The Trustee, the Director, and the Staff
The responsibilities of trustees can be divided into four general categories:
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Governance & Policy Making
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Finance
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Personnel
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Service & Community Relations
Cooperation is the key
The duties and responsibilities of the library board and the library director may appear to overlap. Understanding the difference in function assures teamwork and better library service.
Boards should not run their libraries; they should see that they are run properly. Boards should not attempt to manage their libraries; they must see that the libraries are managed properly.
Policy determination and management are different roles:
- Policy determination relies heavily on the board's participation and knowledge.
- Management is the responsibility of the person hired by the
library board to administer, direct, run the library.
The following comparative list shows the division between the complementary roles of the board of trustees and the library administrator:
Governance and Policy Making
| Board of Trustees |
Library Director |
| Determine the goals and objectives of the library and methods of evaluating progress toward meeting them. review goals and objectives annually and evaluate progress. |
Provide assistance and direction to the board in setting goals and objectives and determining methods of evaluation. Provide information and opinion on how the library is progressing. |
| Relate the library and its programs to the community and its needs, discovered through systematic study of the community and through systematic analysis of library services. |
Assist the board to know the needs of the community and how to respond to these needs through library services. |
| Determine and adopt written policies to govern the operation use, and programs of the library. Adopt bylaws for board procedures. Review policies on a regular basis, especially as part of the orientation of new trustees. |
Recommend needed policies to the board and study examples and sources of information. Carry out the policies as adopted by the board. Interpret policies to the staff and public. Provide the board with recommendations and materials for study. |
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Administer the library within the frame of the law and the library's goals and objectives, policies, and budget. |
| Seek a cooperative basis with officials of the municipality and other local governing units, keeping in mind the special legal responsibilities of a library board. |
Prepare all needed library reports for the local unit of government and the Idaho Commission for Libraries. Provide copies to the board. |
| Attend all board meetings and committee meetings to which you are assigned. Carry out all special assignments properly. |
Attend all board and committeemeetings except those meeting or parts of meetings in which the librarian's salary and tenure are discussed. |
Know local, state, and national laws which affect libraries, and play an active part in initiating and supporting beneficial library legislation.
Be aware of and make use of the services and consultants of the Idaho Commission for Libraries.
Attend regional, state, and national library association meetings and workshops when possible and join appropriate organizations working for improved libraries. Study library publications.
Budget for continuing education experiences for administration, staff and trustees.
Finance
| Board of Trustees |
Library Director/Librarian |
| Be completely informed about the financial status of the library. |
Provide regular reports of budget status and expenditures at each board meeting. |
| Work with the library director to formulate a budget adequate to carry out the library's goals and objectives, within any limitations of the state law. |
Prepare for board discussion a suggested annual budget in consultation with staff and board. Supply facts and figures to the board to aid in interpreting the library's current and future financial needs. |
| Present the budget to the funding agency, public officials, and the general public: explain and defend it. |
Follow the budget process as it moves through the funding process. Work with the board in interpreting budget and financial needs of the library to public officials and the public. Provide leadership in supporting the budget. |
| Work to secure adequate funds for staff and services. |
Identify financial needs of the library and work with the board and staff for adequate funding. |
| Explore all ways of increasing the library's income through tapping other sources and taking advantage of all available means of cooperation with other libraries. |
Call the board's attention to ways of stretching the budget. Assist the board in cooperating with other libraries. |
See that complete and accurate records concerning finances, personnel, property inventory, and annual reports are on file at the library.
Personnel
| Board of Trustees |
Library Director/Librarian |
| Employ a competent and qualified library director and pay an adequate salary. |
Act as technical advisor to the board. Hire and direct subordinate staff members in line with library personnel policies. |
| Provide adequate compensation and reasonable fringe benefits for all employees. Provide agreeable working conditions and opportunities for professional growth. |
Work for needed improvements in working conditions, salary scales, and fringe benefits. |
| Provide a planned orientation program for new trustees. |
Assist in the orientation of new trustees, including introduction to library procedures, departments, and staff. |
| Develop policies to guide staff selection. |
Provide the board with recommendations and material for study. Apply guidelines in selecting staff. Take full responsibility for the day-to-day administration of the library. |
Provide in-service training for the professional development of staff members on effective implementation of library policies. Whenever possible, provide opportunities for additional education and advancement. Consider establishment of career ladders within the library if possible.
Services and Community Relations
| Board of Trustees |
Library Director/Librarian |
| Interpret the community and its needs to the library director and reflect them in goals, objectives, and policies. |
Interpret the community and its needs to the board. |
| Establish a library materials selection policy, reflecting community needs and including a freedom to read provisions. |
Supply information and expert advice on such a policy, together with recommendations reflecting professional knowledge. Select and order books and materials in harmony with the policy criteria. |
| Establish , ways of providing service, not just to individuals, but to organized agencies and institutions within the community in both the public and private sector. |
Offer regular and special services to public and private community groups. Seek effective and innovative ways of providing library services to groups, individuals, and the total community. |
Establish, support, and participate in a planned community relations program, allocating responsibility for various tasks according to available personnel and talents.
Seek to extend library service to those who have been reluctant to use the library and to those unable to take advantage of customary library programs.
