Meeting Rooms

 

  • Shotmeyer Room - front view

Policy Statement
The Library will make its meeting rooms available for use by qualifying persons, entities and organizations subject to availability in order to fulfill its mission as a community center and facilitator for lifelong learning. The use of the meeting rooms for the Library’s own purposes shall have priority over all other uses or applications for their use.

This Policy governs the rights and responsibilities of qualified parties outside of the Library wishing to use the Library’s meeting rooms and/or facilities.

Permissible Activities
1. The Library shall allow persons, entities and organizations to use the meeting rooms (Shotmeyer, Monroe, History) for events with an educational, cultural, intellectual, or charitable purpose (“permissible activities”). The following shall not be considered permissible activities under this policy: any commercial activity, political fundraising, political promotion, and/or campaigning by or for a candidate for elected office, the presentation or promotion of obscene or sexually explicit content, and any illegal activity. The Library will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, disability, age, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or any other protected status or demographic characteristic, or based on political belief, association, or preference, in determining whether a requested event constitutes a permissible activity.
2. In allowing a group to use a room, the Library, the Board of Trustees, and its staff do not advocate or endorse the viewpoints of any users and/or event(s) held in or using the Library’s meeting rooms and/or facilities. No group shall, in any of its publicity, state or suggest that Wyckoff Free Public Library, the Board of Trustees, Board members individually, the Town of Wyckoff, or Library staff, in any way sponsor or endorse the group, the program or activity, or any particular set of ideas.

Application Process
1. Applications shall be made online through the Library’s website. All required information must be submitted before the application can be considered. Applicants are encouraged to provide any additional information about the event (brochures, etc.) that will assist in the approval process. Applications are not transferable to other groups or individuals.
2. Reservations for meeting rooms may be made up to six (6) months in advance, but not later than (2) weeks in advance of the requested event date.
3. Applicants shall agree to hold harmless, defend and indemnify the Wyckoff Public Library, the Library Board of Trustees, the Township of Wyckoff, and all of their respective employees, appointed and elected officials, contractors, agents, volunteers and representatives, from and against any and all claims, loss, liability, damage and expense for property damage or personal injury, including death, or on any other basis, which might arise from the applicant’s use of the Library’s meeting rooms and/or facilities.
4. Applicants must maintain or obtain liability insurance of at least $1 Million covering the event and the user, and the insurance must name Wyckoff Public Library as additional insured for purposes of the event. Each user must provide evidence of liability insurance to the Director, or their designee, at least three (3) business days prior to the date of the event. The Library will not allow any event to go forward unless the approved applicant provides satisfactory proof of insurance in advance of the scheduled usage.
5. Payment for meeting room use is due when the application is approved. Payment can be made by check or cash.
6. In the event that the Library relocates or modifies a room reservation, any difference in the room rate will be returned to the reserving party.
7. By completing the room application, the user agrees to comply with all terms of this policy.

