Board of Directors Application

Ohio Public Library Trustee's Handbook, second edition
Ohio Public Library Trustees Association/Ohio Library Council, 1996

Chapter One - Introduction

"The level of quality of a library reflects the level of quality of the trustees who are and have been on its board. "

There are two key ingredients needed to be a good library trustee. The first is to respect the role libraries play in the quality of life of any community. The second is unwavering support of the concept of intellectual freedom.

Just like board members of non-library organizations, library trustees need to be able to recognize the line between setting and implementing policy. And they need to be team players, willing to support the decisions of the board, even though they may have argued against that position prior to the vote.

Instead of personal agendas, trustees should bring to the board table expertise in certain areas. The experience can range from a technical nature, such as in the computer or construction fields, to more personal, such as being the parent of young library users or being a person with a disability.

Each board needs to assess its own strengths and weaknesses to decide what areas of expertise it needs in the next trustee appointment. Does the board already have members it turns to for advice in budgeting, personnel and legal matters? Does it have members who represent the cultural diversity in the community? Does it have members who represent all the specific geographic areas of the library district? Does it have at least one trustee who is a voracious reader?

Today's trustees face a challenge that is as exciting as it is awesome. How will rapidly changing technology affect the role libraries play in their communities? Board members should embrace new technology as they plan for the future when many libraries will play a new role-that of technological resource centers for their communities.

Trustees should be planning now for the library to better serve a growing number of patrons who may never set foot in the library. These are patrons who tap into the library's wealth of knowledge via telephone modems. Trustees should think of telephone patrons as a variation of bookmobile users. Just as the bookmobiles have taken books to patrons who could not get to the library, the phone lines will transmit information to patrons who prefer instant access to their libraries from their homes or offices.

A trustee's love of books must not cloud the fact that the library should provide information in the most convenient manner for its patrons. The format is secondary to the information it packages. Today's movement toward the CD-ROM format may soon be replaced by an even newer format.

The new technology will eventually help libraries open their "doors" 24 hours a day to some of their patrons, including students working on that research paper that is "due tomorrow." The new technology will redefine access problems from parking problems to software problems. The new technology will require trustees committed to meet the changing need of library patrons.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS MANUAL?

This manual is intended to serve as an orientation manual for any person who has just accepted an appointment to a public library board of trustees in Ohio. It is also hoped that this manual will be useful as a reference resource as long as one serves on the board.

WHY DO PEOPLE SERVE ON BOARDS?

Several reasons have been identified to answer this question. The list includes power, prestige, professional benefits, exposure, what's in it personally, past personal experience, and genuine interest. Do any of these reasons fit you?

WHAT IS A TRUSTEE?

Let's start with the definition of trustee, which is "One to whom another's property or its management is entrusted." Since a public library belongs to the entire community, boards of trustees have been created by law to act as the governing body of the library. As a member of the library board, you become a holder of the public trust, and your authority is collective through the context of actions taken by you and the other members of your board. In Ohio, those broad powers of a board of public library trustees are delineated in Section 3375.40 of the Ohio Revised Code.

You are responsible for your library's well-being, not only in ensuring the smooth internal operations of your institution, but in presenting a well-managed, well-planned menu of services to your constituency. You represent the citizens' interests in an ethical manner, promoting the highest level of library service appropriate to your community.

WHAT ARE THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE LIBRARY TRUSTEE?

Section 3375.40 of the Ohio Revised Code formally details the powers and responsibilities of boards of public library trustees. In actual practice, trustees have responsibilities for library funds and some personnel matters, public relations, and a commitment to plan the short and long-range goals of the library.

Trustees are responsible for securing and managing the money for the operation of the library. They are responsible for relating the budget to the needs of the community and securing sufficient funds for effective library service.

The involvement of trustees in routine personnel matters is limited. Their responsibility centers around the hiring, supervision, evaluation, and, in some cases, the dismissal of the library director and clerk-treasurer. Working with the director, the board will establish and update personnel policies.

Trustees are responsible for promoting the highest level of library service within their community. They must avoid situations where their personal interests conflict with the needs of the library. While being cognizant of the confidential nature of some of the library's information, they must also comply with the state's freedom of information laws. Trustees must be dedicated to resisting censorship of library materials and protecting the confidentiality of patron records.

Trustees are responsible for the long range plans of the library. Not only do they formulate these plans, they monitor and evaluate the implementation of the plans.

WHAT IS THE COMMITMENT OF A TRUSTEE?

The job of a trustee requires a considerable investment of time. While library trustees bring to their role a wide range of knowledge and experience, the special issues and concerns of libraries require investigation and study.

Attendance at monthly meetings is vital. It is also necessary to spend adequate time reviewing the background material for the items on the agenda and the monthly financial report.

Board members are usually asked to serve on at least one standing committee and often on an ad hoc committee. Members of the board's finance committee will spend additional time working with the clerk-treasurer and library director to prepare the annual budget and attend budget hearings.

Trustees should take advantage of the regional and statewide workshops and meetings offered by Ohio Library Council and other library organizations. This usually entails one or two days per year at the council's annual conference, a day at a regional meeting, and another day at a workshop. The content and frequency of workshops and special regional or statewide meetings will depend on the current status of library issues within the state.

Some trustees may wish to involve themselves in national library issues. The time commitment will vary according to the trustee's interests.

Trustees also are representatives of the library to the community. During times when bond issues or levy campaigns face the local library, trustees may be asked to speak formally for the library. At other times, they will be asked to respond to citizens' concerns about the library. It is impossible to place a time expectation on this task. It is simply a role which the trustees must be willing to shoulder.

A personal note: While the task of being a library trustee does require a commitment of time and energy, it is an honor to serve on a library board. The library is the one institution which serves everyone-young and old, rich and poor, men and women, poorly educated and great scholars. It is a real privilege to serve as a library trustee and to be a part of the institution which so well serves a community.

HOW ARE LIBRARY TRUSTEES APPOINTED?

It is important to know that public library trustees in Ohio are appointed, not elected. Figure 1. 1 lists the various types of libraries which -exist in Ohio, who makes the appointments, and the number of libraries in each category.

Many public library boards have worked out an agreement with their appointing authorities so that current board members have some input into the appointment process. In those cases, they offer names of possible candidates when a position is vacant, or about to become vacant. In some instances, the board vacancy is announced, citizens apply for appointment, and candidates are interviewed by current board members and/or the appointing authority.

There is no statutory limitation on the number of years or terms a library trustee may serve; however, several library boards have adopted policies limiting trustees to one or two terms.

Currently, Ohio has 250 public library boards, while the number of library facilities (694) far exceeds that number, because many libraries have branch facilities.

DO TRUSTEES TAKE AN OATH OF OFFICE?

All new trustees must take an oath of office. Many reaffirm their oaths on a regular basis. It is advisable to have a reappointed trustee renew his or her oath of office upon reappointment. A sample oath of office is printed in Appendix D.3 of this Handbook.