Public Services – 318
Approved by the Board of Trustees February 26, 2026

ST. JOSEPH PUBLIC LIBRARY
MEETING ROOM POLICY

PURPOSE
Fulfilling St. Joseph Public Library’s (SJPL) mission to offer a place for community interactions, meeting rooms are available to groups for gatherings or meetings which foster personal growth, and further community relations.

POLICY

Requirements for Use of Room
• SJPL meeting rooms are available for community use, free of charge. Rooms are available for organizations, government agencies, and groups engaged in educational, intellectual, charity, advocacy, civic, cultural, political, religious, hobby, and other activities involving personal growth, recreation, or service.

• Reservation of rooms is mandatory, and dates may be reserved no fewer than 24 hours and no more than 90 days in advance, with a limit of three reservations at a time.

• Meeting room users should notify SJPL of any cancellations no fewer than 24 hours in advance. Failure to do so may result in suspension of meeting room privileges.

• Arriving more than 30 minutes late for a scheduled reservation may result in forfeiture of that reservation and could result in the suspension of meeting room privileges.

• Any individual, group, or organization using an SJPL Meeting Room must affix an age-appropriate designation to any publication, website, or advertisement used to publicize their activity. This age designation must also be noted on the room reservation.

• Due to the public nature of the meeting rooms, reservation requests shall not be protected as library circulation transactions but treated as public records and subject to the Missouri Sunshine Law.

• Programs involving the sale, advertising, or promotion of commercial products or services are prohibited. Programs listed or presented as informational, educational, or instructional must remain so, and presenters shall make no direct solicitation of attendees to secure clients or customers for their commercial purpose.

• Library spaces are not available as party venues.

• Fundraising events are not permitted without the prior approval of the Board of Trustees, given at a regularly scheduled Board Meeting.

• Fees may not be charged for attendance at programs. Programs requiring partial reimbursement for the actual costs of providing the program will be reviewed by the Director on a case-by-case basis for possible exemption from the rule prohibiting fees.
• SJPL will make no effort to censor or amend the content of a meeting in an SJPL facility. Use of SJPL meeting rooms does not imply advocacy or endorsement by SJPL staff or Board of Trustees of the viewpoints presented.

• According to Collection Development – 512 Reconsideration Policy of Library Materials, Programs, Events, or Displays, use of the meeting room by an individual or group may be challenged by any member of the library district using the SJPL Patron Challenge to: Library Materials, Programs, Events, or Displays form.

Room Availability
• SJPL programs maintain top priority in reserving rooms. Should a programming conflict occur, SJPL will make every attempt to promptly reschedule the cancelled reservation to a comparable location or alternate time/date.

• All reservations are subject to alteration or denial for any reason the SJPL Director, Branch Manager, or the SJPL Board of Trustees deems appropriate. Contact the SJPL Administrative offices at 816-232-4038 to appeal any denial.

• Reservation times must begin within regular SJPL hours and must end 15 minutes before the library closes.

• It is suggested that any required audio-visual equipment be requested at the time of the room reservation. SJPL cannot provide operators for this equipment. If SJPL equipment is to be used, the individual operating the equipment must make arrangements with staff, at a time convenient to staff, to receive basic training on use of the equipment prior to that use.

Meeting Room Regulations
• Groups and individuals using rooms are required to adhere to all SJPL policies.

• The person reserving the room or their named designee must notify library staff when they arrive and when they leave.

• Groups are responsible for meeting the requirements and for providing requested accommodations for meetings or programs under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

• Groups who use the library rooms may serve light refreshments. Notify staff if food is going to be served. Alcoholic beverages are prohibited without the prior approval of the Board of Trustees, given at a regularly scheduled Board Meeting.

• Damages to SJPL’s premises, equipment, or furnishings as a result of meeting room use will be charged to the group responsible. The group or organization and its members, jointly and severally, will assume and bear full responsibility for loss of, or injury, or damage to, any property of SJPL caused or inflicted by the organization, its members, affiliated persons, guests, or invitees. Representatives of the group may inform the library staff at the end of their meeting that they have cleaned the room and request an inspection. Library staff will inspect the room as soon as possible.
• All individuals, groups, or organizations using SJPL facilities take the premises “AS IS” and assume all risks of injury, including death or property damage, to individuals, members of the group, organization, event participants, and event spectators which might arise out of activities of the group or out of the conditions present in the facilities.

• All individuals, groups or organizations using SJPL facilities shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless SJPL, its officials, agents, and employees from and against any and all claims, suits, actions of any kind, arising and resulting and accruing from any act, omission, or error of the individual, organization or group resulting in personal injuries (including death) or property damage arising from or related to the individual’s, organization’s, or group’s use of the library meeting room or presence on the SJPL property.

 

*Policy previously approved 7/20/2023