Meeting Room Policy

The Wichita Falls Public Library welcomes public use of its meeting facilities in keeping with the Library’s mission to “address educational, informational, and cultural needs” of the community.

The Meeting Room Policy establishes guidelines and a procedure for the use of the Library’s meeting facilities.

Signing a contract and/or use of the Library meeting rooms by any group signifies acceptance of the terms of this policy.

General Guidelines

The meeting rooms are available with payment of non-refundable usage fee to any group or nonprofit organization. The usage fee will be waived only for Library or City sponsored groups. All room use fees are due prior to reservation confirmation.

Use of the Library’s meeting rooms does not constitute Library or City of Wichita Falls endorsement of viewpoints expressed by participants. Advertisements or announcements implying such endorsement are not permitted.

No group may use the Library address as its own mailing address or as its headquarters in any advertisement except for the Library Advisory Board, the Friends of the Library, and any future Library foundation.

Solicitation, admission or other charges, money-raising activities and/or sales are not allowed with the exception of Friends of the Library activities.

The program and meeting needs of the Library or City may preempt any other scheduled event and will take precedence over meeting room requests from other groups. A reservation may be cancelled to accommodate the City or Library needs.

Meetings other than City or Library sponsored must be held during the regular hours of the Library, 9-8 Monday-Friday and 9-5 Saturday. No meetings will be scheduled during Library holidays or on Sundays.

All groups, which include children, must provide adequate adult supervision at all times. The Library will not act as a childcare facility for children during meetings.

Meeting rooms will not be scheduled for social events (including but not limited to, weddings, wedding receptions, private parties, and religious services.)

Tobacco use and alcoholic beverages are not allowed.

Simple refreshments including coffee, doughnuts, box or sack lunches, may be served, however, the Library does not provide kitchen facilities or equipment.

Final authority and responsibility for the use of the Library’s meeting rooms rests with the Library Administrator.

The individual making the reservation, as well as the membership of the group as a whole, will be held liable for any and all damages that occur as the 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/or from any group that damages the room, floor, equipment, or furnishings, or causes a disturbance.

Groups using the room agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Wichita Falls Public Library and the City of Wichita Falls, its agents and representatives, from any and all suits, actions, claims, or demands of any character or nature arising out of or brought on account of any injuries or damages sustained by any person as a consequence or result of the use of the room, its furnishings, or equipment.

Reservations

Reservations must be made by an adult with picture ID.

Requests for use of a meeting room may be made in person, by telephone, or by mail. Requests must be made a minimum of 72 hours in advance. Requests will be honored on a first-come, first-served basis.

Before a reservation is confirmed, the Library must be provided with a signed Meeting Room Agreement and the non-refundable usage fee 72 hours prior to required date of use.

Notice of cancellation should be made as soon as possible. If a group fails to appear within 30 minutes after its scheduled time, the reservation will be canceled. If a group fails to appear twice without providing adequate cancellation notice, all previously scheduled future times will be cancelled.

Groups may not assign their reservations to other groups.

Care and Use of the Facilities

Meeting room set-up is the responsibility of the user group. Items to be displayed cannot be taped or tacked to walls or furnishings.

Meeting rooms will be left as they are found; if furniture is rearranged, it must be returned to the original placement at the end of the meeting.

With prior notification, a group may provide personal furniture and/or equipment and/or displays. Such arrangements should be made at the time of scheduling and noted on the contract. The Library assumes no responsibility for any personal furniture, equipment, or materials on display. The sponsoring group must provide any supervision or security necessary.

Library staff will not aid in furniture and/or equipment arrangement, nor will it accept deliveries of such.

Groups with monthly reservations may not store equipment and supplies in meeting rooms for future use; the Library will not assume responsibility for any items left in the meeting rooms.

All exits must remain unlocked at all times. Open aisles must be maintained within the seating arrangements to provide clear access to exits for safety reasons.

Public entrances must be used for entrance to and exit from the building, except in emergency situations, and for all deliveries.

Announcements or notices to publicize a meeting at the Library may not be posted in the building without prior approval from Library Administration.

Attendance at meetings will be limited to the capacity of the individual meeting rooms as listed at the end of this policy. Seating and/or supplementary furniture are not allowed in corridors outside the meeting room without prior approval.

The group must remove ALL trash resulting from the meeting; any group leaving the room littered with trash, with spills on the floor, or in general disarray will be required to put up a refundable cleaning deposit of $50 before any future reservations will be confirmed. Said cleaning deposit refunded when inspection of meeting room is finalized with the Library Administrator.

Available Meeting Rooms, Capacities, and Usage Fees

Room 205…………………………………….…………...250*………. $35.00
Room 203…………………………………………………. 35*………. $20.00
Room 204…………………………………………………. 35*………. $20.00
Library Conference Room…………………………………15*…….… $10.00

*Capacity will depend on seating arrangements.

Groups reserving the rooms are responsible for staying within the approved capacity of the room.

Three study rooms are also available in the Library on a first-come-first-served basis. Each of these study rooms seats six (6) persons. The library asks that no food or drink be consumed in these rooms.

Contact

Call the Library at 767-0868 ext. 234 for information about reservations or e-mail us at ref@wfpl.net ..