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Boone County Public Library By-Laws

Article I - Authority

The Boone County Public Library District is a special purpose district and a tax-supported institution. It has as its legal basis the library laws of the Commonwealth of Kentucky [KRS Chapter 173].

Article II - Library Mission

The Boone County Public Library is a community resource which links people of all ages, interests, and circumstances with the recorded wisdom, experiences, and ideas of others. In support of this mission:

  1. Materials are assembled, organized, and made accessible to all;
  2. Collections, services, and programs are developed in response to expressed and perceived individual and community needs;
  3. A skilled staff and the latest technologies are employed to facilitate and enhance the use of library resources;
  4. The public is kept constantly aware of the library services available to them.

Article III - Board of Trustees

Section 1. Duties and Responsibilities

The policy of the Board of Trustees shall be to:

  1. Employ a competent and qualified library director.
  2. Determine and adopt written policies to govern the operation and program of the library.
  3. Determine the purposes of the library and secure adequate funds to carry on library programs.
  4. Know the program and needs of the library in relation to the community; keep abreast of standards and library trends.
  5. Establish, support, and participate in a planned public relations program.
  6. Assist in the preparation of the annual budget.
  7. Know local and state laws pertaining to libraries; actively support library legislation in the state and in the nation.
  8. Establish among the library polices those dealing with material selection.
  9. Attend all board meetings and see that accurate records are kept on file at the library.
  10. Attend regional and state trustee meetings and workshops; affiliate with appropriate professional organizations. [KLA, KLTA]

Section 2. Appointment

Trustees are appointed by the County Judge Executive, with the approval of the Fiscal Court, for a term of four [4] years. Except for filling unexpired terms, trustees may serve for two [2] consecutive terms, after which they shall not succeed themselves. [KRS 173.490]

Article IV - Officers

Section 1. Election

Officers of the Board of Trustees shall be elected by the Board at the regular annual meeting and shall be as follows: President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

Section 2. Terms of Office

Officers shall be elected for a term of two [2] years.

Article V - Duties of Officers

Section 1. President

The President of the Board shall:

  1. Preside at all meetings.
  2. Appoint all committees.
  3. Sign approved payment voucher at each meeting authorizing payment of bills.
  4. Sign approved minutes of the previous meeting.
  5. Sign approved contracts.
  6. Authorize calls for special meetings.
  7. Generally perform the duties of a presiding officer.

Section 2. Vice-President

The Vice-President of the Board shall perform all duties of the President in the absence of the President.

Section 3. Secretary

The Secretary of the Board shall:

  1. Keep a true and accurate account of all proceedings of the Board meetings.
  2. Issue notices of all regular meetings and, on authorization of the President, of all special meetings.
  3. Notify the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives and the County Judge-Executive of any vacancies on the Board.
  4. Notify any trustee who has missed three [3] regular meetings in any one year of his/her term.
  5. Notify any trustee of his/her automatic resignation upon missing four [4] regular meetings in any one year of his/her term. [KRS 173.490]
  6. Write official letters of the Board and keep them filed with official library records.

Section 4. Treasurer

The Treasurer of the Board shall:

  1. Sign checks on the library account[s] on the authorization of the Board.
  2. Report at each meeting on the state of the funds.
  3. Perform such duties as authorized under KRS 173.540.

Article VI - Meetings

Section 1. Regular Meeting Time

The Board of Trustees will meet monthly at a regular meeting time and place as mutually agreed by the members of the Board.

Section 2. Annual Meeting

The annual meeting shall be held in June at the time and place of the regular monthly meeting.

Section 3. Special Meetings

Special meetings may be called by the President, or upon the written request of three [3] members for the transaction of business stated in the call for the meeting.

Section 4. Notification

Notice of all meetings shall be given by the Secretary to all members at least three [3] days before the meeting with an agenda for the meeting.

Article VII - Quorum

A quorum for the transaction of business shall consist of three [3] members of the Board.

Article VIII - Fiscal Year

The fiscal year shall be from July 1 to June 30.

Article IX - Committees

Special committees for the study or investigation of special projects may be appointed by the President. Such committees shall serve until the work for which they were appointed is completed.

Article X - Library Director

The Library Director shall be considered the executive officer of the Board and shall:

  1. Have sole charge of the administration of the library.
  2. Be held responsible for: a) the care of the buildings and equipment; b) the quality of the library's service to the public; c) the operation of the library under the financial conditions set forth in the annual budget.
  3. Attend all Board meetings except those at which his/her appointment or salary is to be discussed or decided.
  4. Draw up the agenda and prepare materials, in consultation with the President, for Board meetings.

Article XI - Order of Business and Agenda Items

The order of business at the regular meetings shall be as follows:

  • Call to order
  • Approval of minutes
  • Approval of treasurer's report and payment voucher

The agenda should include the following:

  • Unfinished business
  • New business
  • Attorney and accountant's reports
  • Library Director's report
  • Committee reports
  • Adjournment

Article XII - Advisory Board

As authorized by KRS 173.490[1], the Board of Trustees may appoint an advisory board. Members of the advisory board may be appointed annually for one [1] year terms from July 1 to June 30 of the following year. The advisory board, if appointed, shall consist of not less than two [2] and not more than five [5] members. Duties of the advisory board shall be as directed by the Board of Trustees.

Article XIII - Amendments

These by-laws may be amended at any regular meeting of the Board, with a quorum present, by a unanimous vote of the members present, provided the amendment was stated in the call of the meeting.