Once again a group who used the library's meeting room over the weekend trashed it. Worst of all, they moved a bunch of fragile AV equipment (clearly labeled "Do Not Move") across the room and into a storage closet. They could have done hundreds of dollars' worth of damage (and faced charges for destroying public property).

I've tried and tried to tweak the rules and our presentation of them to make sure people have a clear understanding of what they are supposed to do when they use the meeting room. And the situation just keeps getting worse! At this point it looks like we'll have no choice but to start making people put down a deposit, refundable after the room passes inspection.

Yep. There is a mentality shared by a number of people that goes "Hey, it's not mine, therefore I don't care what happens to it." Start charging the deposit, stat.

Money gets peoples' attention...especially if it's their money you are taking. It should help.

I have to agree with that solution. A deposit will let them know you are serious.

To some people Do Not Move means move carefully.

Careful with that buddy!

I've spent some of the day looking online for other libraries that have deposit policies on their community rooms. I've held off doing it because keeping up with a deposit would be an extra headache. I'm also concerned that it would discourage people from using the room. I hate making things harder for everybody because a few people can't do what they're supposed to.

I'd establish mandatory beheadings for people who wreck the meeting room. But that's just me.

I think we'd run into constitutional issues over that. Besides, I don't want to scare everybody away! Some people who come in here act like they're already afraid they could be executed or something if they do something wrong. It's like libraries scare them or something.

Writing up a draft proposal for charging deposits today, so I'll have a completed one ready for the next Board of Trustees meeting. Which involves lots of looking around online to see what other libraries are doing and adapt it to our circumstances.

Deweydecphobia

Actually I have that. I spent years using the Library of Congress system at my old job and never have completely gotten switched back to Dewey.

I liked LoC better once I learned it. But I don't go to academic libraries anymore so I have forgotten it.

Currently debating with staff over the size of the deposit. Most libraries I've seen with deposit policies ask for $50--but they're also urban libraries with bigger meeting rooms than ours. We're talking about more like half that. I got grilled a bit yesterday over it by two Board of Trustees members. I showed them the photos we took of the trashed room from the weekend and that made a believer of them.

We meet at one of our libraries every month. I think we leave it cleaner than we found it. We move all of the tables and chairs around, but that's about it.