Library By-Laws

Article 1: Purpose of Board

The purpose of the Board shall be to:

Select a Librarian and determine salary.
Adopt written policies for the general operation and maintenance of the Library.
Develop and operate under by-laws that govern the actions of the Board.
Develop, in cooperation with the Librarian, a yearly budget, and work for adequate financial support of the Library.
Help the Librarian in assessing community needs and determining the Library’s role in meeting them.
Plan for growth and improvement of Library services.
Keep informed of local, regional, state and national Library development.

There shall be five members on the Board, members elected at Town Meeting, each serving a three year term.
Trustees must be New Haven residents.
A Trustee who is absent for three consecutive meetings, or from 6 nonconsecutive meetings within a
12-month period may be considered to have resigned.
Remaining board members may appoint an individual to serve out the remaining term of a position left open.

The officers on the Board of Trustees will be Chair, Vice-chair, Treasurer and Secretary.
Election of Officers will be held at the first meeting following Town Meeting.
Officers are elected for a term of one year with the possibility of re-election.
The Chair will:
a. Prepare an agenda for regular and special meetings.
b. Preside over meetings.
The Vice-chair will:
a. Perform the duties of the Chair in his/her absence, or by request of the Chair.
The Treasurer will:
a. Take over the duties of the Chair in the absence of both the Chair and Vice-chair.
b. Maintain an accurate record of accounts showing all receipts and disbursements and present a monthly statement to the Board.
c. Prepare an annual budget with the help of other Board members.
d. Be responsible for all financial correspondence.
The Secretary will:
a. Be the recorder for all meetings of the Library.
b. Be responsible for the archives of the Board.
c. Distribute minutes of the prior meeting.
d. Handle general correspondence of the Board of Trustees.
The Board may appoint committees to perform specific tasks. Each committee must include at least one Board member, but may include other New Haven residents.

Regular meetings will be held once a month on dates determined by the Trustees and published on the library’s website. If the time of an individual meeting must be changed, or the meeting must be cancelled, these changes will be coordinated between all Board members through email or other means.
Special meetings
a. If a special meeting is to be called, Board members will determine the time, place and purpose of the meeting.
b. Any member of the Board of Trustees may call for a special meeting.
All Board members, the Town Librarian and any New Haven resident may attend all Board meetings except those portions conducted in executive session. Executive sessions shall be conducted, at the Trustees’ discretion.
All meetings (excluding those portions conducted in executive session) shall be memorialized in minutes, which shall be made available to any New Haven resident upon request. The contents of the minutes shall be guided by Vermont’s Open Meeting Law: statutory reference #1 VSA Section 312 (6) (1).
A quorum is three Trustees. No policy-making decisions may be made without a quorum present.
Board members shall strive to conduct all library business during meetings. If decisions must be made or other business conducted between meetings, this may be done through email or other means, so long as consensus between all Board members is preserved, and the decision discussed, ratified, and reflected in the minutes at the next regular meeting.

Decisions of the Trustees shall be made by consensus. If the Trustees are unable to reach consensus on an issue after three meetings, any Trustee may request that a vote be taken on the issue. If a vote is taken, each Trustee shall have one vote.
The agenda for meetings will generally follow the order below:

The Board will develop job descriptions for all permanent employees.
Evaluations
a. Timing of evaluations: During the first year of the Librarian’s employment, the Board will evaluate his/her job performance after 6 months, and again 1 year after the date of hire. For the first five years thereafter, the Board will conduct performance evaluations of the Librarian annually. Beginning 5 years after the date of hire, the Board shall conduct formal written evaluations of the Librarian’s job performance at least every three years, and shall informally evaluate his/her performance annually.
b. Basis for evaluation: The Librarian and Board of Trustees will agree on a realistic set of goals for the Library, as reflected in the five year plan. These goals will be used as a reference during the evaluation.
c. Salary discussions will be informed by performance evaluations and budget constraints.

The bylaws can be amended at any regular meeting of the Board provided a quorum is present.

Last revised Feburary 24, 2015