CAL2005: Tools to Help Train Trustees – Colorado State Library's Board and Trustees Handbook and Douglas County Libraries' Trustee Training Manual

Patricia Froehlich (Colorado State Library)

• Handout: Colorado Public Libraries by Size of Population
• Handout: Addresses of Colorado Public Libraries, 2005, including director name and contact information
• New Colorado Public Library Standards released in 2005
• also completely available on the Web
• Last time training handbook was updated: 1997
• State library has been revising it
• It's being put up on the Web as the information is updated
• Print version won't be complete and out until next spring
• Handout: Colorado Public Library Board & Trustees Pocket Handbook
• This on is just a prototype
• Has been reviewed by directors, advisory boards and trustees
• All done via e-mail and phone, no live meetings
• Looks to cover a variety of situations and types of library boards
• suggestion: “develop the mission of the library” be added to the section on duties of trustees
• Developed based on an example from the North Carolina State Library

James LaRue (Douglas County)

• Handout: Douglas County Libraries Trustee Orientation Manual
• Suggests this be used as a template for your library
• Structures, non-jargon, straight-forward
• Based on Massachusetts version
• Mainly developed by the board president and Jamie's assistant who was new to the organization. (She saw it as a learning experience for herself too)
• Library By-laws were developed in 1990 and hadn't changed in 15 years
• They were out of date
• went from 30-something to 360 employees in that period
• Mission Statement first
• contest for staff to see who could memorize it
• made it short, made staff learn it
• put onto pocket cards for the board
• Vision statement, time line, long range plan
• Sticky stuff in the main manual, fast changing stuff in appendices so they can be easily updated
• Org chart, board info, director, district information, stats, budget, Web site, OPAC
• Physical layout, branches
• Personnel
• The board only has one employee, the director
• everyone else works for the director, they're his/her responsibility
• Expect board members have reviews this in advance of the first meeting
• Expect members to view meeting info in advance and for the meetings to start on time
• Library environment
• ALA, PLA, State Library, CAL, ACLIN, Friends
• Library Law
• Sunshine & open meeting, investment, Tabor, Internet issues
• The purpose of policy is to make you look good
• To give you time to research
• to give you time to de-escalate the situation
• not to be publicly humiliated
• PR issues
• Douglas County has had 27 book challenges this year
• Confidentially issues
• especially with children
• Calls for being allowed access to child's records
• “Have you considered talking with your child?”
• Don't ignore young people trying for the board as their first opportunity
• strongly recommends becoming a district
• Know your legislators
• Board job descriptions
• Term limits
• Wrong question
• “Who effective are the board members”
• rotate people out before they can come back in
• Boards over seven start to get unwieldy, smaller than five can't do enough
• Vice President: “Somebody's got to be in charge of vice”
• The president is only one member & does not have the power to follow their own agenda
• Committees
• Douglas uses committees because “it works for us”
• Like the smaller groups to discuss and make recommendations
• Each board member expected to be on two committees
• appointed by the new board president each January
• Typically three people per committee
• Have invited people from outside the board to participate in committee meetings
• Arapahoe LD has not committees, they use “study sessions”
• Decorum
• If people coming into the library are treated well and smiling, you've already failed
• Services: Have you moved from VHS to DVD yet? Why are you still buying VHS if you still are?
• Is the board fulfilling the mission?
• Board evaluation and accountability
• very important!
• Rare
• Is the board only accountable to themselves?
• need to be above suspicion
• We have a good record
• Set goals for the board and follow through
• Ethics
• Don't do anything you want on the front page of the paper
• listen to your “inner mother”
• Make sure the library is well managed, not manage the library well
• Annual contracts with directors still rare in Colorado
• New patron packet also given to board
• No longer mailing board packets
• [M: Aurora has folders that can be picked up]
• They use a Web site
• Jargon & acronym glossary
• “If you're doing it in secret you shouldn't be doing it at all”