Services
Meeting Rooms Policy
The Darien Library subscribes to Article IV of the Library Bill of Rights which states that facilities should be made available to the public served by the Library on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting their use.
The Darien Library regards the availability and use of its Meeting Rooms as an integral part of its service to the community. In that regard, Meeting Rooms are available, when not required for Library activities, to Darien non-profit organizations engaged in educational, cultural and intellectual activities consistent with the Library’s mission statement and objectives (Non-profit organizations not known to Darien Library will be asked to demonstrate their non-profit status, and that their activities are consistent with the Library’s mission statement and objectives), to Town of Darien Boards and Commissions, formal Darien neighborhood organizations, State of CT and United States governmental organizations, and to Darien for-profit organizations for their own internal purposes only.
The following Meeting Rooms are available for use on approval of written application:
- Community Room (maximum seating for 171 people; room capacity 225)
- Conference Room (maximum of 22 people seated at a conference table, or approximately 40 if seated for a presentation; room capacity 50)
- Technology Training Center (maximum of 12 people)
The following Rooms are available for reservation in advance by Darien residents, those who work full time in Darien, and non-resident Friends of the Darien Library at the $300 annual level. (contact Facilities Manager or Knowledge and Learning Staff):
- Power Library Smart Study Room (maximum of 6 people)
- Second Floor Harris Room (Open Door) (maximum of 8 people)
- Mezzanine Lautenbach Writer’s Room (maximum of 6 people)
- Mezzanine Quiet Study Rooms (Three) (maximum of 2 people)
Rooms are booked in two-hour slots. Rooms are held for 15 minutes after reservation begins and may be forfeited after that time.
All meeting rooms are available for use at the following times:
| Monday through Thursday | 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. |
| Friday | 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| Saturday | 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Sunday | 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. |
The Community Room and Conference Room may be available for use at times outside the Library’s normal hours by special request and payment of additional fees.
The Facilities Manager or Office Manager will provide an Application form to any qualified applicant, and will process Applications in order of their receipt. The Application is available on line at the Library’s web site. The Library’s Director reserves the right to cancel any approved reservation with notice. An appeal of this decision may be made to the Library’s Board of Trustees.
Every applicant will designate the individual responsible for supervision of the use of the Meeting Room, and who will be responsible for damages and additional cleaning required afterwards.
| For Use by Not-for-Profit Organizations | |
| Meeting Rooms | Rate |
| Community Room | $25.00 /hr. (2 hour minimum) |
| Conference Room | $25.00 /hr. (2 hour minimum) |
| Technology Training Center | $75.00 /hr. (2 hour minimum) |
| Other Meeting Rooms | No charge |
| For Use by For-Profit Organizations | |
| Meeting Rooms | Rate |
| Community Room | $150.00 /hr. (2 hour minimum) |
| Conference Room | $100.00 /hr. (2 hour minimum) |
| Technology Training Center | $150.00 /hr. (2 hour minimum) |
| Other Meeting Rooms | $50.00 /hr. (2 hour minimum) |
All Meeting Rooms are available at no charge to Town of Darien Boards and Commissions, and State of CT and United States governmental organizations.
Use at any time of any technology in the Community Room or Conference Room except for the microphone will require payment of $50.00 per hour (or part thereof) to reimburse the Library for technology staff time. Use of any meeting room by any organization before or after regular Library hours will require a payment of $50.00 per hour (or part thereof) to reimburse the Library for staff time. Fees or expenses are to be paid in advance by check to the “Darien Library”. Town of Darien Boards and Commissions are exempted from these requirements. Receipt of written notice of cancellation at least 48 hours before the scheduled reservation is required for refund of fees paid.
For events outside of regular Library hours, a Certificate of Insurance in the amount of $1,000,000 Combined Single Limit of Liability for Bodily Injury and Property Damage is required. This may be obtained from your insurance agency and must be provided before approval of your reservation request. The Town of Darien and the Darien Library must be named as “Additional Insureds” on the Insurance Certificate for the times the Meeting Room is requested.
- Meeting Rooms are not available for business solicitations or fund-raising purposes. The Library Director may require any Application be submitted to the Board of Trustees for prior review, and may require additional supporting information to be provided.
- Library sponsored events receive priority in scheduling. Availability of the Meeting Rooms at all other times shall be on a first-come, first-served basis.
- The Facilities Manager’s approval is required in advance for all publicity and all items that will be distributed at a meeting at which the public is in attendance.
- The fact that a group is permitted to use a Meeting Room does not in any way constitute an endorsement of the group’s policies or beliefs by the Library. The Library may require any publicity to include a statement confirming this.
- The Library reserves the right to impose limitations on the frequency of use of the Meeting Rooms by an organization or individual.
- The Facilities Manager, in consultation with the Library Director, is authorized to determine the appropriate use of the room. In case of denial of use, appeal may be made in writing to the Library Board of Trustees. The decision of the Board of Trustees will be final.
