Reservations and Use

  • Reservations may be made up to 1 month in advance on a first-come, first-served basis. Walk-ins are welcome when the POD is not in use or reserved. You may only have two scheduled POD appointments each month, any other bookings will be up for staff approval.
  • Tentative dates may be held, but cannot be confirmed until agreement has been signed.
  • In order to accommodate multiple users, an individual or group may use the POD for up to 2 hours per day. The time may be extended in half-hour increments if nobody is waiting. The POD must be vacated 15 minutes before closing.
  • A vacated POD is considered abandoned after 15 minutes and may be assigned to another individual or group.
  • The POD is not available for persons operating a business or selling merchandise or services, with the exception of:
    • Tutors who are compensated for academic tutoring
  • No more than FOUR PEOPLE are allowed in the POD at one time.
  • The library reserves the right to cancel a reservation.
  • By requesting to use the POD, the group or individual acknowledges its willingness to be addressed at some time during its meeting by a Library staff member.
  • The individual who signs for the room is responsible for appropriate use of the POD, and for ensuring that the POD is left in good condition upon vacating.

General Room Use Policies

  • Sign In and Out: Users must complete and sign POD agreement when signing in. The user must also check out with staff when they are finished with the POD.
  • Food and Drink: Only beverages with lids are allowed in the POD. Food is not permitted.
  • Decorations: Attaching materials of any kind to the walls, floors, ceilings, or doors is not allowed.
  • Damages: Users will be liable for custodial maintenance or repairs if any damage is done to the premises, furniture, or equipment and may be denied future use of the POD if damages occur.
  • Banned Substances: Smoking, alcoholic beverages, and the use of hazardous materials are not allowed on library property.
  • Clean up: Users are responsible for leaving the POD as they found it.
  • Personal Property: The library is not responsible for loss or damage to the personal property of individuals or groups using any library facilities.
  • Furniture: Furniture may not be brought into or removed from the POD.
  • Noise level: Users shall keep the noise level to a minimum and shall not disrupt other library users. If noise level disrupts other users of the library, the individuals causing the excessive noise shall be removed from the POD.

Failure to abide by POD and library conduct policies may result in denial of future use of the POD.

Adapted from the Melrose Park Public Library PODs policy September 30, 2022