Meeting Room Reservations

The Chillicothe and Ross County Public Library has three meeting rooms available for public use to promote the cultural, educational, and civic welfare of the community. The two meeting rooms at Northside will hold up to 75 and up to 8 people respectively, the shelter house provides seating for 12, and the meeting room at the Main Library will hold up to 24 people.

The use of the Library meeting rooms shall be limited to those groups or organizations which have a cultural, educational, or civic purpose and who are non-profit. No admission may be charged and no items or services may be sold (excluding program materials). “No organization other than the library may sponsor a program for the public in the meeting room.”
Groups with church or political affiliations may conduct business meetings; however, religious services and partisan political uses are not permitted. The meeting rooms are not available for private parties or fund raising events, other than library events.
Library use of meeting room space takes precedence over any other use and the Library reserves the right to cancel use of the meeting room by an outside organization if the Library Director or Library Board of Trustees determines that the meeting space is needed for library purposes. More commonly, certain times may be blocked out of the meeting room schedule to allow for normal library use.
There is no charge for non-profit groups using the meeting room during regular library hours. Available hours vary between the Main and Northside meeting rooms, but in general meetings may be scheduled to start 15 minutes after opening and must end 15 minutes before closing of the building, in order to allow everyone to exit the building by closing time.
Each organization or individual who wishes to book a meeting will be required to complete an application form in advance to provide the library with needed information. Persons booking the meeting room must be at least 18 years of age.
The person making the application must take responsibility to be sure no alcoholic beverages are allowed on the premises and no smoking is permitted.
All meetings must have at least one person in attendance who is at least 18 years of age and who will be responsible for the group and the use of the meeting room. The above stated capacity for each room must not be exceeded for safety reasons.
Groups may schedule individual meetings no more than two months in advance. In case of cancellation, written notice should be given to the library at least 24 hours in advance.
The meeting room may be reserved for regular monthly meetings for a period not to exceed six months at a time. Use of the meeting room for regular meetings which are scheduled more frequently than monthly is limited and is at the discretion of the Director.
The library provides tables and chairs, but set up is the responsibility of the group. Depending on which room is booked, a kitchenette, screen, tackboard, and marker board may be available. Audiovisual equipment or kitchen supplies and dishes are not supplied. An exception is the use of videoconferencing equipment. If a meeting room booking is approved for the purpose of a videoconference, the library will provide the equipment and a staff person.
Clean-up of the room by the group is required.
Meetings held in any meeting room must not disturb normal library operations. The Library reserves the right to reject any application if it is determined that the organization has abused its past privileges either by vandalism, disturbance, or not using the space for the stated purpose. Further, the Library reserves the right to prohibit any person, group, or organization from using the library meeting space. The Library Board of Trustees is the final authority in determining and approving use of Library meeting room space.
The following disclaimer is to be posted within the meeting room during use by a group, and must also be included on any public advertisement of the meeting. Failure to include the disclaimer will result in cancellation of the meeting by the library. “The Public Library does not advocate or endorse the policies or purposes of any group or individual using the library meeting room. The library is not liable for injury to person or property arising out of use of the meeting room by an outside group or individual.”
The two smaller rooms may be used on a first-come, first-served basis for tutoring or quiet study, without the need for booking ahead, and without the need for a user over the age of 18.

To reserve the meeting room, complete and submit the Online Meeting Room Application .