Library Board of Trustees

ARTICLE I

PURPOSE

The purpose of this instrument is to establish rules and By-laws for the conduct of meetings of the Trustees (“Trustees”) and for the governing of Keene Public Library (“Library”), Keene, New Hampshire. The requirements of RSA 91-A:1, et seg., are incorporated by reference herein.

January 17, 1984
Amended: December 18, 2012

ARTICLE II

BOARD MEETINGS

A majority of the Trustees shall constitute a quorum. Meetings shall be held monthly, except for July. A regular monthly meeting may be held in July if deemed necessary. The annual meeting of the Trustees shall be the monthly meeting held in August unless otherwise ordered by the Board of Trustees. The annual meeting shall be an organizational meeting, at which annual reports of committees shall be rendered, officers for the ensuing year shall be elected, and such other matters shall be acted upon as customarily is required at an annual meeting. The annual meeting shall further follow the close of the Library’s fiscal year, said year to run from July 1 to June 30.

ARTICLE III

EMERGENCY MEETINGS

Emergency meetings may be called by the President when there is a situation where immediate, undelayed action is deemed to be imperative and in accordance with RSA 91:A2.

ARTICLE IV

OFFICERS

The officers of the Keene Public Library who shall be members of the Board of Trustees shall be a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary and a Treasurer, who shall be elected at the annual meeting of the Board of Trustees and who shall hold office for one year and until a successor shall be chosen. Whenever a vacancy occurs in any such office, the President shall appoint another Trustee to that office to serve until the next annual meeting of the Board of Trustees or until a successor shall be chosen. In circumstances in which the President has finished his or her term on the Board of Trustees prior to the annual meeting, a new President will be elected at the last regular monthly meeting or at a special meeting, with the remaining officers to be elected at the annual meeting.

ARTICLE V
DUTIES OF OFFICERS

PRESIDENT

The President shall preside at all meetings of the Board of Trustees, shall appoint the chairman and members of all standing and special committees, and shall perform such other duties as are imposed on him or her by these By-laws, or as may be assigned to him or her by the Board of Trustees. The President shall, in conjunction with the Library Director, conduct an orientation session for all new Library Trustees and shall distribute to such Trustees all relevant documents and information. At least two months before any projected vacancy, the President, after reviewing names of prospective Trustees with the Board, shall present to the Mayor a list of candidates in order of preference. The President may also recommend to the Mayor the renewal of the appointment of any City appointed Trustee for a second term. The President is further responsible for insuring that the Library Director receives an annual performance review.

VICE-PRESIDENT

The Vice-President shall exercise all the powers of the President during the absence or disability of the President, in addition to such other duties as the Board of Trustees may from time to time prescribe.

TREASURER

The Treasurer shall have the care and custody of such funds, record books and valuable papers constituting the property or business of the Board of Trustees as may come into his possession as Treasurer. The Treasurer shall keep accurate books of account. The Treasurer shall collect such monies as may from time to time be paid to the Trustees of Keene Public Library, and shall keep and disburse the same pursuant to contracts and obligations of Keene Public Library, or as otherwise ordered by the Board of Trustees. The Treasurer shall perform such other duties as the Board of Trustees may from time to time require. Upon request, the Treasurer shall give bond in such sum and with such sureties as the Board of Trustees shall require.

SECRETARY

The Secretary shall attend all meetings of the Board of Trustees and record the proceedings thereof, shall notify the members of the Board of Trustees of all meetings in accordance with the By-laws and shall perform such other duties as the Board of Trustees may from time to time require.

ARTICLE VI
COMMITTEES

The following Committees consisting of as many Trustees as the President shall determine, shall be appointed by the President, subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees, at or following the annual meeting. All such committee meetings shall be noticed and conducted in accordance with the requirements of RSA 91-A.

Section 1) TRUSTEE COMMITTEES

A Finance Committee, one of whom shall be the Treasurer of the Board of Trustees. The duties of this committee shall be to advise the Treasurer and the Board of Trustees where necessary regarding the investment of funds and other matters pertaining to the finances of the Library.

A Policies Committee whose duties shall be: (a) to prepare and maintain a manual which shall set forth all pertinent policy decisions (other than personnel policy) adopted by the Board of Trustees; (b)) to maintain a list of all pending policy issues.

A Long Range Planning Committee whose responsibilities will include overseeing the implementation of the Library’s Long Range Plan. The Long Range Plan will be developed every five years.

Section 2) ADVISORY COMMITTEES

Advisory Committees may consist of Trustees and public members as appointed by the President and approved by the Board. The number of Trustees must be less than a quorum of the Board.

A Building and Grounds Committee whose duties shall be to supervise the buildings and grounds used by the Keene Public Library; to prepare and keep current a list of items requiring service or repair; to prepare and keep current an inventory of items requiring an expenditure of capital; to consult with the Library Director at least annually concerning any of the foregoing items and with respect to the maintenance of the Library buildings and grounds; and to perform such other duties as may be assigned to this committee by the President of the Board of Trustees.

A Fine Arts committee whose duties shall be to acquire, maintain and inventory the Library’s objects of art and related collections and, in conjunction with the Library Director, plan and carry out exhibits and projects relating to the field of fine arts.

An Outreach Committee whose duties shall be to encourage and promote the use of Library services and programs to all age groups throughout the community.

A Keene Library Annex Advisory Committee (KLAAC) whose duties shall be the development of a Library vision, including programming, which would happen in both buildings; the development of a plan for the physical structure of the Annex; and the development of a plan for funding the project.

Such other special committees as the President or the Board of Trustees shall from time to time appoint.

The President of the Board of Trustees shall serve as an ex officio member of all committees.

The President, at least twenty (20) days before the annual meeting of the Board of Trustees, shall appoint a Nominating Committee whose duty it shall be to submit a list of nominees for officers for the ensuing year.

ARTICLE VII

LIBRARY DIRECTOR

The Library Director shall be the executive director of the Library and shall be chosen by and be responsible to the Board of Trustees.  The Library Director shall have charge of the administration of the Library, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees, shall be responsible for the efficiency of the Library service to the public, shall have charge of the employment and direction of the staff, consistent with policies established by the Board of Trustees, shall be in charge of the operation of the Library under and in accordance with the terms established in the annual budget, shall attend meetings of the Board of Trustees upon request of the Board or the President, and shall make such reports and carry out such other duties as may be assigned by the Board of Trustees, or the President all subject to the supervision and approval of the Board of Trustees.

ARTICLE VIII

ORDER OF BUSINESS

The order of business at any regular or special meeting of the Board of Trustees shall be determined by the President.

ARTICLE IX

AMENDMENTS

These By-laws may be altered or amended at any regular meeting of the Board of Trustees or at any special meeting duly called for such purpose; provided that notice of the subject matter of any proposed amendment shall be delivered in hand or mailed to each Trustee at least fourteen (14) days prior to such meeting; and provided further that no such alteration or amendment shall become effective unless seven (7) Trustees vote in favor thereof.

ARTICLE X

TRUSTEES EMERITI

The Trustees, at any annual or regular meeting of the Board, may elect one or more Trustees Emeriti, for such reasons and for such term or terms as the Board shall determine.  Any person chosen a Trustee Emeritus shall be entitled to all ceremonial privileges to which members of the Board of Trustees are entitled but shall not be considered a member of the Board of Trustees under RSA 91-A.