MEETING ROOMS
An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights
Many libraries provide meeting rooms for individuals and groups as
part of a program of service. Article VI of the Library Bill of Rights
states that such facilities should be made available to the public served
by the given library "on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs
or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting their use."
Libraries maintaining meeting room facilities should develop and publish
policy statements governing use. These statements can properly define
time, place, or manner of use; such qualifications should not pertain
to the content of a meeting or to the beliefs or affiliations of the
sponsors. These statements should be made available in any commonly
used language within the community served.
If meeting rooms in libraries supported by public funds are made available
to the general public for non-library sponsored events, the library
may not exclude any group based on the subject matter to be discussed
or based on the ideas the group advocates. For example, if a library
allows charities and sports clubs to discuss their activities in library
meeting rooms, then the library should not exclude partisan political
or religious groups from discussing their activities in the same facilities.
If a library opens its meeting rooms to a wide variety of civic organizations,
the library may not deny access to a religious organization. Libraries
may wish to post a permanent notice near the meeting room stating that
the library does not advocate or endorse the viewpoints of meetings
or meeting room users.
Written policies for meeting room use should be stated in inclusive
rather than exclusive terms. For example, a policy that the library's
facilities are open "to organizations engaged in educational, cultural,
intellectual, or charitable activities" is an inclusive statement of
the limited uses to which the facilities may be put. This defined limitation
would permit religious groups to use the facilities because they engaged
in intellectual activities, but would exclude most commercial uses of
the facility.
A publicly supported library may limit use of its meeting rooms to
strictly library-related" activities, provided that the limitation is
clearly circumscribed and is viewpoint neutral.
Written policies may include limitations on frequency of use and whether
or not meetings held in library meeting rooms must be open to the public.
If state and local laws permit private as well as public sessions of
meetings in libraries, libraries may choose to offer both options. The
same standard should be applicable to all.
If meetings are open to the public, libraries should include in their
meeting room policy statement a section which addresses admission fees.
If admission fees are permitted, libraries shall seek to make it possible
that these fees do not limit access to individuals who may be unable
to pay, but who wish to attend the meetings. Article V of the Library
Bill of Rights states that "a person's right to use a library should
not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views."
It is inconsistent with Article V to restrict indirectly access to library
meeting rooms based on an individual's or group's ability to pay for
that access.
Adopted July 2, 1991, by the ALA Council.
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