Purpose of policy
The purpose of this policy is to guide the reservation and use of the Auditorium and Rooftop Terrace at East County Library in alignment with Multnomah County Library’s mission of empowering the community to learn and create.
Statement of Policy
When not in use by the library, the Auditorium and Rooftop Terrace are each offered as a rental space for larger gatherings, including lectures, workshops, performances and private events. The library is committed to providing access to spaces for gathering on an equitable basis regardless of the beliefs, values and affiliations of the individuals or groups requesting their use.
Permission to use the Auditorium or Rooftop Terrace does not in any way constitute the library’s endorsement of the individual, group, program or point of view expressed.
This policy is specific to the Auditorium and Rooftop Terrace at East County Library, see Community room reservations for information on other available spaces for community use at the library.
Reservations and Use Limitations
- The Auditorium is available to be rented for up to 8 hours during library open hours. The Rooftop Terrace is only available for up to 4 hours during designated hours and is only available June through October. See the Auditorium and Rooftop Terrace Reservations page for more information.
- The Auditorium and Rooftop Terrace are not available for use on Monday and Thursday.
- Reservation times include any setup, teardown and cleaning up of the space by the user. There is no early access to the spaces prior to the library opening for the day or if the space is in use prior to the reservation. To allow for staff cleaning and attendees to exit the building, events in the Auditorium must end 30 minutes before the library closes. Events on the Rooftop Terrace must end no later than 60 minutes before the library closes.
- Reservations must be requested at least 60 days in advance of the event date. Reservations may be requested up to six months before the event.
- Use is granted on a first-come, first-served basis. Use of these spaces is limited to one rental of either the Auditorium or the Rooftop Terrace once per month for each applicant, due to demand and limited availability. Multnomah County departments are limited to one rental of either space once a month for each department. A rental may include multiple days (up to 3 days total and must be back-to-back days) of the Auditorium or may be for both the Auditorium and Rooftop terrace. No multiple day rentals of the Rooftop Terrace, rented either in combination with the Auditorium or on its own, are allowed. Standing reservations are not allowed.
- All applicants must complete and submit an application through the Auditorium and Rooftop Terrace Reservations page; reservations are not final until the library has received from the user a signed license agreement, full payment, and certificate(s) of insurance at least 30 days prior to the event, and the library has also signed the license. An adult age 18 or older must complete the application form and license and be present during the reservation.
- A $50 nonrefundable application fee is required after initial acceptance of each application. If the application is approved, the $50 will be applied to the total rental fee.
- To receive nonprofit rental rates, the organization must submit proof of nonprofit status before it submits the signed license agreement.
- Reservations may be for events that are open (anybody that wishes to attend the event may) or private (not open to the public, only guests of the individual or organization are allowed in the event).
- Library programs and sponsored events have priority in the use of the Auditorium and Rooftop Terrace.
- Fundraising and acceptance of donations is only allowed for 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. Commercial activity is not allowed.
- Admission fees to events are not allowed, except as part of fundraising by 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations.
- Political advocacy for or against a candidate, initiative petition, referendum petition, recall petition, ballot measure, or political committee, including fundraising, is not allowed. For purposes of this restriction, political advocacy does not include a forum or debate that is open to all sides.
User Rules
Any individuals or entities using the Auditorium or Rooftop Terrace are responsible for complying with this policy, the library rules and any other library policies. Here are the rules for Auditorium and Rooftop Terrace use:
- Users must comply with all federal, state, and local laws and policies.
- An adult representative (age 18 or older) must be present during the reservation.
- Activities that create noise that cannot be contained within the Auditorium are not allowed. For the Rooftop Terrace, noise should not exceed the limits defined by the City of Gresham’s Noise Control Code (see section 7.20).
- Users may not state or imply that their event is hosted, sponsored or endorsed by Multnomah County Library or Multnomah County. To ensure that the library’s role is clear, materials promoting the event must include a disclaimer that states, “This event is not hosted, sponsored or endorsed by Multnomah County Library.”
- Users are responsible for ensuring that their use will not infringe on the intellectual property rights of others, including by securing performance rights and licensing for movies, music and other content created by others that is not in the public domain. The library is not liable for any violations of copyright law or other infringement of third party intellectual property rights by the users of the spaces.
- Users are responsible for ensuring that attendance at their events does not exceed the maximum occupancy for these spaces. See capacity information listed on the Auditorium and Rooftop Terrace Reservations page.
- The library is not responsible for theft of or damage to property brought to the Auditorium and Rooftop Terrace.
- Users will be responsible for costs from damage to library property.
Termination, refunds and loss of future use
Termination
After the reservation is finalized and the license is signed by the user and the library, the license may be terminated only for the reasons listed below:
- The user and the library both agree to terminate the license.
- Either the user or the library does not follow the terms of the license.
- The library determines that the user or their independent contractors, agents, employees, vendors, guests or invitees are violating library rules, library policies, or the license, which may result in immediate termination of the event.
- The library determines that a conflict or uncontrolled circumstances have arisen, including circumstances that disrupt library operations or create health or safety risks. That determination may be made prior to or during an event, which may result in immediate termination of the event.
If a license is terminated, the library will provide a partial refund through the original payment method only if the library and the user agreed to terminate the license; the library did not follow the terms of the license; or there was a conflict or uncontrolled circumstances and the event is not rescheduled. In those cases, the partial refund amount will be the fees paid, minus the $50 application fee and any costs the library has incurred at the time of termination, including any amounts the library has committed to pay that cannot be recovered.
