Policies for Nesmith Library

Multipurpose Meeting Room

The Multipurpose Room in the Nesmith Library was designed to serve a variety of functions.  Primary among these is to facilitate the activities and programs of the Library and its volunteer arm, the Friends of the Library of Windham.  The room will also be available for general public use, when available, subject to the following policies: 

The Nesmith Library makes the Multipurpose Room available to Windham governmental departments and Windham non-profit organizations and Windham community groups and Windham clubs which are engaged in educational, cultural, intellectual and/or charitable activities. The Multipurpose Room is not available for private gatherings, money raising activities, commercial purpose or for the benefit of private individuals. Any program held in the room must be free of charge and open to the public. Any person shall be permitted to use recording devices, including, but not limited to, tape recorders, cameras and videotape equipment at such meetings.

Meetings must not be of a nature which would interrupt the normal functioning of the Library.

Only four (4) meetings may be scheduled during a calendar year for any group or organization.  Additional meetings by any group or organization may be scheduled at the discretion of the Library Director within a week of the proposed meeting date.

With the exception of the Friends of the Library, no organization using the Multipurpose Room may use the name of the Library or its address as its official address. Written approval must be sought from the Library Director for the use of the Nesmith Library as a sponsor or co-sponsor of any program. Allowing a program to be held in the facility implies no endorsement by the Library for the activity or the organization sponsoring it. 

The Multipurpose Room is available during library hours and after-hours use when it is not needed for library related purposes.  The Multipurpose Room is not available Sundays. It is accessible on a first-come first-served basis.  Library programs shall always take precedence over other uses; however, all reasonable efforts will be made to avoid canceling any groups previously scheduled. Due to the demands on the Multipurpose Room, the library cannot accommodate regular weekly or monthly meetings of any group, other than those directly related to the Nesmith Library.  The Multipurpose Room is available for occasional meetings by any group (as described in the second paragraph of this policy), and may be used for a series of educational programs if approved by the Library Director or his/her designee. 

The Library agrees that the premises shall be supplied with customary heat, lights, and electricity.  Any unusual electrical requirements require special permission of the Library.  Further, the Library will make available, to the extent available, tables and chairs which it has.

A written request should be made for use of the room at least two (2) business days prior to the intended use.  The Library Director or his/her designee may waive the two (2) days prior request. The sponsor of any program should immediately notify the Library of a cancellation.  The sponsor, or an acceptable delegate, requesting use of the Multipurpose Room shall read and sign the Appropriate Use form acknowledging that the group will abide by all the rules for use of the Multipurpose Room.  The sponsor or an acceptable delegate must be present before access to the room is allowed, and must be there during the entirety of the program.

The User shall be responsible for obtaining any local permits required to conduct its events. 

Smoking and the use of alcohol or drugs is prohibited in the library and the multipurpose room. 

Food and non-alcoholic drinks may be served in the Multipurpose Room. The kitchen facilities are available to all users of the Multipurpose Room.  The group sponsoring the program is responsible for restoring the kitchen to its previous condition. The group is responsible for set-up and breakdown of furniture in the Multipurpose Room, as well as clean-up.

Financial responsibility for any damages to the Multipurpose Room, its furnishings and equipment as well as personal injury to any person in attendance will rest solely on the sponsor of the program.

No property of the User shall be stored or kept on the premises without separate written permission of the Library.  The Library assumes no obligation with respect to the property of the User left with or without permission.

For statistical purposes, the sponsor of the program shall provide the Library with the number of persons in attendance.

 Adopted on this 1^st day of October, 2002 by the Nesmith Library Board of Trustees.