Meeting Room - Policies & Reservations

The Meeting Room is open for reservations. Check on the potential availability of meeting rooms by consulting the Calendar of Events.

The room is set in a standard rectangular configuration with 14 tables and 28 chairs in each half of the large meeting room. Users of the room may move the tables and chairs to accommodate their meeting needs. At the end of their meetings, users are expected to return the room to the standard configuration. The room is equipped with drop-down projection screens and portable white boards. The room does not have telephone connections for conference calling purposes.

Please note: The City of Johnston provides community meeting space for various functions. Crown Point provides space primarily for social, recreational, and youth functions. City Hall uses its space to conduct city business. The Library provides meeting room space for cultural and educational functions.

Purpose of Policy

Meeting room space at the Johnston Public Library is intended for informational, cultural and educational purposes of the community.

Because the Library is intended for the use of all members of the public, all meetings are open to the public.

The meeting room policy reflects Article 6 of the Library Bill of Rights, which states, "Libraries which make exhibit spaces and meeting rooms available to the public they serve should make such facilities available on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting their use." The use of meeting rooms does not imply the library's endorsement of any ideas expressed in the meeting nor of the goals, objectives, or ideals of the person or organization using library facilities.

Users of the meeting room are expected to observe the rights of other library users and staff members, to use the Library for its intended purposes, and to leave the meeting space in the condition it was found. (Please refer to "Conduct in the Library" policy for further clarification.)

The Library is not responsible for any accident, injury, loss or damage to the private property of individuals or organizations using the facility.

The Library Board will periodically review the policy to be sure the needs of the Library and the community are balanced.

Policy for Community Meeting Room and Archive Room

The Johnston Public Library provides meeting rooms for civic, cultural, educational, and public informational meetings held by community and business groups. Library–sponsored programs have priority use.

Meeting rooms are not available for the sale of merchandise, for solicitation of later sales, or for order placement. The Library reserves the right to allow sales conducted by the Johnston Public Library Foundation, the Friends of the Library, the Library itself, and the City of Johnston.

Use of the meeting rooms does not imply library endorsement of ideas expressed in the meetings or of the goals and objectives of the organizations using the facilities.

If a question is raised about the goals or activities of any organization, group, or individual requesting use of the meeting rooms, the Library Board shall be the final authority in granting or refusing permission for the use of the rooms.

All meetings held at the library must be free of charge. No admission, collection, or donations may be taken. Exception: With approval, permission may be given to professional organizations for educational or training seminars and programs or to area colleges for courses of an educational or cultural nature. Any fees necessary to support these programs must be collected outside the library.

All advertising and public notices of events held in the meeting rooms must clearly designate the organizational sponsorship. An organization or group may not use the Johnston Public Library for its official address.

The Library's "Conduct in the Library" policy applies to the use of the meeting rooms. Noise and conduct are expected to be maintained at a level that does not disrupt meeting room use or other people in the Library.

The Library's building and grounds are smoke-free. No smoking may be done on the grounds outside the library or in the parking lot other than in personal vehicles. Signage concerning smoking restrictions is prominently displayed on all entrances to the parking lot and the library building.

Individuals attending meetings are responsible for the supervision of their children.

All groups must exercise prudent precautions to avoid damage of library equipment, furnishings, floor coverings, and other library property. The Library may require a damage deposit from individuals or organizations. Damage fees may also be assessed following meeting use.

Decorations must be approved by the Library prior to installation. Decorations and other materials are not permitted on the walls. Exits must be clear at all times. All materials must be completely removed after use of the room. The meeting room must be left in the same condition as found.

Food and non-alcoholic beverages may be served in the Large Meeting Room, the West Meeting Room or the East Meeting Room. A kitchen is available for serving of light refreshments on the east side of the Large Meeting Room. The user must provide all equipment and supplies and must leave the kitchen clean. The only refreshments allowed in the Archive Room are covered, non-alcoholic beverages.

Messages for people attending meetings will be held at the Circulation Desk. In case of emergency, library staff will page through the library's public address system.

To facilitate room set-up, the Library may hold one half hour between any two meetings in the same room.

Under adequate notice and for sufficient reason, the Library reserves the right to revoke permission to use the meeting room.

The Large Meeting Room will accommodate 200 persons seated or up to 72 at tables. The large meeting room can be divided into two smaller rooms with up to 90 seats or up to 36 at tables. A catering kitchen is available for the Large Meeting Room and for the divided east room. The Archive Room holds 12 people at a table.

The Large / East / West meeting rooms are available from 7:45 am to 8:00 pm Monday through Thursday, from 7:45 am to 5:30 pm on Friday, from 10:00 am to 5:30 pm on Saturday, and from 1:00 to 5:00 pm on Sunday. The Archive Room is available only during the hours that the Library is open to the public.

Meetings scheduled to start earlier than the general opening of the Library may not begin before 8:15 am and must follow the procedures developed for early morning reservations. Any exception to this must be approved by the Director or the Director's designee.

The first four hours per month that are reserved by a non profit organization are at no charge. The subsequent hours for the month are charged to the organization at the hourly rate shown below:

Schedule of Fees
	Entire Room	East Room, West Room, Archive
Community Groups/ Non–Profits (as defined by IRS)
	$20 per hour	$20 per hour

Commercial Groups/ Business Groups
Open hours:	$40 per hour	$20 per hour
Early hours:	$52 per hour	$42 per hour

If a group reserves the Large Meeting Room for consecutive days and would like to leave materials in the room, an overnight reservation may be made for $20 per evening.

The Library may assess 50% of the reservation fee if a group does not utilize its reserved time or if a cancellation is made less than 7 calendar days prior to the reserved meeting.

All equipment must be scheduled in advance. Fees are charged as specified in the equipment policy, and a valid library card is required for use of some of the equipment.

Reservation Process

Meeting rooms may be scheduled up to six months in advance. Meeting rooms are scheduled with the meeting room coordinator or the Johnston Public Library. Each reservation must include the name, address, and phone number of the contact person. An organization must notify the library of any change in the contact person. Anyone under the age of 18 must have an adult complete the meeting room application, and adult supervision must be provided during meeting room use.

Meeting room requests must be made in writing. An online reservation form is available on the Johnston Public Library website. If a requesting party does not have access to the website, a written form is available at the Library.

Following receipt of the written request, the library will confirm the meeting room reservation via e–mail and/or telephone.

The Library provides dataline and wireless access. These resources are shared by customers throughout the rest of the building, as well as customers using the meeting room. The Library provides a high speed line and multiple access points to boost the signal, but capacity issues may arise if a large number of users all access these systems simultaneously. While we monitor our systems closely, guarantees are not implied for wireless compatibility or for uninterrupted wireless service when groups are using the meeting rooms. If wireless access is an important element of a meeting, please inform the Library's meeting coordinator so optimum uses of the wireless system can be determined.

Policy for Conference and Study Rooms

The conference rooms seat 4-6 people, and the study rooms seat 2 people. The rooms are free of charge during regular library hours. These rooms are generally available on a first–come, first–served basis; however, reservations for one of the conference rooms may be made with the library staff and may be booked no more than 30 days in advance. Suggested usage is a maximum of two hours. The Library reserves the right to limit usage that violates the purposes of the Library's policies.

Johnston Library

Related Sites

Homeland Security

Weather

Policies & Reservations

Purpose of Policy

Policy for Community Meeting Room and Archive Room

Reservation Process

Policy for Conference and Study Rooms

Johnston Public Library Meeting Room Application