Meeting Room Use

The Meeting Room of the West Bend Public Library is available to meet general informational, educational, cultural and civic purposes.  Use of the library’s meeting room does not constitute library or the City of West Bend endorsement or approval of viewpoints expressed by participants in the program.

Meeting Room Use Guidelines

  1. The meeting room is available for the public on a first-come, first-served basis for use at times that do not conflict with daily operations of the library or library programming.
  2. Meeting rooms are primarily for nonprofit use, non-commercial, non-political, and non-religious.  Exceptions may be made for meetings that have a positive impact on the community of West Bend.
  3. All nonprofit meetings shall be open to the public and not limited to membership of the group or organization sponsoring the meeting.
  4. Programs and promotion of library services or by the City of West Bend for city sponsored events will have priority for meeting room use.  Meeting rooms may not be reserved exclusively for exhibition or display purposes.
  5. No money or goods may be exchanged in the course of meeting room use and no fees may be charged for attending the meeting.
  6. No solicitation for future sales is permitted without prior approval by library administration
  7. Refreshments are welcome.  Groups or individuals are encouraged to bring their own supplies, including but not limited to paper products, coffee, and decorations.  The meeting room has limited dishware and silverware available as well as a coffee pot, all of which need to be clean and dry before leaving the meeting room or placed back in storage. 
  8. There is no charge for use of the meeting room, although donations are accepted. 

User Responsibilities

  1. Any materials promoting an event or meeting held in the library meeting room (for example, flyers or posters) may list the library as the location by may not imply library sponsorship, unless pre-arranged as a co-sponsor event with the library.
  2. Library property stored in the meeting room, including chairs, shall not be removed or transferred to other areas without prior approval from staff.
  3. Set up and tear down are the responsibility of the user
  4. After a meeting, the user should leave the room in its standard arrangement, clean tables and floor as needed and dispose of any trash containing food or beverage products in the outdoor trash receptacle behind the library.  There is a meeting room cleanup check list available in the meeting room for reference.
  5. Music or other audio should be limited in volume as to not disturb other library users.
  6. Meetings will not generally be scheduled before or after hours.   After hour usage is at the discretion of the library director, and if approved, arrangements for keys to the building will need to be made prior to the event. 

Non-Qualifying Meeting Room Uses

  1. Political campaign purposes (political forums and listening posts are permitted)
  2. Weddings, showers, reunions or individual/private parties, banquets
  3. Commercial use where personal or business profits are the chief aid of the meeting
  4. Selling or fund-raising is prohibited except for events that benefit the library

 

Please Note:  The West Bend Public Library does not discriminate or condone discrimination against any person on the basis of race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, housing status, ability or ethnicity.  Granting permission for the meeting room does not constitute endorsement or any group’s or affiliated groups’ viewpoints.  Iowa’s Civil Rights laws forbid discrimination on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion or disability.

The library reserves the right to refuse use of the room to individuals or groups who do not adhere to library policies or meeting room terms of use or are disruptive to normal library operations.  The library director or designee shall have final authority regarding use of the library meeting room

 

Revised January 2011

Reviewed September 2014

Revised March 2019

Revised October 2022

Revised February 2026