- Admission fees are not to be charged by any group using the Meeting Rooms.
- Non-library groups and individuals are not to use the Library’s address and phone number as their own.
- Refreshments are permitted for scheduled events in the Community Room and Conference Room.
- Smoking is not permitted anywhere in the Library or on Library grounds.
Adopted by the Darien Library Board of Trustees on December 17, 2012.
Meeting Rooms
Study Rooms are available for two-hour blocks of time and may be reserved up to one month in advance by Darien residents, those who work in Darien full-time, and Friends who make an annual donation at the $300 level or above. To reserve a room, please call 203-669-5236. Non-resident members may use these rooms on a first-come first-served basis, stop by the Reference Desk on the Second Level to check on availability. Please note: Study Rooms are not available for individual or group tutoring sessions. For more information about tutoring at Darien Library, please see the Tutor Policy.
Power Library Conference Room
Capacity: 6
The Power Library Conference Room is ideal for a small meeting or study group. The large table gives you room to spread out your papers. Take your video conference call in the privacy of your own room! You can print and copy your papers as needed in SoHo which is located in the adjoining room. The Power Library Conference Room is located on the Lower Level inside the Power Library. Just stop by the Help Desk to sign up for the room.
Amentities include one large table, WiFi access, and power outlets.
Harris Room
Capacity: 8
The Harris Room is great for quiet working groups! The room features three windows. Two of these windows face the Library's patio so there is plenty of sunshine. From this room you are just a few feet away from a reference librarian and all of the non-fiction materials when you work in this room! There is no door on the room so this room is ideal for spreading out all of your study or work materials as you work with a few friends. The entrance to this room is behind the Travel section. The Harris Room is located on the second floor in the Research Room.
Amentities include WiFi access, a table, and power outlets. Cellphone use is permitted.
Writer's Room
Capacity: 6
The Writer's Room features seclusion for the talkative work group. The room features three windows overlooking the parking lot and patio. As well, two skylights provide light from overhead. From this vantage point, you can enjoy a bird's eye view of the Research Library. The Writer's Room is located on the Mezzanine Level of the Library.
Amentities include WiFi access, a table, and power outlets. Cellphone use is permitted.
Mezzanine Study Rooms
Capacity: 2
The Mezzanine Study Rooms are built for solitude! If you are looking for a little seclusion and a place to spread out your materials while you work or study, this is the room for you! Two people may be in these rooms if they are doing silent study. The three Mezzanine Study Rooms are located on the Mezzanine third floor of the Library.
Amentities include WiFi access, a table, and a power outlet.
Community Room
Capacity: 171 seating; standing room capacity 225
The Community Room with its large motorized screen is perfect for film screenings, lectures, debates, and more! The Room features a piano, overhead and wall lighting. Theater style seating is available for 171 people with a maximum capacity of 225 when extra chairs are added. The Community Room is conveniently located on the main level around the corner from our Welcome Desk.
Amentities include WiFi access, a retractable projection screen, DVD/Blu-ray player, microphones, cable TV access, a piano, and a podium.
Conference Room
Capacity: 22 conference seating; 40 presentation seating
The Conference Room is ideal for a more intimate group meeting or presentation. The Room features six tables that can be configured as one long conference table or rearranged to meet the needs of your group. With the conference table configuration, the Conference Room can sit 22. If the tables are pushed back and extra chairs are brought in, 40 can be seated for a presentation on the large screen. Additionally, a large sidebar is available for placement of refreshments or other items. The Conference Room is located on the Mezzanine third level of the Library.
Amentities include WiFi access, a large LCD screen, cable TV access, multiple power outlets, sidebar counter, and a reconfigurable table arrangement.
Technology Training Center
Capacity: 12
The Technology Training Center is a powerful classroom for small groups. Students face a large screen at the front of the room where the teacher demonstrates their lesson. The small room is ideal for indepth technology classes or for computer project work. The Technology Training Center is located on the Lower Level by the Power Library.
Amentities include 12 PC computers outfitted with Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 and many other programs, an instructor's PC, the large wall-mounted television screen, and a podium.
Search the Catalog With Your Voice
To get started searching Darien Library's catalog with your voice, you'll need a browser that supports voice search* and a microphone.
*As of 10/17/2012, only Google's Chrome browser supports this new feature.
Using the Digital Media Lab
The DML's purpose is to give the Darien community access to high quality equipment for their digital projects. The room and equipment is reserved for special projects instead of general computing which is available in the Power Library. The lab was made possible thanks to the Friends of the Library and a reverse auction held at this spring's Imagination Gala.
To make a reservation, please contact the Help Desk via email or call 203-669-5238.
Use of the Lab is available for Darien residents, those who work in Town, and Friends at the $300 level or higher. The Lab will be available for two to four hour reservable time slots. Members fourteen and up may use the Lab unassisted while anyone younger needs to be with an adult.
- Interview family members to create your own oral history
- Film a video in front of the green screen like we did!
