Memorial Hall Library

Meeting Rooms

To book a meeting room, call Administrative Secretary Maura Deems at 978-623-8415 for availability. 

Room arrangement options

Classroom style
Boardroom style
Theater/Audience style

Meeting Room Policy

Memorial Hall Library provides free and equitable access to resources, staff, and spaces in a welcoming environment where all can connect to each other and to the world. Priority in the use of Library meeting rooms will always be given to library programs and municipal meetings. As space permits, non-profit groups engaged in educational, cultural, intellectual, or civic activities whose primary clientele are Andover residents, may use a room once per year for a meeting. The meeting room facilities shall be made available to such groups on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting use. Granting permission to use these rooms does not constitute an approval or endorsement of any group by the Library, the Library Board of Trustees, or the Town of Andover.

Guidelines

  1. All requests to use a meeting room must be made in advance by an Andover resident who takes responsibility for the group's compliance with this policy. 
  2. Groups using the meeting room will be held responsible for any costs incurred by the Library or the Town because of that use. The Town may require that a group post a bond to cover anticipated costs (e.g., security) in advance of the meeting. 
  3. Attendance is limited by meeting room capacity. Fire laws limit maximum capacity to 160 people in Memorial Hall, but only 120 chairs are available. The maximum capacity of the Activity Room is 30 people.
  4. The condition of the room must be neat when vacated. Wall hangings and furniture are to remain undisturbed. Nothing may be hung on the walls by the group.
  5. No food or drinks other than water are permitted in Memorial Hall at meetings scheduled by non-Library groups.  No alcoholic beverages are allowed anywhere in the Library.  
  6. Meeting times must be scheduled during normal library hours and must begin fifteen minutes after the library opens and end fifteen minutes before the library closes.
  7. Except as a designation of location, the name and contact information of the Library may not be used in any publicity for a meeting.
  8. All meetings held by non-Library groups must remain open to the public, and no admission or attendance charge or required donation may be assessed by any non-Library group using a meeting space.
  9. Meeting rooms cannot be used for commercial purposes, for the solicitation or development of business, or for any collections or sales of goods or services.
  10. All activities must be confined to the meeting rooms. Approaching library users for the purpose of encouraging participation in the group's activities is prohibited. 
  11. Groups who wish to use the Library’s projector system are strongly encouraged to test their equipment for compatibility ahead of time. Technical questions can be addressed to our Coordinator of Library Technology Services. No technical assistance is available on evenings and weekends.
  12. The Library staff is not responsible for and will not monitor personal items left unattended in these rooms, regardless of value or circumstances.
  13. Failure to follow these guidelines may result in loss of use of the meeting room.
     

Policy amended and approved by the Memorial Hall Library Board of Trustees on 9/10/14; 6/24/15; 10/12/16; 4/12/2023