Room Use Guidelines
1. All events allowed under this policy must be open to the public. Any person seeking admission to such events shall be admitted thereto, provided the room capacity is not exceeded. 
2. No use of the Library, including use of any meeting rooms, is permitted that will interfere with effective use of the Library by the general public or the regular operation of the library. All attendees are required to comply with the Library’s Patron Rules of Conduct. 
3. Access to the meeting rooms shall be provided on an equal opportunity basis. Consideration for access to a meeting room shall not be withheld based on age, race, color, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, affectional or sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy or breastfeeding, marital status, civil union or domestic partnership status, veteran’s status, or other status protected by law. Any and all proposed uses of a meeting room are subject to the approval of the Library, which reserves the right to deny permission to any individual or group for any lawful reason. 
4. It is not permissible to solicit or charge admission, tuition, sales (except for regular club dues) or engage in other money-raising activities while using a Library meeting room. With the advanced approval of the Library, groups may accept voluntary donations for a charitable or educational cause. Attendance at all such events must be FREE of charge.
5. No individual or group using a Library meeting room may peddle, hawk, sell or offer for sale any services, goods, ware or merchandise for profit, nor may any person operate a commercial business from a Library meeting room. With advanced approval by the Library, the sale of books by an author may be allowed.
6. People attending a program or activity in a Library meeting room may not leave their children under age 11 unsupervised in the Library. 
7. The following are not permitted in the meeting rooms and all other areas of the Library and premises: smoking or other use of tobacco or any other substance; candles or other lit flames; alcoholic beverages, cannabis/marijuana, or controlled dangerous substances, as defined in N.J.S.A. 24:21-2; gambling or games of chance; weapons, other than armed security personnel approved in advance by the Library, and armed law enforcement personnel.
8. Any promotional material created to announce an event in the Library by an unaffiliated individual or group must include the following language: “This event is neither sponsored nor endorsed by the Wyckoff Free Public Library.” All advertisements and notices must clearly designate the sponsoring organization. Advertising materials may include the location address, but not the Library’s likeness, logo, phone number, or email address. The Library will not market or promote events that are not Library-sponsored programs or activities. The Library requires pre-approval of promotional materials, prior to use and distribution by the reserving party, to ensure compliance with these requirements. 
9. No group using a Library meeting room may distribute any unapproved or inappropriate materials or solicit materials that are commercial in nature, political fund-raising, supportive of a candidate’s or candidates’ political election campaign(s), or which are lewd, vulgar, pornographic, obscene, sexually explicit, discriminatory (based on Protected Status), or otherwise violate municipal, state and/or federal law, and are not considered protected free speech under state and/or federal law.
10. Meeting rooms are available for use during Library hours. Meetings are permitted to start before the Library opens or after it closes; however, special requests for before or after hours uses require prior, written approval by the Board of Trustees. 
11. No organization/individual may refer to the Library as their permanent meeting place. No organization/individual may use a Library room more than four (4) times in one month and twelve (12) times in any calendar year.
12. Use of a meeting room is limited to the purpose described in the reservation application. Any change of use must be provided, in writing, and approved, in writing, at least 12 hours in advance by the Library Director. The Director may cancel any reservation, in writing, within 12 hours of the scheduled start, for non-compliance with the terms of this policy. 
13. Refreshments may be served. Items to be served must be stated in the application. The Library does not provide serving utensils, dishes or drinking vessels. The user must provide their own cleanup. Set-up is permitted one hour before the program and cleanup must be performed immediately upon completion of the program. 
14. All users must leave a meeting room in the condition in which it was found. This includes cleaning up if food or beverages were served, washing any soiled surfaces, removing leftovers and supplies, throwing trash and recycling in provided receptacles, and turning off lights. Additional charges may be assessed for required extra cleanup by the Library’s custodial staff.

Use of Meeting Rooms by Children or Teens
1. Any group of minors who wish to reserve a meeting room must be supervised by at least one adult over eighteen (18) years old. The adult must reserve the room and be responsible for the group. 
2. Any group who wishes to reserve a meeting room for use by children under age twelve (12) must include one (1) adult for every eight (8) children. 

Cancellations
1. A user which cancels its meeting must inform Library staff no less than twenty-four (24) hours prior to the approved starting time, not including weekend days. In order to receive a full refund, library staff must be informed of a cancellation no less than three (3) business days prior to the approved usage date. Meeting room fees may be carried forward to a rescheduled date one time only. If it is necessary to cancel a rescheduled date only 25% of the meeting room fee will be refunded and no further dates may be rescheduled. The Library reserves the right to deny meeting rooms to organizations that repeatedly cancel meetings.
2. If the Library is closed due to inclement weather or other emergency, use of a meeting room is automatically canceled. The meeting date can be rescheduled with no penalty or payment will be fully refunded. Reasonable efforts will be made to contact the reserving party; however, the reserving party should verify that the Library is open prior to the starting time of their reservation. Closings are recorded on the Library’s telephone answering system and its website.

