Meeting Room Policy

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To request to use the Meeting Room at the Hillsdale Free Public Library (the “Library”), follow the instructions on the Meeting Room page. The first step in the instructions is to review the Library’s Meeting Room Policy provided below. For-profit organizations should also review the additional considerations outlined below.

Rights reserved: The Library reserves the right of final approval of all program/event plans. The Library reserves the right to limit the use of its Meeting Room, program facilities, and any activities, as it deems appropriate, within the parameters of this policy. The Board of Trustees may deny future permission to use the Meeting Room to any individual or group that is disorderly, whose activities disrupt normal Library business and operations, or who violate the Rules of Conduct policy and/or procedures of the Library, including those set out in this policy.

Meeting Room Policy

  • The Applicant and all event/program attendees are required to comply with all Library rules and regulations, including the Library’s Meeting Room Policy and Rules of Conduct.
  • The Meeting Room may be used during normal Library business hours for approved events/programs.
  • Group size is limited to the room’s legal occupancy – 40 persons.
  • Applicants may request the room for up to two Meeting Room events/programs in an one-month period.
  • The Applicant must notify the Library Director of event/program cancellation within 48 hours of the meeting time.
  • All meetings and gatherings must be open to the public.
  • If you wish to use the Library’s projection equipment, arrangements must be made at least several days in advance of your meeting. (Only a few staff know how to set up or troubleshoot connections.)
  • No use of the Library, including the Meeting Room, is permitted that will interfere with the effective use of the Library by the general public or the regular operations of the Library.
  • Children under the age of 11 shall not be left unsupervised in the Meeting Room.
  • The following are not permitted in the Meeting Room or in any other areas of the Library and premises:
    • Smoking or use of tobacco or any other subdtance
    • Candles or other lit flames
    • Alcoholic beverages, cannabis/marijuana, or controlled dangerous substances, as defined in N.J.S.A. 24:21-2
    • Gambling or games of chance
    • Any other activity prohibited under the Library’s Rules of Conduct or by law.
  • No admission fee may be charged to any program/event. Exceptions include fees that are used for the purchase of supplies used during a program/event, such as a craft workshop, if approved by the Library in advance. Such fees shall not prevent any person from attending the event/program.
  • The Meeting Room shall not be made available to any candidate for elected office or any partisan organization actively supporting any candidate(s) for elected office.
  • The Library does not advocate or endorse the viewpoints expressed by Meeting Room users. All users approved to use any space in the Library, including the Meeting Room, must clearly state in all written materials, advertisements, and media announcements regarding the program/event that the Library is not a sponsor of the program/event and authorization to use the Library’s facilities does not reflect endorsement by the Library of any particular program, position, philosophy, or purpose of any person or organization.
  • Applicants are responsible for room setup, cleanup, and returning all chairs and tables to their original locations. No undue burden shall be placed upon Library staff for room cleanup.
  • The Applicant agrees to remove from the Meeting Room and all other areas of the Library all materials, furnishings, equipment, trash, etc., other than Library property, used or generated during the use of the Meeting Room.
  • Meetings must end, so that the room is cleaned up, returned to its original arrangement, and empty of all persons, at least 15 minutes prior to the Library’s closing time.
  • The Applicant agrees to assume responsibility for any damages, which may result from the use of the Library’s Meeting Room.
  • The Applicant may be responsible to reimburse the Library for any damage and/or excess cleaning costs.
  • The Applicant will be required to sign a Hold Harmless Agreement. A copy of the agreement is available on the Meeting Room page.
  • Unless a waiver of the insurance certificate requirement is approved, applicants must maintain or obtain general liability insurance of at least $500,000 for a nonprofit group organization or at least $300,000 for an individual, covering the event. The insurance must name Hillsdale Free Public Library and the Borough of Hillsdale as additional insureds for purposes of the event. The applicant must provide evidence of current liability insurance to the Library Director, or their designee, at least three business days prior to the date of the event. The Library will not allow any event to proceed unless the applicant provides satisfactory proof of insurance or a waiver. (See the Hold Harmless Agreement on the Meeting Room page for more information.)
  • Failure to comply with the Library’s Rules of Conduct or Meeting Room policy will result in the forfeiture of meeting room privileges for at least six months.

Additional Considerations for Room Use by For-Profit Entities

In the spirit of goodwill, business leaders in the community may wish to share their knowledge for educational purposes to establish or maintain their standing in the community. While it is recognized that additional business may occur incidentally as an indirect result from conducting such a session, the Library’s Meeting Room shall not be used for the primary purpose of soliciting or conducting business. For-profit businesses shall not be permitted to use the Library Meeting Room until they have applied for and received approval from the Library Board of Trustees. Approval of presentations will depend on the following criteria:

  • The presenter or business shall complete an application form and submit it to the Board of Trustees for approval. (This can be done using the form located on the Meeting Room page.)
  • The primary purpose of the meeting shall be educational or cultural in an area where the presenter can be deemed a subject matter expert.
  • The presentation must be appropriate for the community serviced by the Library, to be determined by the Library in its sole discretion.
  • No direct solicitation of business may be made by the presenter nor by any staff of the for-profit business, or any other person at the meeting.
  • Presentations of an artistic nature will be permitted to sell items as an ancillary function of the presentation, e.g., artists selling paintings, authors selling books, or performers selling CDs.
  • Presenters and/or their staff may not solicit personal information from attendees, such as name, address, or phone number, either directly or through mandatory attendance sheets, sign-up sheets, business card collection, etc. Presenters may make their own business cards available, and attendees are permitted to voluntarily provide information on their own.
  • Advertisements for the meeting shall explicitly state that the session is for educational or cultural purposes and that business will not be directly solicited at the meeting.
  • Any promotional material created to announce the event in the Library must include the following language: “This event is neither sponsored nor endorsed by the Hillsdale Free Public Library, which takes no responsibility for the content of this event or presentation.” A copy of these guidelines should be posted in a visible spot in the Meeting Room, and a copy should be provided to all attendees at the meeting. Violations of any of the terms of this policy should be reported to the Library staff immediately.
  • The Library and the Board of Trustees shall not be responsible for the content of any presentation and reserve the right, in their sole discretion, to deny any application if the content is deemed to be inappropriate for the community serviced by the Library.

Policy adopted by the Board of Trustees August 8, 2005. Policy revised by the Board of Trustees September 10, 2007. Policy revised by the Board of Trustees February 12, 2008.

Policy reviewed and revised by the Board of Trustees March 14, 2016.

Policy reviewed and revised by the Board of Trustees October 20, 2025.

The Board reserves the right to revise any of its policies at any time or to impose such additional regulations or restrictions as it deems necessary to protect the interests and property of the Hillsdale Free Public Library and its patrons and staff.