Chapter 5 Organization and Meetings | Next Chapter | Return to Table of Contents
Bylaw Basics | Working as a Board | Meaningful Meetings | Tips for Conducting Meetings
Building a strong library board does not happen by accident. It takes time, patience, good business practices, and team effort. Conducting board business requires adhering to bylaws principles, conforming to group work practices, and doing your part to make meetings efficient and worthwhile.
Well-crafted bylaws help provide for the smooth and effective functioning of a library board. The bylaws are a set of rules that define the operational procedures of the board. The bylaws of a public library board in Utah must not conflict with federal or state laws or local ordinances. Boards should review bylaws annually and amend them as necessary.
Sample Bylaws
- The name of the board
- The constituency served by the library and its board
- The composition of the board
- Procedure for election or appointment of board trustees
- Terms of board trustees
- Procedure for filling an unexpired trustee term
- The schedule (frequency) of board meetings
- Procedure for calling special meetings of the board
- Specification of a quorum
- See Appendix Material for another example of bylaws.
Full board authority: Board members do not have authority as individuals. A library board committee cannot act on behalf of the full board–only actions by the full board have legal authority. Likewise, individual board members and board officers can perform official actions on behalf of the board only with specific authorization from the full board. Normally, a majority of the membership of a library board constitutes a quorum, but the library board may establish its own definition of a quorum in its bylaws.
Collective decision making: Legal responsibility for overall library operations rests in the library board, not individual trustees. Therefore, it is important for the board president to use leadership techniques that promote effective group decision making on the part of the entire library board, not decision making by a few board members, or the library director, or any other individual.
Voting rights : Only legally appointed library board members can vote on board matters. Some library boards may consider certain officials ex officio board members, such as the library director or city manager. However, no other government official or person not appointed to the board is legally authorized to vote on library board matters.
Preparing the Agenda
A well-run board meeting depends on a carefully planned agenda. The board president and library director need to work together in preparing materials to be sent out to board members before each meeting. Typically, the library director will contact the library board president to discuss planned agenda subjects (including any items required because of previous board action). The president may add agenda items and board members wishing to have an item brought before the full group should contact their board president. An annual library board calendar can help ensure that your board will meet important deadlines. Board members can contribute best if they have taken the time to adequately study the agenda and background materials before each meeting
Sample Agenda
- Call to order
- Roll call and introductions
- Approval of minutes of previous meeting
- Reports will vary throughout the year. Reports may be presented in advance to save time. Example of reports:
- Library director's report
- Financial report
- Standing committees
- Special committees
- Unfinished Business
- Action items
- New business
- Adjournment
Tips for Conducting Meetings
Before Meetings
- Plan meetings on a regular annual schedule as stated in your board's bylaws. Establish dates, time, and place.
- Prepare the agenda in advance. The Library board chair and the library director should cooperatively plan the agenda.
- Publish and post notice of meetings in accordance with Utah Code requirements: 52-4-1 - 52-4-6.
- Distribute the agenda and written reports two weeks in advance of meeting.
Beginning the Meeting
- The Board chair plans and presides over board meetings
- Start on time with roll call of board members. A quorum is necessary to conduct board business.
- Introduce visitors and/or new board members.
- Ensure that a recorder is appointed to take minutes.
- Approve minutes of the previous meeting.
- Review, revise, and order agenda. Set time limits for each item.
Conducting the Meeting
- Follow the agenda and the established order of business.
- Lead actively. Keep discussions moving along and on track.
- Solicit opinions from everyone on the board.
Ending the Meeting
- Review the meeting progress and any decisions made.
- Establish action items. Who will do what? When? Where?
- Announce the next meeting.
- Adjourn the meeting officially and end on time.
Taking Minutes
Minutes as a public record : Recorded minutes of each board meeting constitute a public archival record. Just taking minutes does not finalize the legal record. The record is established after minutes have been ratified by the board.
Recording minutes : At a minimum, meeting minutes must indicate board members present and all motions that were made and the result of any votes taken. Minutes should be content-driven and agenda- relevant. Take each topic outlined on the agenda, provide a brief summary of the issue, record the various points of view, and then, state the decision. Keep in mind the ABC rule for minute-taking: Accuracy, Brevity, and Clarity. The Utah "Open and Public Meetings Act" requires that a sound recording, in addition to written minutes, be kept of all open meetings and this includes the meetings of your library board.
Robert’s Rules of Order – Quick Summary http://www.robertsrules.org/