Auditoriums and meeting rooms are available to groups and organizations that meet the guidlines listed below.
Applications will be accepted for July through December 2012 at any St. Louis County Library location starting on Saturday, April 7, 2012.
(Adopted by Library Board on February 17, 1982. Revised November 15, 1989; September 18, 1993; October 19, 1998; September 23, 2002; November 18, 2002; June 18, 2007; May 18, 2009.)
The auditoriums and meeting rooms at St. Louis County Library facilities are intended primarily for use by the library for library meetings and library-sponsored programs. When not needed for these purposes, they are available for a fee, as set by the Library Board, to groups and organizations that meet the following guidelines:
No meetings shall cause undue interference with the operation of the library. Meetings shall not conflict with library-sponsored programs; in the event of such a conflict, the library program shall receive priority. THE LIBRARY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO RESCHEDULE CONFIRMED MEETING ROOM RESERVATIONS, WITH A MINIMUM OF 30 DAYS’ NOTICE, TO ACCOMMODATE LIBRARY-SPONSORED PROGRAMS AND EVENTS.
Groups shall be composed primarily of residents of the St. Louis County Library District. All juvenile groups must have adequate adult supervision.
Organizations shall be legal and not-for-profit.
Meetings shall be open to the public, and anyone attending such meetings shall be permitted to participate in the meetings. EXCEPTION: Agencies of any political subdivision of the state of Missouri may hold closed sessions required for the achievement of their defined goals.
There shall be no admission fees. A group may ask for voluntary contributions toward the meeting room fee charged by the library. All other collections or solicitations are prohibited.
No food, drink or refreshments shall be served. Smoking is prohibited.
Equipment or furniture belonging to any group shall not be stored in library buildings (without the written permission of the library; space, staff and activities of the library will determine whether storage is permitted). The library will not assume responsibility when materials, etc., are left on the premises.
Organizations using library-owned equipment shall assume financial responsibility for any damage to equipment while in their possession. It is agreed that the provisions of the Federal Tort Claims Act will control for federal agencies. Certain pieces of equipment are not available for public use.
Meetings shall be held during hours when the library is normally open to the public and shall be finished in sufficient time to vacate the buildings by the time the library is scheduled to close for the day. An additional fee will be charged if anyone remains in the room past normal closing time. In the event that a meeting is canceled, the library shall be notified so that this space may be made available to others. Meeting rooms are not available on Sundays.
Permission to use library meeting rooms is revocable and does not constitute a lease, nor does it imply that the library endorses the aims, policies, views or activities of the group, organization or person using the room.
The Board of Trustees of the St. Louis County Library shall be the final authority in granting or refusing permission for the use of the meeting facilities.
Failure to observe these rules may result in the denial of use of the meeting place by the organization concerned. Library staff will refer questions about the organization, other than day and time of meeting, to one of the contact persons named on the application.
The following is to clarify information about meeting room signup procedures at St. Louis County Library Headquarters, on the first Saturday in October for January - June meetings, and the first Saturday in April for July - December meetings.
The meeting room application form remains the same as in the past. Organizations are reminded to completely fill out the application; including dates, times, two contact names and phone numbers.
For each application submitted, library staff will complete a 3x5 card with the group's name to be entered into the lottery box.
Once the lottery drawing begins, all cards will be drawn and their position in the lottery recorded.
Group members are welcome to be present at the drawing, but attendance is not required. Scheduling will begin as soon as the lottery cards are selected. Confirmation or rescheduling will be handled in person or by telephone as quickly as possible. A final confirmation will be emailed to all groups.
Groups who require certain dates with little flexibility should be present at the drawing or be available by telephone on that date to discuss alternates if necessary. It is recommended that the contact person have second choice dates available, if needed.
For the benefit of all groups, Library staff will attempt to complete the registration process that day. In the event of a scheduling conflict, Library staff will make reasonable efforts to communicate with either name on the application to discuss alternate dates. The contact person will be asked to make second choices when called. If the Library staff has not reached a representative of the organization within 5 minutes, non-conflicting dates will be scheduled. Notifications of conflicted dates will be as follows: a copy of the application, with scheduled and conflicting schedules noted, will be mailed to the first person, with instructions on how to contact the Library for resolution.
To be included in the lotto drawing all applications need to be received at Headquarters by 9 p.m. the Wednesday prior to the first Saturday in October, and the Wednesday prior to the first Saturday in April.
Meeting Room applications received after 9:00 a.m., on the first Saturday in October and April will be taken on a first-come, first-served order. These will be scheduled immediately after all lottery groups have been completed.
Payment must be received within 14 days of the approval of a meeting room reservation, or the reservation will be canceled. If a group reserves several meeting dates at one time, payment for all dates must be received within 14 days of the approval of the reservations.
Refunds will be issued if reservations are canceled at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting time. Refunds are issued in the form of a check, which is sent via U.S. mail to the appropriate representative of the group. Refunds may also be applied to the fees for future meetings.
Meetings up to 3 hours in length: $10
Each additional 30 minutes or portion thereof: $2.50 (based on time reserved)
Additional charges if the room is not vacated completely by library closing:
$10 for the first 15 minutes
$25 for each additional 15 minutes
