal conferences or proceedings, depositions, realty closings, and any use through which a salary or fee is earned or business is solicited (other than educational services or a paid tutor) unless otherwise authorized by the Library in writing.
Guidelines
Patrons (ages 6th grade and up) are limited to one 2-hour reservation per day. Reservations are available in 30-minute, 1-, 1.5-, and 2-hour increments and are limited to groups of 1-6 people.
Wood Dale Library cardholders may make reservations up to 14 days in advance and may reserve up to 20 hours of study room use per month. Non-Wood Dale Library Cardholders, or cardholders without a reservation, may use the rooms on a walk-in basis and may call or stop by for same day reservations.
Reservations must end 15 minutes before the library closes.
After 15 minutes of a reservation start time, reservations are assumed cancelled if the room reservation contact does not show up. If a room is left vacant for 15 minutes during a booking, it will be forfeited and made available for someone else.
Patrons using the rooms must follow the Wood Dale Public Library Conduct Ordinance. Patrons are responsible for any damage or missing materials reported during their use of the study rooms.
The Library reserves the right to make exemptions to these terms and conditions for library sponsored meetings or projects done in cooperation with the Library.