Liability
1. Approved users assume all responsibility and liability for property damage or personal injury or loss sustained by any attendee and indemnifies and holds harmless the Wyckoff Free Public Library, the Library Board of Trustees, the Township of Wyckoff, and each of their respective employees and representatives, from any and all liability arising from the use of any meeting room, including the reasonable cost of attorneys’ fees and expenses incurred in the defense of any litigation instituted against the Library or the Township arising out of any use of a meeting room.
2. A reserving party must file a certificate showing liability insurance coverage of not less than $1,000,000, with the Library, and the certificate must name the Wyckoff Free Public Library as additional insured. If a group does not have insurance, an individual member must present a certificate of his or her homeowner’s insurance naming the Library as additional insured on behalf of the group. An individual or group seeking to use a room multiple times need file only one insurance certificate in any calendar year.
3. If damage is incurred to a room, the group will be expected to reimburse the Library for the cost of replacement/repair and may be denied future access to the meeting rooms.
4. An approved user using a meeting room after the Library is closed will be given a key to the front door and instructed in how to lock it. The user is responsible for locking the door and returning the key in the Library’s book deposit. A user, which fails to lock the building or return the key will incur a $25 additional charge, will be responsible to reimburse the Library for any damage which occurs as a result of not locking the door (to the extent not covered by insurance), and may be denied future access to the meeting rooms.

Rights Reserved
1. The Library reserves the right for final approval of all event plans. The Library reserves the right to limit the use of its program facilities and any activities, as it deems appropriate, within the parameters of this policy.
2. The Board of Trustees reserves the right to deny or cancel any room reservation whose purpose, or reserving party may jeopardize the reputation and/or good standing of the Library in the community.
3. The Board of Trustees may deny future permission to use a room to any individual or group that is disorderly, whose activities disrupt normal Library business, or who violate the rules and procedures of the Library, including those set out in this policy.
4. The Board of Trustees reserves the right to amend this policy at any time or to impose such additional regulations or restrictions as deemed necessary to protect the interests and property of the Wyckoff Free Public Library and its patrons and staff.

Enforcement/implementation: The Director is responsible for implementing and enforcing this Policy, in cooperation with the Board of Trustees. Approved by the Board of Trustees

Fee Schedule*

Type of Group History Room Monroe Room Shotmeyer Room
Wyckoff Gov’t Entity $0 $0 $0
Nonprofit Group,
Wyckoff Based
$25 for the first 4 hours, $10 for each additional hour $50 for the first 4 hours, $20 for each additional hour $90 for the first 4 hours, $40 for each additional hour
Nonprofit Group,
Outside Wyckoff
$50 for the first 4 hours, $25 for each additional hour $75 for the first 4 hours, $35 for each additional hour $115 for the first 4 hours, $55 for each additional hour
Private Group,
Wyckoff Based
$75 for the first 4 hours, $35 for each additional hour $100 for the first 4 hours, $50 for each additional hour $140 for the first 4 hours, $70 for each additional hour
Private Group,
Outside Wyckoff
$100 for the first 4 hours, $50 for each additional hour $125 for the first 4 hours, $60 for each additional hour $165 for the first 4 hours, $80 for each additional hour

*Fee schedule revised as of July 20, 2016. Rates to be applied to room use beginning September 2016.

Additional Fees
Use of kitchen: $15
Microphone: $15
Polycom: $15
Piano: $25
TV: $25
Projector/screen: $25

Description/Special Features of Meeting Rooms

Henry J. Shotmeyer, Jr., Room
Location: lower level
Maximum occupancy: 150 auditorium seating, 90 seated at tables 
Audiovisual capacities: Wi-Fi, cable TV connection, DVD player, ceiling-mounted projector, motorized screen, plug-in for laptop-based presentations, stereo speaker system, handheld and lavalier microphones, podium, stage, baby grand piano

James Monroe Room
Location: lower level
Maximum occupancy: 80 auditorium seating, 90 seated at tables
Audiovisual capacities: Wi-Fi, cable TV connection, DVD player, ceiling-mounted projector, motorized screen, plug-in for laptop-based presentations, three wall-mounted televisions with gaming systems

History Room
Location: mezzanine
Maximum occupancy: 12
Audiovisual capacities:  Wi-Fi, cable TV connection, wall-mounted TV, plug-in for laptop-based presentations, Polycom for audio conference calls. No food or drinks permitted. 

The History Room may also be used for quiet study, unless it’s reserved for a meeting/program. Check in at the reference desk.  Read the use policy >>

If any approved user wishes to use the audiovisual equipment in a meeting room and needs training in how to use it, a representative must make an appointment with a Library staff member during regular Library hours prior to the scheduled meeting or activity.

Adopted: August 20, 2012
Revised: April 20, 2022; June 21, 2023

Printable version of policy >>

Meeting room use application >>

Liability waiver >>