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The Friends Meeting Room

NBPL 14

Background

The large meeting room in the Newport Beach Central Library is known as the Friends Meeting Room (Friends Room).

The Board of Library Trustees and the Library Services Department administer the Library and the Friends Meeting Room. The Friends Room is an important source of meeting space for Library, Library-related, Library-affiliated, City of Newport Beach (“City”), and other programs and activities.  It is not unusual for Library and City Officers and employees to have a need to use the Friends Room on short notice. Moreover, use of the Friends Meeting Room takes Library staff away from their normal duties and, if uncontrolled, can interfere with the public’s use and enjoyment of the Library.

Applicability

This Policy shall not apply to First Priority and Second Priority uses (as defined below) of the Friends Room as provided below, although the users of such Priorities are required to complete in advance an Application for Use form for such uses. So long as they complete and file in advance the Application for Use form, such users shall be entitled to use the Friends Room with the permission of and subject to confirming availability with the Library Services Director.  Moreover, it shall be permissible for such users to place an advance hold on recurring regularly scheduled dates of use by such users, e.g., the first Thursday morning of each month at 7:30 a.m.

Purpose

The purpose of this Policy is to establish:

  1. Procedures for processing and approving or disapproving requests from applicable groups or organizations for permission to use the Friends Room.
  2. Priorities as set forth below for the use of the Friends Room and to resolve any conflict related to requests for use; and
  3. Standards and criteria for the use of the Friends Room to insure there is no significant impact on the workload of staff.

Priorities of Use

  1. FIRST PRIORITY
    1. Any official Library or Library support group sponsored, co-sponsored, and/or conducted programs and activities that are directly related to the Library Mission and the Library’s functions and purposes.
  2. SECOND PRIORITY
    1. Any meeting or activity of (i) the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce, (ii) the Corona Del Mar Chamber of Commerce, (iii) Speak Up Newport, or (iv) any other local non-profit organization or entity which organization or entity is based in or around the City and whose meeting or activity is primarily and substantively designed to educate and inform the local community on current issues.With respect to subsection (iv), the Director shall have the discretion to determine whether an organization or entity meets the qualifications set forth in subsection (iv) and whether a meeting or activity meets the qualifications set forth in subsection (iv).
    2. Any meeting or activity by local non-profit organizations or entities which organizations or entities are based in or around the City.The Director shall determine whether an organization or entity qualifies as a local non-profit organization or entity for purposes of Second Priority status.
  3. THIRD PRIORITY

    Use of the Friends Room may be granted by the Library Services Director to those persons, organizations, or entities listed below on a first come, first serve basis:

  1. Sponsored educational or informational programs and activities of state or local public agencies such as local public schools or public districts.
  2. Recreational, social, or civic organizations and/or groups that are promoted and sponsored by City residents or City non-profit organizations that are open to the public and have fifty percent (50%) or more of their memberships held by Newport Beach residents.
  3. Recreational, social, or civic organizations and/or groups that are non-resident and are promoted and sponsored by non-profit organizations that are open to the public but do not qualify under C.2. above.
  4. Schools, colleges, hospitals, or other similar groups not qualifying under the definition of non-profit.Non-profit status is defined as an organization that is so defined by the Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c) and has a State of California Tax Identification Number.
  1. FOURTH PRIORITY

All other outside organizations, municipal agencies, individuals, and groups have Fourth Priority on all dates, and may reserve events on a first come, first serve basis under the terms, provisions, and documents required hereunder.

Procedure

All persons, groups or entities seeking permission to use the Friends Room (“applicant”) shall submit an Application for Use on the form provided by the Library.  The applicant shall provide all information requested in the application and such additional information as may be required by the Library Services Director to enable the Director to determine if use by the applicant will comply with this Policy. Applications shall not be considered complete unless accompanied by required fees, proof of insurance, and any additional requested information to the extent applicable no less than 14 days prior to the requested reservation date. No person, group or entity shall be entitled to use of the Friends Room unless their application has been approved by the Library Services Director or the Director’s designee. If an applicant fails to comply with the standard conditions of use or any special conditions imposed by the Director, no additional application by that applicant shall be considered for a one-year period following such failure.

Standard Conditions of Use Applicable to Third Priority and Fourth Priority Users

These standard conditions of use shall be and are applicable to Third Priority and Fourth Priority users only; with the exceptions of standard conditions B, D, and F below, the standard conditions are not applicable to First Priority and Second Priority users; provided, however, that the Director shall have the discretion to impose one or more such other standard conditions on First Priority and Second Priority users.  An Application for Use of the Friends Room may be approved subject to the Third Priority User’s and the Fourth Priority User’s compliance with the following standard conditions of use and other conditions of use as may be imposed by the Library Services Director:

  1. The use of alcoholic beverages is prohibited unless expressly approved in writing by the Library Services Director and subject to the approval of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.
  2. Smoking, vaping of any kind, and other use of tobacco or similar products is prohibited in the Friends Room and the entire Library campus, including restrooms and all common areas.
  3. At least one (1) adult shall be present in the Friends Room when minors are in attendance.
  4. No person shall interfere with the normal use and activities of the Library by way of noise, disturbance, or other activity.
  5. Meetings or activities conducted in the Friends Room may not be advertised or promoted as City or Library sponsored activities unless approved in advance by the Library Services Director. All materials used for advertising or announcing a meeting or activity to be conducted in the Friends Room shall be submitted to the Library Services Director at least ten (10) days prior to the use for the sole purpose of determining if the material complies with this condition. The Library Services Director shall notify the permittee of the Director’s determination that the material complies or does not comply with the condition within three business days after submittal.
  6. Events or activities in the Friends Room shall not exceed 200 persons.
  7. Use of the Friends Room is limited from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, unless exceptions to these hours are expressly approved in writing in advance by the Library Services Director.
  8. The provision of insurance should be general liability, naming the Library and City and their officers, agents, officials, employees, and volunteers as additional insureds, providing coverage in the amount of not less than $1,000,000 for any claim, loss, injury, damage, or other casualty that is in any way related to the use and/or occupancy of the Friends Room by the permittee authorized to use the Friends Room pursuant to this Policy.
  9. The permittee agrees to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the Library and the City and their officers and employees with respect to any claim, loss, or injury that arises out of, or is in any way related to permittee’s use and occupancy of the Friends Room.
  10. Applications for reservations may be made no more than 90 days in advance and not more than once every 90 days.

Fees, Deposits and Cancellation Procedures

Fees may be charged for the use of the Friends Meeting Room. Fees shall be established by Resolution of and periodically adjusted by the City Council on the recommendation of the Board of Library Trustees. Fees shall be limited to an amount necessary to defray the costs associated with the administration of this Policy and the maintenance and repair associated with the use of the Friends Room.   Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, the Director may impose fees and other charges on the First Priority Users and the Second Priority Users.

 

Adopted O-1 – 7-14-1980

Amended O-1 – 11-28-1988

Amended O-1 – 10-28-1991

Amended O-1 – 2-27-1995 (changed to I-21)

Amended I-21 – 2-24-1997

Amended I-21 – 5-8-2001

Amended I-21 – 4-8-2003 (changed to I-7)

Amended I-7 – 10-10-2006

Amended I-7 - 4-23-2019

Amended NBPL 14 – 08-23-2021

Amended NBPL 14 – 8-21-2023

This Policy will be periodically reviewed by the Board of Library Trustees on the first to occur of (i) as circumstances may require or (ii) every two years from the date of adoption, last amendment, or last review. Adopted, last amended, or last reviewed on August 21, 2023.