Trustee Manual: Organization & Meetings
Chapter 4 Organization & Meetings | Next Chapter | Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | PDF
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 means following your bylaws, supporting group decision making, and doing your part to make meetings effective and worthwhile.
Bylaw Basics
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
See Appendix C: Sample Bylaws for another example of board 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
Working as a Board
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 approved 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 (the minimum number of members that must be present to conduct business) 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 who is not appointed to the board is legally authorized to vote on library board matters.
Meaningful Meetings
Preparing the Agenda
A well-run board meeting depends on a carefully planned agenda. The board chairperson and library director should work together in preparing materials to be sent out to board members at least one week 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 chairperson may add agenda items and board members wishing to have an item brought before the full group should contact their board chairperson. 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: These will vary throughout the year. Reports may be distributed to members in advance to save time. Example of reports:
- Library director's report
- Financial report
- Standing committees
- Special committees
- Unfinished Business
- Action items
- New business
- Announcements
- Adjournment
Tips for Conducting Meetings
Before Meetings
- Be thoroughly familiar with UCA 52-4-101 through 305, regarding Utah's Open and Public Meetings Act.
- Plan meetings on a regular annual schedule as stated in your board's bylaws. Establish dates (or recurring days of the month), 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 UCA 52-4-202.
- Distribute the agenda and written reports at least 7 days in advance of a 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, and by when.
- Confirm the next meeting date, time and place.
- Officially adjourn the meeting, and end on time.
Taking Minutes
Minutes as a public record: : In accordance with UCA 52-4-203 minutes of each board meeting constitute a public record subject to GRAMA regulations. Minutes must include:
- The date, time, and place of the meeting.
- The names of members present and absent.
- The substance of all matters proposed, discussed, or decided by the public body which may include a summary of comments made by members of the public body.
- A record, by individual member, of each vote taken by the public body.
Written minutes shall be available to the public within a reasonable time after the end of the meeting. However, just taking minutes does not finalize the legal record. The written minutes become the official record of board proceedings after minutes have been ratified by the board. The board must have in effect a policy for ratifying board meeting minutes.
Recording minutes: In accordance with UCA 52-4-203 "written minutes and a recording shall be kept of all open meetings." A recording of an open meeting shall be a complete and unedited record of all open portions of the meeting from the commencement of the meeting through adjournment of the meeting; and be properly labeled or identified with the date, time, and place of the meeting. A recording of an open meeting shall be available to the public for listening within three business days after the end of the meeting.
Rules of Order: Also known as rules of procedure, are the rules of parliamentary procedure some library boards have adopted to guide the conduct at meetings and the processes used to make decisions. If your board chooses to use them, see www.robertsrules.org for a quick summary.
Example of Order of Business
- Call to order
- Roll call and introductions
- Approval of minutes of previous meeting
- Reports: These will vary throughout the year
- Unfinished business
- Action Items
- New business
- Announcements
- Adjournment
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Moving Motions
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