Naming Rights Policy

 

Purpose and Overview:

The Middletown Board of Library Trustees (Board) considers the naming of a room in honor or memory of a living or deceased individual, corporation, foundation, or organization to be one of the highest distinctions it can bestow.

The Board seeks to recognize persons who have supported the Middletown Public Library (Library) through substantial financial contributions by naming facilities in their honor.

Naming opportunities due to a substantial financial donation may be used for a room or area to be named directly after the benefactor, or it may retain or be given a functional title after which the benefactor will be recorded as its sponsor.

Decisions regarding naming rights will be made in the best interest of the library by the Library Board, and the Board has the right to decline any gift to the Library or reject any naming proposal.

All agreement documents must be finalized before the Board issues final approval for a naming opportunity.

The Naming Rights Policy includes both internal and outdoor features and areas, such as rooms, collections, gardens, or equipment. Other items may be recommended for naming after consultation with the Library Director. The name of the entire library will remain the Middletown Public Library.

 

Guidelines:

To insure the appropriateness of the honor, the Library Board will adhere to the following guidelines to make decisions on the merits of each opportunity with regard to naming interior and exterior spaces:

 

1. Appropriate contributions for such naming opportunities will be at the discretion of the Library Board and will be determined by project cost, actual cost of equipment, on-going operating cost, etc., depending on the specific area or item.
2. The Library Board has the sole right to name or rename collections or facilities. The Library Board will review, consider, and approve or decline all such proposals. The Library Board may refuse any financial or in-kind donation if it is deemed not to be in the best interests of the Library.
3. Naming rights carry no power of direction or implied power of direction to the Library on matters of appointment of persons, policies, or any other library processes or activities.
4. All naming rights shall be approved for a specific term, which shall not be longer than the useful life of the property or facility, as determined by the Library Board, unless otherwise established in the naming rights agreement between the Library and the donor. Naming rights will normally remain in place for a period of no longer than twenty (20) years, although a plaque will remain in the location if able, or placed on the Middletown Library Giving Tree, acknowledging the name and the donation.
5. When a named collection, facility, or portion of a facility has reached the end of its useful life and will be replaced or substantially renovated, the replaced or renovated space may be renamed in recognition of a new donor or honoree. Appropriate recognition of earlier donors shall be added to the Middletown Library Giving Tree at that time if it was not done earlier.
6. In the event the room or building is significantly altered, the Library Board may carry the name forward in a similar capacity. The Library Board also reserves the right to add or alter gift recognition, including naming.
7. If the library facility or portion thereof is relocated, substantially remodeled, or converted to use other than its original use, it may be renamed to reflect the association of new donors or community interests related to the changing facility. In such instances, the original name shall be honored on the Middletown Library Giving Tree.
8. In the event that agreed upon funding to constitute a naming opportunity ceases before the agreed time or amount, the Library Board may discontinue the use of the benefactor's name.
9. When a major building project is to be undertaken, a tailored naming policy may be proposed for various rooms, or parts of the building and its environs. Such a policy will require the endorsement of the Library Board.
10. The Library Board reserves the right to terminate or alter a naming designation under unusual circumstances, or if an individual or organization name comes into disrepute at the Library or in the community at large.
11. Negotiations for the naming rights for a room may be initiated by the Library Director, by a benefactor, or other interested parties.

 

Request Procedure:

The Library Director shall review and make recommendations to the Library Board for naming opportunities. The guidelines for naming rights are as follows:

 

1. All requests for naming shall be submitted to the Library Director in writing. The request shall contain justification compliant with the criteria and objectives outlined in this policy. 
2. The Chair of the Middletown Public Library Board shall charge the Library Director and Library Board Policy Sub-Committee to review and make recommendations to the full Board for naming opportunities.
3. The Library Director and Policy Committee shall consider compliance with the established naming rights policy; whether the donation is from a potentially controversial source (e.g. tobacco, alcohol, etc.); appropriate signage; compliance with the required approval process for accepting donations; and any other relevant factors.
4. A Naming Rights Agreement shall be created, approved by the Library Board, and signed by the Library Board Chair and the individuals, corporations, foundations, or other donors who have proposed the naming rights. The terms of the Naming Rights Agreement shall be based upon the definitions and guidelines in this Middletown Public Library’s Naming Rights Policy.

Deferred Gifts with Naming Rights:

1. Deferred gifts are those gifts that are committed for Library use in the present but received by the Library in the future. There may be many forms of such gifts. Deferred gift assets become available for investment by the Library when a donor transfers cash or assets to the Library and obtains, in exchange, a life income based on the value of donated assets. Each deferred gift plan will have a mutually signed agreement that specifies the type of plan, amount of the income payments, and the purpose and use of the deferred gift.
2. People interested in developing this type of gift are encouraged to contact the Library Director to discuss their options. All plans for Deferred Gifts shall contain a written statement of intent with full details of the gift. The Library Director shall submit their recommendation to the Board for final acceptance.
3. Once a deferred gift has received formal acceptance by the Board, the gift will be considered as irrevocable. 

 

Gift Recognition Replacement - Special Considerations:

A request to rename, add a second name, or remove a name from a room shall conform to the following principles:

1. Any request to rename, add, or remove a name from a room within the Library should include documentation pertaining to the original approval and subsequent name change proposal.
2. If donor names must be removed for renovation, new construction, or in the event the Library is destroyed by natural disaster and is rebuilt to be used for its original purpose, recognition shall be replaced per the original agreement, and/or with a plaque added to the Middletown Library Giving Tree.
3. In the event a building is drastically altered through renovation or construction, the Board shall reserve the right to add/alter gift recognition, including the room’s naming. Any donor plaques displaced because of this will be rededicated in an alternative location in accordance with the timeframe developed for the original gift.
4. When a named room has reached the end of its useful life and will be replaced or substantially renovated, the replaced or renovated space may be renamed in recognition of a new donor or honoree. Appropriate recognition of earlier donors or honorees shall be included in the Middletown Library Giving Tree.

 

Dedication Ceremony and Plaque:

A plaque will be installed at or near the named area and/or with the Middletown Library Giving Tree. The Board reserves the right to choose the wording, size, location and style of the plaque. An appropriate dedication ceremony may be planned and conducted.

 

Approved by the Middletown Board of Library Trustees on:  November 19, 2024