C-6 Alcohol at Library Events

HELEN PLUM LIBRARY

C-6 Alcohol at Library Events

Approved by the Library Board of Trustees December 20, 2022.

Under certain limited events and circumstances, the Library may elect to have alcoholic beverages delivered to and served at the Library. This policy governs when, and under what circumstances, alcohol may be delivered or served, consistent with Illinois law.

Illinois Public Act 99-0559 States:

Alcoholic liquors may be delivered to and sold at retail in any building owned by a public library district, provided that the delivery and sale is approved by the board of trustees of that public library district and is limited to library fundraising events or programs of a cultural or educational nature. Before the board of trustees of a public library district may approve the delivery and sale of alcoholic liquors, the board of trustees of the public library district must have a written policy that has been approved by the board of trustees of the public library district governing when and under what circumstances alcoholic liquors may be delivered to and sold at retail on property owned by that public library district. The written policy must (i) provide that no alcoholic liquor may be sold, distributed, or consumed in any area of the library accessible to the general public during the event or program, (ii) prohibit the removal of alcoholic liquor from the venue during the event, and (iii) require that steps be taken to prevent the sale or distribution of alcoholic liquor to persons under the age of 21. Any public library district that has alcoholic liquor delivered to or sold at retail on property owned by the public library district shall provide dram shop liability insurance in maximum insurance coverage limits so as to save harmless the public library districts from all
financial loss, damage, or harm.

Pre-Requisite

Compliance, licensing, and one-day permitting through the Village of Lombard and State of Illinois will be required, where applicable.  

For all events where alcohol will be delivered, served, and sold at retail, the following policies and procedures apply:

Qualifying Events

• Alcohol may only be served during three types of events:
  1. Fundraising events
  2. Cultural programming held at the Library
  3. Educational programming held at the Library

When Alcohol is Allowed

• The serving of alcohol will only be permitted at Helen Plum Library events or at events co-sponsored by the Library and another entity.
• The serving of alcohol will not be permitted at any event unless first pre-approved by the Library Board, in compliance with this policy.
• Outside groups or individuals independently conducting a meeting or event at the Library are not allowed to serve alcohol while using our meeting spaces.

Where Alcohol is Allowed

• Alcohol may be served at pre-approved events held within an enclosed or controlled space, such as a meeting room or conference room, or throughout the Library or its grounds, as long as there is a means by which to:
  1. Limit access to event attendees and prevent access to the general public--those who are not at the library for the event must not be able to access the event or attend the program where alcohol is served
  2. Limit consumption of alcoholic beverages to the designated event area
  3. Prevent alcohol from being removed from the premises by attendees
  4. Prevent distributing or serving alcohol to persons under the age of 21-- those serving alcohol must take steps to make sure that no alcohol is distributed to or consumed by persons under the age of 21

Who may Serve Alcohol

• Alcohol may be served only by individuals of legal drinking age who have received Beverage Alcohol Sellers Education and Training (BASSET).
• Alcohol may be served by BASSET trained catering staff secured for such purpose by the Library.
• The Library reserves the right for its staff, contractors, and representatives to refuse the distribution of alcohol to any guest who appears to be intoxicated, inebriated, or impaired due to alcohol consumption.
• Attendees are prohibited from bringing outside beverages to the event or program.
• To prevent underage drinking, events will be limited to persons over the age or 21 or acceptable forms of identification will be checked and persons over the age of 21 easily identified by servers. Only forms of identification acceptable under the Illinois Liquor Control Act are Acceptable. Acceptable forms of identification include a valid current driver’s license or photo ID card issued by the Illinois Secretary of State’s office or any other State; a valid Armed Forces ID; a valid US passport or foreign passport (with US travel visa) containing the holder’s photograph; or other appropriate forms of identification acceptable under the Illinois Liquor Control Act.

Liability Insurance

• The Illinois Liquor Control Act of 1934 [235 ILCS 5/6-21(a)] requires the Illinois Comptroller to determine each year the liability limits for causes of action brought under the Act.
• Per Illinois Public Act 99-0559, when serving alcohol, the Library must provide liability insurance with a coverage limit that saves harmless the Library from all financial loss, damage, or harm under the maximum liability limits set forth in the Illinois Liquor Control Act of 1934.
• The Library’s liability insurance is determined annually. The Director shall ensure that said liability insurance meets the parameters set forth in this policy before approving any programs or events where alcohol is to be served.
• Third party vendors, caterers, and program co-sponsors shall maintain dram shop liability insurance in maximum insurance coverage limits so as to hold harmless the Library from all financial loss, damage, or harm. Proof of such insurance shall be provided to the Library Executive Director no later than 1-week before the event, and the Library must be named as an Additional Insured on such coverage.

General Rules and Restrictions

• All rules put forth in other Library policies shall remain in effect during events where alcohol is served. This includes, but is not limited to, Meeting Room Use, Patron Behavior, and Personnel Policies.  
• Purposely deceiving Library staff in order to unlawfully gain access to an event where alcohol is served is a crime and will be reported to the proper authorities.
• If any provision of this policy conflicts with any provision of the Illinois Liquor Control Act of 1934 [235 ILCS 5/6-21(a)], the provisions of the Act shall prevail.