Meeting Rooms Policy
The Park Forest Public Library welcomes the use of its meeting rooms by nonprofit community organizations and individuals, free of charge, under conditions established by the Library Board of Trustees. The Library Board of Trustees reserves the right to cancel or reschedule all arrangements.
This policy applies to the large meeting room (hereinafter referred to as the Ringering Room), the two smaller rooms (hereinafter referred to as the Conference Room and The Lab) and two study rooms.
Terms of use
Priority Use
Priority for use will be given in the following order:
- Park Forest Public Library sponsored meetings or programs.
- Meetings or programs of all other Park Forest/Olympia Fields based nonprofit groups or organizations.
- Meetings or programs of all other non-Park Forest/Olympia Fields based nonprofit groups or organizations.
- Informal groups are permitted to use the study rooms, conference room, or the Lab by registering online or at the Information Zone desk.
Permitted Use
The meeting rooms are available for use by appropriate nonprofit groups and organizations.
Prohibited Use
The meeting rooms shall not be used by any group or individual for the following types of functions:
- Commercial ventures: A commercial venture is defined as an activity whose purpose is to promote or cause the sale of property, services, or merchandise for monetary gain or to raise funds. This includes commercially sponsored investment seminars, estate planning seminars, etc.
- Purely social functions: A purely social function is one designed for entertainment through companionship with friends and associates.
- Any activity which would interfere with proper functions of the library, such as those involving noise, a safety hazard, or a security risk.
Regulations
All meetings shall be free and open to the public. Meeting room users may not charge an admission fee, and any member of the public who wishes to attend a meeting must be allowed to do so. This in no way obligates the group or organization to notify the public of a meeting or to specify in any publicity that it is open to the public. The public may be excluded from the library’s administrative meetings and executive sessions of the Park Forest Public Library’s Board of Trustees, when such executive sessions are called in accordance with the provisions of the Illinois Open Meetings Act.
Meeting room users must leave the building by the library’s regular closing time. Therefore, meetings are required to conclude fifteen minutes prior to the library’s scheduled closing time to give group members sufficient time to put chairs back in place, visit washrooms, etc., before the library closes. Meeting room users may not enter the building before it opens to the public to prepare for the meeting; if set-up time is necessary, the meeting should be scheduled to begin late enough to allow set-up time after the library is open. Meeting room users must schedule enough time to complete all their set-up and clean-up activities so as to avoid conflicts with prior and subsequent meetings scheduled in the same room.
No library patron should be approached by any member of the group or organization to solicit attendance or to distribute literature.
Meeting room users will be responsible for arranging the furniture within the room to suit their activities and for returning furniture and equipment to their proper locations.
Smoking and the consumption of alcohol are not permitted.
Permission to use the room does not constitute endorsement of the subject matter of any meeting or of the sponsoring individual’s or organization’s beliefs and policies. Publicity for non-library sponsored meetings must in no way imply library sponsorship.
Meeting room users shall not use the library as their mailing address or telephone number.
Meeting room users shall be held responsible for willful or accidental damage to the library building, grounds or equipment caused by the registered user or organization and its members or those attending its program.
Meeting room users shall indemnify and hold harmless the Park Forest Public Library and its Board of Trustees and staff, and the Village of Park Forest and its Board of Trustees and staff, for any and all accidents which may be sustained on the premises.
Failure to comply with these regulations and the library’s Rules of Conduct will result in the loss of the use of the room.
Conference Room and the Lab
- The conference room or the Lab may be used by formally organized groups, organizations, or individuals as outlined in Section 1, Terms of Use of the Meeting Rooms.
- The Park Forest Fire Department occupancy limit for maximum number of people attending a meeting is decreed by the State Fire Marshall, and is posted in each room. (The conference room limit is 12 people. The Lab room limit is 20 people.)
- No food, drink, or music is permitted in the conference room or the Lab, which are not soundproof.
- Patrons under the age of 18 must have responsible adult supervision at all times when using the conference room and the Lab.
Ringering Room
- This room is intended for use by formally organized groups and organizations only and may not be booked for individual/group study or one-on-one tutoring. Individuals needing personal or group study space may apply to use one of the library’s study rooms or conference room.
- Organizations which began using the meeting rooms under previous editions of this policy may be permitted to continue their use under the terms of the previous policy, at the discretion of the Library Director or designee.
- The Park Forest Fire Department occupancy limit for maximum number of people attending a meeting in the Ringering Room is eighty (80) people.
Study Rooms
- The study rooms may be used by small groups or individuals.
- The Park Forest Fire Department occupancy limit is posted in each room. (Study Room 1 limit is 3 people. Study Room 2 limit is 2 people.)
- No food, drink, or music is permitted in the study rooms.
- Patrons under the age of 18 must have responsible adult supervision at all times when using the study rooms.
Reservations & Registration
Any group or organization may reserve a meeting room only one time per week. If additional usage is desired by the same group, this would have to be arranged on the day meeting room use is needed. This would be granted on a “first come, first served” basis in order to make the conference room and the Lab available to a greater number of community groups and organizations.
Conference Room and the Lab:
Obtaining permission to use the conference room or the Lab requires submission of a Meeting Room application. This application may be obtained online or at the library’s Information Zone desk. A completed and signed insurance waiver and statement of acceptance of the library’s Meeting Room Policy are required and will be kept on file with each application. The waiver needs to be completed the first time a group or individual is signing up for the room. An identification card must be demonstrated before room usage. The time limit will be two hours.
The conference room or the Lab may not be booked more than one month in advance. Anyone who twice fails to use the room during their reserved time, without advance cancellation, may have their future reservations cancelled.
Ringering Room:
Use of the Ringering Room is limited to formally organized nonprofit groups or organizations. Individuals may apply to use the conference room, the Lab, or the study rooms.
Obtaining permission to use the Ringering Room requires submission of a Meeting Room application. These applications may be obtained from the Building Coordinator or online. A completed and signed insurance waiver and statement of acceptance of the library’s Meeting Room Policy are required and will be kept on file with each application.
The Ringering Room may not be booked more than one year in advance. Anyone who twice fails to use the room during their reserved time, without advance cancellation, may have their future reservations cancelled.
Study Rooms:
Registration is required. An identification card must be demonstrated before room usage.
Rooms may be booked online or at the Information Zone desk.
The time limit will be two hours per day.
Rooms may not be booked more than two weeks in advance.
Equipment Usage
Ringering Room users may request use of the following equipment free of charge:
- Video Projector
- Microphone(s)
- Lectern
- Overhead Projector
- Automatic Projection Screen
- Laptop computer (Group must provide trained person to operate)
Users may supply their own other equipment or materials desired, within the confines of these regulations. Users will be required to operate all equipment themselves; if they need instruction in equipment use, they should arrange an appointment with the Building Coordinator or IT personnel for such instruction in advance, as staff may not be available to instruct or assist during meetings.
Meeting room users are responsible for any and all damage to equipment belonging to the Park Forest Public Library.
The library is not responsible for the loss of or damage to any equipment or materials owned and used by Ringering Room users.