Community groups, whether new or established, know how tough it is to find someplace affordable and available to have a meeting, particularly at night. New solution: The city and school district say they’re opening up public-school libraries citywide, for a low price per meeting. Read on!

Here’s the news release we just received:

Today Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and Seattle Public Schools Superintendent José Banda announced a new partnership called “Evening Community Meetings in School Libraries” to open every school library in Seattle for use by community and neighborhood groups. Groups will be able to sign up online for a fee of only $15 to hold meetings in school libraries after school hours.

“We’ve heard from a wide variety of community groups, non-profits and neighborhood organizers that they need more access to meeting space,” said Mayor Mike McGinn. “Our engaged and active community is one of Seattle’s greatest strengths, so we’re glad to be able to partner with Seattle Public Schools to make sure our school facilities are being fully utilized by everyone in our community.”

Any local community group or nonprofit organization is eligible to sign up, but the libraries are not available for business or commercial uses, nor for events that have admissions or fees. Reservations will be available from 6 – 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday during normal school calendar academic business days.

“We’re proud that we can offer this resource to our neighbors who are working hard to build a stronger community,” said Superintendent Banda. “Being an active, engaged citizen is one of the core values we try to instill in our students, and I hope many former students will return to our libraries to get involved in a cause they care about.”

Visit http://tinyurl.com/9ltgx4q where you can sign up for a user account, submit a request for space, and read the Seattle Public Schools rules and regulations (including the payment process and insurance requirements). The fee is $15 plus any applicable custodial or heating and cooling costs. You can find more details about the program in a fact sheet at seattle.gov/media.