Edwin and Mary Meader Room Policies

Activities in the Edwin and Mary Meader Rare Book Room must pertain and be within the educational goals of the University. They should in some way promote scholarly activities or the appreciation and love of books. Activities such as poetry or book readings, academic lectures by eminent researchers and receptions by groups such as Friends of the Libraries and honorary societies are welcomed.

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Priority for Use of the Room

Class meetings and course-related activities involving Rare Book Room materials or projects, including visiting exhibition open hours are the first priority for use of the Room, so that research activities and reading room service may be maintained. A later instructional or research-related request will supersede any meeting requests or events which are not open to the public and the previous reservation will be cancelled.

All other requests will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Groups from outside the University will require a University sponsor. Requests for meetings which require Special Collections hourly staff to be present outside of their normal working hours or when classes are not in session may be declined for that reason alone. Should a class meeting be scheduled after the reservation is confirmed, the reservation can be cancelled with 24 hours notice.

Events and meetings may not be scheduled back-to-back by different organizations (at least one hour is required between scheduled usage). Rearrangement of furniture will not be done between meetings/events held in the same day. Any request made less than 7 working days prior to the scheduled event must include a compelling reason why the request was not made earlier. The room may not be reserved as a back-up for meetings or events.

Procedures

Applicants may request a room reservation via paper form (directed to Neil Chase or Susan Steuer) or email (lib-rbr@wmich.edu). Telephone requests must be confirmed by email or the reservation is not assured, because this provides a means of tracking and approving the request. The following information and rules will apply:

The name of a responsible contact individual and full contact information must be provided for each activity including phone number, address and email address.
The activity, number of people expected, room configuration, equipment needed, date and time, any food or drink planned, security concerns, University permission forms for serving alcoholic beverages and other details must be provided prior to confirmation of the reservation. Restrictions may apply for equipment which could damage the floor, fixtures or furnishings of the room.
Activities for groups external to the library and/or the University, which involve furniture moving or food and drink must be scheduled at least two weeks in advance and approved by the Coordinator or Head of Special Collections.
Groups which request the room be reconfigured will be asked to supply labor to move furniture and set up folding chairs and equipment.
Any costs for damage, cleaning or other unexpected issues related to the activity will be the responsibility of the contact person for the group hosting or sponsoring the activity.

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