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Library Board Officers Orientation September 23, 2008 Meeting Summary |
Library Board Members Patricia Izek, President Therese VanBlarcom, Vice President John Pacheco, Secretary John Gibbs Holly Guncheon Roger Hale Jill Joseph Claudia Kelly Kathleen Lamb David Pratt Cynthia Steinke Interim Library Director Lois Langer Thompson |
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Attendees: Library
Board President Patricia Izek, Vice President Therese VanBlarcom, Secretary
John Pacheco, past President John Gibbs;
facilitator Carolyn Bacon; staff Interim Director Lois Langer Thompson and Char
Sohlberg Welcome and Overview Carolyn
Bacon summarized the orientation sessions. A decision was made to wait until early
2009 for a vision retreat with the Roles and Expectations of Library
Board Officers Past
President John Gibbs explained Board members have equal responsibility; the
President presides over the Board to manage meetings and is the point person
for the Director. Duties involve: conversation(s) with the Director between
meetings (usually one week before the next meeting) to assist with setting the agenda;
other discussions may touch on policy-related issues. The President has no
jurisdiction other than to appoint committees. Appointments are done in a way
that provides opportunities for all members to participate; matching skills
with availability without pattern or pre-disposition. The President may serve
on a subcommittee but is not recommended in the role of Chair as it may appear
to others that the President has more authority. President
Patricia Izek supports a committee structure and noted it may be necessary to
schedule some Saturday meetings due to busy Board member schedules. Ms. Bacon summarized
comments from the July Library Board orientation with Commissioner Dorfman and
County Administrator Richard Johnson on how business is conducted at Board
meetings and the request to engage in more system-wide issues. Changing the way
business is conducted formalizes the structure for the Board President, opens
meetings for more discussion, and may result in added expectations for the
President to manage the meeting. Previous
Library Board meeting concerns were discussed along with the advantages of a
committee structure. Incorporating
communication online, providing information notes on topics (for your
consideration, for voting), and contacting Board colleagues between meetings to
obtain detailed information prior to attending meetings were viewed as positive
steps toward managing future meetings. In
addition, staff reports on complex issues should be distributed in advance or introduced
and then tabled for further information, discussion, or action at a later date.
A Committee structure allows issues to be discussed at length, recommendations
made for the full Board, with committee members available for colleagues to
contact prior to Board action. This change is not to eliminate open discourse,
which was recognized as an important component, it is to assist in running an
organized meeting and allow time for other Board-level topics to be
addressed. Public comments may be
delayed until an item is on the agenda at the President's discretion but should
be managed (voting should not be rushed based on time allowed). Testimony may
be taken from the public with further discussion and consideration given, with
follow-up and/or action taken at a later date. Committee Structure Previous Board
committees were reviewed. Recommendations for three new standing Board
committees include: Budget &
Finance, Program, and Executive. An annual appointment would be made to
committees at the annual meeting and members would serve for 12 months. Committee
meetings would be open to all, non-committee members would not vote. All
committee meetings would be publicly noticed and meeting summaries provided. Board
members would look for and rely on reports from the various groups prior to
action at full Board meetings. Some
joint meetings may be held with the Budget & Finance and Program
Committees. Other subcommittees such as Athenaeum, Library Board Policy,
Library Director Search, etc., continue as they are efficient and useful to
address issues as needed and are not considered standing committees. Other
Needs and Expectations Interim
Director Lois Langer Thompson expressed the need for Library Board members to
speak strategically on behalf of the staff and public as they are recognized as
representatives of the community. Staff is looking for direction from Board
members and the community needs to hear the Board is interested in and
understands their needs. The need is there; staff and public are listening and
looking to the Board. There have been so many changes; the environment is not
"business as usual." Based on
comments from the July orientation session, Ms. Bacon reminded attendees of the
need for a strategic plan that captures the tone of this big, new library
organization. She encouraged the officers and past President to think about
this opportunity as a kick-off for what is needed to be a 21st
century library and the role of the Board in setting that direction. A strategic plan will provide context for the
joint/vision retreat with the Next Steps Carolyn
Bacon and library staff will draft a recommendation that outlines a different
infrastructure for the Board and includes the charge, responsibilities, and examples
of issues for each new standing committee. This information will be e-mailed to
the officers and past President as soon as possible for their reaction and
suggested changes. If a final version is available, this may be included in the
Library Board mail packet sent one week prior to the Oct. 22 Library Board
meeting to be included on the next meeting agenda. S:9 23 08 Officer Orientation Meeting Summary Final approved 11 18 08 |