A refund will not be provided if termination occurs for the other reasons listed above.
Loss of future use
Violation of library rules, the license agreement or library policies may result in a warning, exclusion from the library or loss of rental privileges for a period of one day to a maximum of three years in accordance with the Library’s exclusion guidelines. Users will be notified of violations that occurred during their use of the reserved space. The library reserves the right to reject any application if, during prior use of a community room, the Auditorium or Rooftop Terrace, the applicant violated library rules, the license agreement or any other library policies. Rejection of any application may be appealed to the Library Director within 10 days of notification of rejection.
Rental Fees
Multnomah County Library provides the following rental rates. Rates are based on a minimum reservation of four hours. The Auditorium may be reserved for an additional 4 hours, up to 8 hours total.
All rentals include wi-fi, basic technology, basic janitorial, and minimal set-up and teardown support. Additional fees may apply based on the size and scope of the event. Upon review of the application, staff will determine need for:
- Security fees based on analysis by Library management using criteria that include but may not be limited to: number of expected participants, whether the event is open to the public or private, and the value of materials or equipment present during the event. Users may also request additional security for a reservation.
- Additional janitorial services based on: scope and size of event, whether there is food service, and number of expected participants. Users may also request additional janitorial services for a reservation.
- Audiovisual technician, program support, and additional County personnel based on: size and type of event and equipment needs (including use of specialized equipment like sound console, cameras, and multiple mics).
Individuals that live outside of Multnomah County and organizations that have their principal place of business outside of Multnomah County will be charged an additional $50 on top of the base rental rate.
Rates
Auditorium Base Rates
Individual - $200 up to 4 hours, $400 up to 8 hours
Nonprofit organizations and government agencies, including Multnomah County - $275 up to 4 hours, $500 up to 8 hours
For-profit organizations - $375 up to 4 hours, $700 up to 8 hours
Rooftop Terrace Base Rates
Individual - $200 up to 4 hours
Nonprofit organizations and government agencies, including Multnomah County - $275 up to 4 hours
For-profit organizations - $375 up to 4 hours
Additional fees
Security, per Officer - hourly rate $37
Janitorial services - hourly rate $39
Program support - hourly rate $58
AV support - hourly rate $108
Additional County personnel - varies based on the support needed - hourly rate TBD
Out-of-County fee - flat fee $50
Capacity and setup
The Auditorium has occupancy for up to 217 people ( including members of the host organization, vendors, security, and County staff), but available seating is 199. The space can be set up in four different ways which may limit the total capacity and number of available seating.
The Rooftop Terrace has a capacity of 100 people. There are tables and seating for up to 50. Additional tables and seating may be brought in by the user after arrangement with library staff.
The setup and configuration of the spaces must be done by designated staff. Any equipment brought in by vendors will need to be moved and set up by the vendor or user; staff will not assist.
For more on what is available in the Auditorium and Rooftop Terrace, see the Auditorium and Rooftop Terrace Reservations page.
Parking
The library will not reserve, coordinate or guarantee parking for the event. There is parking available in the parking garage at East County Library; it is first come, first serve and cannot be reserved for events. The parking garage may be accessed only during library hours.
Food and beverage
Food is allowed in the Auditorium and the Rooftop Terrace, but there are some important things to be aware of:
- The Auditorium has limited infrastructure for catering or food distribution. There is no refrigerator, microwave, sink or counters available for food preparation or food service.
- The Rooftop Terrace has a catering kitchen with a sink and counter. There is a refrigerator and microwave available to a user during their rental of that space.
- Catering is allowed; caterers and users must follow food serving guidelines and may not prepare food on library property. All food made available at events must comply with public health requirements.
- Alcohol is not allowed.
- Tables are available, see equipment list on the Auditorium and Rooftop Terrace Reservations page.
Cleaning
The user is responsible for cleaning up of the rental spaces after the event in the following ways:
All trash, including sorted recyclables, must be collected, and bagged. For events where trash includes food waste or the amount of trash exceeds the receptacles provided, all trash must be disposed of in the designated location.
All areas used for food reheating, storage or disposal must be thoroughly clean and in the same condition as found at the start of the rental.
All catering, serving or any other equipment must be removed from the library at the conclusion of the event and before the end of the rental period. Overnight storage of equipment, furniture, or other personal property is available only for the nights between multi-day rentals if approved in advance. Overnight storage of food is not available.
Users must leave the Auditorium and Rooftop Terrace spaces clean and in the same condition as found at the start of the rental. Depending on the number of people and type of food service, additional janitorial services may be required and include additional fees.
User agreement and insurance
All users must provide a current Certificate of Insurance for themselves and any vendors contracted by the user showing:
- Commercial General Liability coverage in the amount of no less than $1,000,000.00 combined single limit
- Damage to Rented Premises coverage of not less than $1,000,000.00
- An endorsement that names Multnomah County and the Multnomah County Library District as Additional Insureds.
Many insurance agencies can put together what is called a special events policy to meet these requirements.
The user will provide the library with a signed copy of the license agreement, a copy of the Certificate(s) of Insurance, and full payment for the rental no later than 30 days before the event. If these documents and payment are not received by the deadline, the user will not be allowed to use the library facilities for their event.