MEETING ROOM & FACILITY USE

Morse Conference Room and Meeting Spaces

The Colusa County Library encourages public use of its meeting facilities in keeping with the Library's mission "to maintain and improve the lives of all county residents by providing information and resources to enhance and contribute to individual knowledge and an increased quality of life."

The Meeting Room Policy establishes general guidelines and procedures for the use of the Library's meeting rooms. While these guidelines and procedures are intended to be comprehensive, other guidelines and rules may be identified and enforced, on a case-by-case basis, as the County Librarian deems necessary under specific circumstances, as they may arise.

The County Librarian, or their designee, shall have the authority to end meetings and/or clear/close Meeting Rooms, as they deem necessary, to protect the health, safety and welfare of individuals and property, and to maintain proper use of the Library facilities.

Use of library meeting rooms by any group signifies acceptance of the terms of this Policy.

Uses

Meeting rooms at the Colusa County Library are designed to meet general informational, educational, cultural, and civic needs including activities such as discussion groups, panels, lectures, conferences, seminars, films, etc.

Fees

There is no charge for meeting room use.

No Endorsement

Use of the Library's meeting rooms by participants does not constitute Library or County of Colusa endorsement of materials (written, audio, etc.), opinions, or viewpoints of attendees or participants. Advertisements or announcements implying such endorsements are not permitted.

Access for All

Groups utilizing the library building, do so with no expectation of privacy. All meetings and activities are subject to oversight by library staff. Illegal activities will not be permitted, and will result in the group being asked to leave or the proper legal authority called.

Restrictions

Meeting rooms may not be used for:

Social gatherings such as showers, birthday parties, dances, family reunions, etc.
Religious services (religious study groups and political forums are permitted)
Political campaigns
Solicitation, admission or other charges, money-raising activities, and/or sales are not allowed. This guideline is waived for all library related programs or library fundraising activities.
All meeting rooms are closed on Sunday, official Colusa County holidays and other designated dates.
County or Library needs may preempt any other scheduled event.
Conference room can only be reserved during normal library operating hours per the "Reservation" procedure noted below; unless otherwise approved by the County Librarian.
Smoking, tobacco products and alcoholic beverages are not allowed

Reservations

Requests for reservation forms for a meeting room or conference room may be obtained by telephone, in person or in writing. Requests will be honored on a first-come, first-served basis.

A completed reservation form must be on file 48 hours prior to the meeting. Forms are available at the library. Completed forms must be submitted in person.
Reservations are accepted up to six months in advance. Only one reservation can be submitted at a time. Only library or library related groups, or County of Colusa employees, in the course and scope of their employment, can reserve a meeting room for more than one month at a time.
To provide an opportunity for all groups to use the meeting rooms, a group may use a meeting room only once each month, and may reserve only one meeting room for use at the same time. The County Librarian must approve exceptions to this rule in advance.
Notice of cancellation should be made as soon as possible. After 30 minutes a group forfeits its reservation if it fails to appear as scheduled.
Groups may not assign their reservations to other groups.

Care and Use of Facilities

Organizations and their representatives/members are responsible for their own set-up and cleaning of the meeting room. Chairs and tables are to be replaced in the set-up arrangement. No set-up or take-down or cleaning will be provided by the Library.

Meeting rooms are to be left as they are found. If the furniture is rearranged, it should be returned to the original arrangement at the end of the meeting.
Furniture and/or equipment from the main area of the library may not be brought into the meeting rooms.
Personal furniture or equipment may be provided by a group with prior approval. Arrangements for the use of personal furniture or equipment should be made at the time reservations are made.
Equipment, supplies, or personal effects cannot be stored or left in Library meeting rooms before or after use. The Library and County is not be responsible for materials, equipment, supplies or the personal effects of those using the Meeting Rooms.
Keep all exits unlocked at all times. Open aisles must be maintained within the seating arrangements to provide clear access to the exits.
Public entrances are to be used for entrance to and exit from the building, and for all deliveries.
No announcements or notices to publicize an activity may be posted or distributed without prior approval from the County Librarian.
Attendance at meetings will be limited to the capacity of the individual meeting rooms as posted therein. Seating and/or supplementary furniture are not allowed in corridors outside the meeting rooms.
Simple refreshments including coffee, doughnuts, box or sack lunches, may be served, but kitchen facilities or equipment will not be provided by the Library.
All trash resulting from the serving of refreshments must be removed by the organization and thrown in the dumpster on the east side of the building.
The individual making the reservation, as well as the membership of the group as a whole, will be held responsible for any and all damages and losses that may occur as a result of the use of the facilities.
Permission to use Library meeting rooms may be withheld from groups failing to comply with the Meeting Room Policy and from any group that damages the room, carpet, equipment, or furniture or causes a disturbance.

Bulletin Boards

Bulletin boards are provided by the Colusa County Library as a community service to publicize local groups, meetings, cultural events, non-partisan political groups, fundraising events for nonprofit organizations, educational opportunities (educational or instructional opportunities may be posted, regardless of whether they are of a for-profit or nonprofit nature), or other services that are of a nonprofit nature.

The library's bulletin boards and display areas are designed and intended to directly aid and supplement the primary activities of the Library and the County of Colusa. All Library and/or County activities will take precedence over non-library activities, publications or displays. Items may be rejected for lack of space.

The bulletin board is not to be used for advertising for commercial purposes, including but not limited to personal ads, campaign literature, baby-sitting and garage sales.

The date items are received will be date stamped by library Staff and the items will be removed after two weeks, when they are no longer timely or when space is required for more current items.

Items posted on library bulletin boards can be seen by all patrons who walk into the building. The displaying and placement of any exhibit is at the sole discretion of the County Librarian.

Members of the public are not permitted to post notices. Only authorized library personnel may post notices on the library bulletin board. Any notice to be considered for posting must be submitted to Library Management for approval. Notices posted without authorization will be removed.

The library does not advocate or endorse the viewpoints of organizations permitted to post notices on the Library bulletin board. The Library accepts no responsibility for loss or damage to any item accepted for posting. All posted items are discarded after they are removed.

Failure to comply with these rules may result in denial of future posting privileges.

Display Cases

The Colusa County Library provides glass display case in some libraries for displays of interest, information and enlightenment to the community. Individuals, organizations or community groups engaged in educational, cultural, intellectual or charitable activities are encouraged to use the library's display case. Any individual, organization or community group wanting to use the display case must complete an application and agree to the terms of this Policy. Displays are available to anyone who visits the library. The displaying and placement of any exhibit is at the sole discretion of the County Librarian.

The Colusa County Library is not responsible for the preservation, protection, damage to or theft of any item displayed. All items placed in the library are done so at the owner's risk. Use of the display case indicates acceptance of this Policy.

The Colusa County Library reserves the right to deny or accept the contents of each display and/or to remove items at the end of the display period. The Colusa County Library does not advocate or endorse the viewpoints of individuals, organizations or community groups or their displays.

Materials from for-profit organizations used to sell products are not allowed in Library displays.