Trustee Orientation
offered by NEILSA

The full course of Trustee Education is designed to take five hours. We recommend that it be done over a five meeting course, with updates as needed for new trustees or for continuing education.

While this course is set for five sessions it is not cast in stone. A board could and should select the items that are most important to them, then NEILSA can develop a course that meets the local board's needs. It is suggested that the director or Board president go over the outline, check off topics that are of immediate interest and forward that worksheet to NEILSA for the development of a session tailored for the Board.

Any of the over-achievers on the Board may "study up" by reading the chapters in the Trustee Handbook at http://www.silo.lib.ia.us/for-ia-libraries/Trustees/2003trusteehandbook.pdf

(TH = Trustee Handbook e.g (TH2:5-8) is Trustees Handbook Chapter 2 pages 5 to 8)

SESSION 1: WHERE OUR PUBLIC LIBRARY FITS IN THE INFORMATION SCHEMA

1. The Board Member’s Job Description (TH 2:5-8)
   1. Advocate
   2. Plan
   3. Monitor and Evaluate
   4. Set Policies
   5. Hire and Evaluate the Director
2. The Board Develops Policy (TH 5:15)
   1. Policy Definition
3. The Library Director’s Job on the Board Team (TH 6:25)
   1. Duties and Responsibilities of the Library Board and Library Director
4. Library Board Officers (TH 10:48)
   1. Board President
   2. Planner
   3. Presider/Facilitator
   4. Delegator
   5. Liaison
   6. Team builder
   7. Vice-President
   8. Secretary
   9. Elections of Officers
5. Board Meetings (TH 11:51-53)
   1. Responsibilities of board members
   2. Agendas
   3. Minutes
   4. Reports
   5. Motions
6. Libraries Agencies and Associations (TH 13:68)
   1. State Associations
   2. National Associations
   3. State Library of Iowa
   4. Iowa Library Service Areas

SESSION 2: THE LAW AND FUNDING

1. Library Funding, Finance and Budget (TH 9:38-47)
   1. Budgetary Powers of Iowa Library Trustees
   2. Where Does Library Funding Come From?
   3. The Library Budget Calendar
   4. Budget Management
   5. Library Budget: Roles and Responsibilities of the Director, Board, and City
2. Selected Iowa Laws and Cases Pertaining to Libraries
   1. The Library Ordinance
   2. Changing the Library’s Ordinance
   3. Financial Support for libraries
   4. Open Meetings
      1. Open Meetings Law (TH 11:50)
   5. Access to Information
   6. Open Records and Confidentiality
   7. Fair Labor Standards Act
   8. Iowa Gift Law
   9. Compatibility of Office
   10. Board Liability
   11. Other Rules and Laws
3. Misc. Information Regarding Board Meetings (TH 11:54-57)
   1. The Decision-Making Process
   2. Committees
   3. Bylaws
4. Suggested Content for a Library Policies Manual (TH 5:17)

SESSION 3: CODE OF ETHICS AND UNDERSTANDING INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM ISSUES

1. Code of Ethics (TH 3: 9-10)
   1. Ethics Statement for Public Library Trustees
   2. Another Possible Code of Ethical Conduct
   3. The Board Self-Evaluation
2. Intellectual Freedom and the Library Board (TH 4:13-14)
   1. Understanding Intellectual Freedom
   2. Be Prepared
   3. Assistance with Intellectual Freedom Issues
3. Policy Development Step by Step (TH 5: 15)

SESSION 4: THE IMPORTANCE OF PLANNING FOR LIBRARIES

1. Planning for the Library’s Future (TH 7: 31-36)
   1. Important Reasons for Planning
   2. Basic Questions to be Answered in Planning
   3. The New Planning for Results
   4. Service Responses

Session 5: LEARNING ABOUT THE BOARD/STAFF RELATIONSHIP

1. Take Time to Learn the Job (TH 1:2-4)
   1. Get to Know the People On Library Board and Director
   2. Recognize That This Job Deserves Your Very Best Effort
   3. Continue to Learn
   4. Find Out Where to go for Answers to Your Questions
   5. Questions That Need to be Answered During Orientation
   6. Documents to Ask For
2. The Library Director’s Job on the Board Team (TH 6:19-23, 26-30)
   1. Hiring a Library Director
   2. Working with the Library Director
   3. Evaluating the Library Director
   4. Sample Evaluation Form
   5. Dismissing the Library Director
3. The Board/Staff Relationship (TH 8:37)
   1. Only One Employee Reports to the Board—The Library Director
4. Appendix (TH Appendix)
   1. Library Bill of Rights
   2. The Freedom to Read
   3. Request for Reconsideration of Library Resources
   4. Model Ordinance
   5. Sample Bylaws
   6. Sample Library Board Meeting Agenda