In keeping with its mission, Multnomah County Library offers meeting room space to the public for educational, cultural, civic and recreational purposes, subject to the rules outlined below.
Multnomah County Library supports and endorses the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights.
Meeting room use rules
- Library or Multnomah County programs and sponsored events have priority in the use of meeting room space. The library reserves the right to reschedule confirmed meeting room reservations to accommodate library-sponsored programs and events.
- Reservations of meeting rooms may be made up to one month in advance. If your request is less than 72 hours away, please call the library during open hours to reserve. Use is granted on a first-come, first-served basis. Use of the meeting rooms may be limited to once per month for each group, due to limited meeting room space.
- All meetings must be open to the public.
- No admission fees may be charged or solicited. No donations of money or other property may be solicited or collected from the audience. No promotions or sales of services, products, merchandise, materials or other items are allowed. The Constitution of Oregon, Article XI, Section 9, precludes a government agency like the library from providing financial aid to private enterprise absent a clear public purpose.
- Sales of services, products, merchandise, materials or items or solicitations for donations authorized pursuant to a library-sponsored program or event, or on behalf of the Friends of the Library or The Library Foundation, are permitted.
- As described in number 4 above, commercial use of library meeting rooms is generally not permitted. However, a commercial entity or professional practitioner may use a library meeting room to provide an educational program open to the general public related to his or her field of expertise. In such a case, an educational opportunity offered by an expert provides benefit to the public. During such a program, no attempt may be made to sell, at the time of the program or in the future, a specific product or service offered by the entity or practitioner or any other commercial interest. Therefore, the individual or entity offering the program may not hand out business cards or brochures promoting any business, product or service and may not solicit personal information (names, addresses, phone numbers, etc.) from the program participants, either as part of a pre-registration process or during the program itself.
- Musical recitals and individual practice sessions are not permitted. Rooms may not be used for birthday and anniversary parties, weddings, funerals, or other personal celebrations.
- Neighborhood library meeting rooms in locations that do not have quiet study rooms may not be reserved as "quiet rooms" but may be used as such on a drop-in basis if not in use.
- Meeting rooms are available during hours when the library is open. Meetings must adjourn 15 minutes before closing time.
- Light refreshments may be served, but groups may not prepare food on library property. Groups are responsible for cleanup.
- In publicizing a meeting to be held in a library meeting room, the sponsoring group must be clearly identified. Groups must not imply library sponsorship of their program or organization in their publicity.
- With prior approval, groups may post signs in library-approved locations.
- Tables and chairs are available at each location. No other equipment is provided. The group is responsible for setting up, rearranging, and taking down tables and chairs. Meeting rooms must be left clean, in good repair and in the same condition as found. Any group that damages library property will be liable for costs incurred in connection with such damage and may lose the privilege of using meeting rooms in the future.
- The library is not responsible for theft of or damage to property brought into a library meeting room.
- An adult age 18 or older must complete the Library Meeting Room reservation form, and at least one adult age 18 or older must be present when youth groups use the meeting rooms.
- Each group is responsible for ensuring that attendance at its meeting does not exceed the maximum occupancy for the meeting room as set by the Fire Marshal.
- All groups, clubs, entities or individuals using a library meeting room must comply with these rules and with the Multnomah County Library rules. Failure to comply with the rules may lead to immediate termination of the meeting, exclusion of individuals from library premises pursuant to the rules, and/or loss of future meeting room use privileges.
Any applicant denied use of a library meeting room may appeal the denial in writing to the location services director. The director will review the application and respond in writing to the applicant.
Meeting room use by other government agencies (e.g., city, county, state and federal)
The library makes its meeting rooms available for use by other government agencies, or their contractors, when possible. Library and county programs and sponsored events have priority for use of meeting room space, and demand by the public for meeting room space may also affect how frequently library meeting rooms are available to other government agencies. Use by other government agencies is subject to the above rules, with some exceptions:
- Reservations of meeting rooms may be made up to four months in advance.
- Meetings booked by other government agencies do not need to be open to the public.
- If the public will attend a meeting, meeting rooms are available to other government agencies during hours when the library is open. Agencies holding meetings open only to their own staff may be approved to use the meeting room during hours the library is staffed but not open to the public. An agency that wishes to use a library meeting room during hours the library is not staffed will be referred to the Location Services Director.