[An association library asks...]
This "Ask the Lawyer" answer is being composed on December 28...that cold, snowy time between Christmas and New Year's, when the courts (even during non-COVID times) are slow, staff are on holiday, and lawyers sit around thinking about catching up on filing, or even (gasp) leaving the office early to shovel, or take their kids sledding.
Can you provide a template facility use agreement for renting or allowing community groups to regularly use space in a public or association library?
Yes, I can! But first, a few caveats:
We are an association Library that uses a school ballot to levy funding. We have received a bill from the school for 2 years now that a landowner has had their taxes re-accessed back 3 years and now we owe the school money. Last year we paid it because it seemed like bad luck and there weas court documents saying the back money was owed.
Imagine walking through a metal maze, wearing magnet shoes, trying to solve a Rubik's Cube coated in honey.
Visualizing that? Metal floor. Magnet shoes. Lots of honey.
Okay.
This…is an even stickier problem.
Why is it sticky? Because for any library but a school district library, there is no definitive answer.
A member asked if there are any legal issues to consider when using GoFundMe to fund-raise, especially for association libraries.
The lawyer answers…
Fund-raising in the current climate (or any climate) is tough. There are state and federal accounting rules, bylaws, “best practices,” and internal policies to abide by, while at the same time there is pressure to make sure the campaign is well-executed, fun, and most of all: productive.