- Digitize your VHS and Hi8 tapes to DVD
- Digitize your photos, slides, and negatives
- Show off products with the lightbox as we did in this video tutorial
- Take well-lit photos in front of the white screen
- Edit videos, audio, and images on the Mac
- Record audio with three microphones
Equipment in the Digital Media Lab
Mac Pro Computer
This computer has the Mountain Lion OSX operating system and 8 GB of RAM.
Dual Screen Monitors
These wall-mounted 23" monitors are adjustable since they are mounted onto movable arms.
Greenscreen
Pretend to be anywhere that you can dream using the greenscreen! Simply record a video against the greenscreen and then import that footage and your digital background into Final Cut Pro or iMovie.
Camcorder
Use the camcorder only in the DML.
Light Box
Use this light box to film or take photos of your Etsy items!
Lighting Kit
Each light stand comes with a light, reflector, adjustable stand, and an umbrella.
3D Mouse
Use the 3DConnexion mouse to navigate in Google Earth. By picking up the mouse, you will move away from the surface of the Earth. By pushing down, you zoom in closer.
Wacom Bamboo Tablet
A Wacom tablet has verstile uses from being used to create art, signing documents, or helping relieve pain from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Scanner
The CanoScan 5600s F scanner does not require time to warm up so it's quick and can scan your photos, documents, 35mm slides, and 35mm negatives.
Headphones
Use these monitoring headphones for great feedback on your records in the DML.
External Hard Drives
Check out an external hard drive to take your project files home! By default, the hard drives can only hold files up to 4GB in size so that the hard drives are accessible via a PC or a Mac. If you have a Mac at home, ask the Help Desk to convert the hard drives to be Mac only.
Yeti Mics
With three Yeti mics available, you can bring along your friends to record a podcast, singing, and so much more!
Software in the Digital Media Lab
Audio Production
- Adobe Audition
- Audacity
- GarageBand
DVD Creation
- Titanium Toast
eBook Creation
- iBooks Author
Image Creation & Editing
- Adobe Illustrator CS6
- Adobe InDesign CS6
- Adobe Photoshop CS6
Video Editing
- Adobe After Effects CS6
- Adobe Premiere CS6
- Compressor
- Final Cut Pro X
- Handbrake
- iMovie
Website Building
- Adobe Dreamweaver CS6
- Adobe Flash CS6
- TextEdit
3D Modeling
- Blender
- Google SketchUp
Faxing
You can send faxes for free at the Library! Just see the Help Desk or Reference Desk for assistance. Faxes will be sent through Fax.com. You can wait for the confirmation to come in if you come to the SoHo on the Lower Level to send your fax.
Copying & Printing
Copying
Come use our three scanners in SoHo on the Lower Level for your copying needs! The copiers support pages up till 11 x 17" in size in color and black & white.
Printing
You can print from the public computers throughout the Library. On the Lower Level, printers are located in the Power Library and in SoHo. There is also a printer in the Children's Library's Tech Lab. Please see the Reference Desk for assistance with the Second Floor printer.
Banner Prints -- currently not available
Do you need to print a birthday banner or a poster? Send your PDF file to the Help Desk 24 hours ahead of time and we will have the banner waiting for you to pick up. Banners cost $2 per square foot. For example, a 2 ft x 3ft banner would cost $12.
How to Copy or Print
To copy or print, you will need to add money to your library card. You can add funds by cash or credit card at the kiosk machine located throughout the Library at:
- In SoHo on the Lower Level
- To the left and around the corner from the Welcome Desk
- In the printer and scanner area in the Reference Room
Scanning Services
Scanners
Need high quality scans of photos or documents? Come to the Lower Level's Power Library to borrow a scanner while you work. These scanners can be attached to any Library computer in the Power Library or Tech Center using only the USB cord.
Slides and Negatives Scanner
To scan your slides and negatives, come use the scanner in the Digital Media Lab (DML). You can scan up to five slides at a time. Access to the DML is limited to Darien residents, people who work in Darien full-time, and Friends who have donated $300 or more. Just stop by the Help Desk or call 203-669-5238 to make a reservation.
Bookeye 4 KIC Scanner
The KIC scanner can handle books, magazines, photographs, and newspapers in a variety of sizes, and scans up to a 17-inch by 24-inch area at a time. It's easy to use, simply follow the step-by-step instructions on the screen. If you need assistance, please ask a Reference Librarian-- they would be happy to assist you!
Scan to Email
Need to quickly scan a document and send it via email? Just visit the copier machine in the back left corner of SoHo on the Lower Level. Simply enter your email address and place your document in the feeder with the text facing the ceiling to get started. Documents will arrive in your email as PDFs. Ask for assistance at the Help Desk.
Darien Library, 1441 Post Road, Darien, Connecticut, 06820-5419 · 203-655-1234Directions and Contact Information. Twitter: darienlibrary. AIM & Y!M: deweydarien.