The Cullman County Public Library Board approved revisions to its meeting room policy to restrict access to for-profit and political organizations while still giving local charities and advocacy groups a low-cost gathering space.

Library director Amber Thornton said the new policy was born out of the library’s efforts to update its material selection policies last year, following statewide mandates to restrict minors from accessing what it deemed to be “sexually explicit” materials. She said during that process, she and other library staff began to notice several other outdated policies.

“Last summer was so much of us trying to update the material selection policies and making it meet the code so that we could get our state funding. Then we began looking at what other policies have we not updated and trying to get them all up to standards,” Thornton said.

The policy presented to the board during its meeting on Monday, April 28, was drafted after what Thornton said were extensive discussions with other public library directors throughout the state. The primary purpose of the meeting room will continue to be for library programs and for groups affiliated with the library.

Thornton said due to the library’s lack of on-site security personnel, the policy would restrict certain groups and individuals from renting the space for safety reasons.

“The way this policy is written now, the room would not be available for social gatherings, money raising, commercial purposes or the benefit of private individuals. The room also wouldn’t be available to religious groups or any political parties or candidates for office,” Thornton said.

Several board members proposed restricting any outside groups from renting the space until the library’s current plans for expansion are completed.

The group remained open to the possibility of revising the policy again in the near future, but approved implementing the presented policy until other viable options are presented.