These rules are supplementary to the provisions of the statutes of the State of Illinois as they relate to the procedures of Boards of Library Trustees.

ABOUT

The name of the library shall be the Genoa Public Library District.  The library district boundaries are coterminous with the boundaries of the City of Genoa.  The library shall follow the fiscal year, July 1 through June 30.

REGULAR MEETINGS

The regular meeting of the Board of Library Trustees of the Genoa Public Library District shall be on the third Monday of each month.  The meeting shall be at the library at 7 o’clock.  The meetings shall be open to the public and noticed in advance.  At the end of each calendar year, the board shall, by ordinance, specify regular meeting dates and times for the upcoming year.  The secretary of the board shall then (1) provide for the local newspaper the schedule of regular meetings of the board for the ensuing fiscal year, and (2) post the schedule of meetings in the library with dates, times, and places of such meetings.

SPECIAL MEETINGS

Special meetings shall be held at any time when called by the president or secretary or by any three trustees of the board, provided that notice with the agenda of the special meeting is given at least 48 hours in advance, except in the case of a bona fide emergency, to board members and to any news medium which has filed an annual request for notice under the Open Meetings Act; no business except that stated in the notice and agenda shall be transacted.  Notice and agenda shall be posted 48 hours in advance on the front door of the library except in the case of a bona fide emergency.

QUORUM

A quorum at any meeting shall consist of 4 Board members; a majority of the quorum is 3 members.

REMOTE ATTENDANCE

It is the policy of the Genoa Public Library District that any member of the Board may attend and participate in any open or closed meeting of the Board from a remote location via telephone, video or Internet connection, provided that such attendance and participation is in compliance with this policy and any other applicable laws.

Prerequisites

A member of the Board may attend a meeting from a remote location if the following conditions are met:

·         a quorum is physically present throughout the meeting and

·         a majority of a quorum of the Board votes to approve the remote attendance.

          a.       The member should notify the Secretary or President at least 24 hours before the meeting so that necessary communications equipment can be arranged.  Inability to make the necessary technical arrangements will result in denial of a request for remote attendance.

          b.       The member must assert one of the following three reasons why he or she is unable to physically attend the meeting:

               ·         The member cannot attend because of personal illness or disability; or

               ·         The member cannot attend because of employment purposes or the business of the Genoa Public Library District; or

               ·         The member cannot attend because of a family or other emergency; or

               ·         The member cannot attend due to an unexpected childcare obligation.

Voting Procedures

After a roll call establishing that a quorum is physically present, any member present may move that a member be permitted to participate remotely, specifying the reason entitling the absent member to participate remotely.  All of the members physically present are permitted to vote on whether remote participation will be allowed.  The motion must be approved by a vote of a majority of the quorum.

Adequate Equipment Required

The member participating remotely and other members of the Board must be able to communicate effectively, and members of the audience must be able to hear all communications.  Before approving remote attendance at any meeting, the Board shall provide equipment adequate to accomplish this objective.

Minutes

Any member participating remotely shall be considered an off-site participant and counted as present by means of video or audio conference for that meeting if the member is allowed to participate.  The meeting minutes shall also reflect and state specifically whether each member is physically present, present by video, or present by audio means.

Rights of Remote Member

A member permitted to participate remotely will be able to express his or her comments during the meeting and participate in the same capacity as those members physically present, subject to all general meeting guidelines and procedures previously adopted and adhered to.  The remote member shall be heard, considered, and counted as to any vote taken.  Accordingly, the name of any remote member shall be called during any vote taken, and their vote counted and recorded by the Secretary and placed in the minutes for the corresponding meeting.  A member participating remotely may leave a meeting and return as in the case of any member.

Meetings

The term meeting as used herein refers to any gathering, whether in person or by video or audio conference, telephone call, electronic means (such as, without limitation, electronic mail, electronic chat, and instant messaging), or other means of contemporaneous interactive communication, of a majority of a quorum of the members of a public body held for the purposes of discussing public business.

Closed Meetings

A quorum of the Board must be physically present at any closed meeting.  Members participating remotely shall otherwise be entitled to participate in closed meetings by video or audio conference, in the same manner as at an open meeting.

Committees, Boards, and Commissions

This policy shall apply to all committees, boards, and commissions established by authority of the Board of Trustees.  However, when remote attendance is possible only by audio connection and an off-site member will be unable to view visual exhibits or demonstrations which may influence a decision by the committee, board, or commission, remote attendance should not be approved.

BOARD OF LIBRARY TRUSTEES

The Board of Library Trustees shall consist of seven (7) elected trustees.  Trustees serve six (6) year terms and are elected in the spring election during odd-numbered years.  Trustees must be residents of the library district.  In the event of a resignation from the Board, the Board can vote to appoint trustees to fill the unexpired term.  Appointed trustees serve on the Board until the next election cycle at which point the trustee must be elected to continue serving on the Board.

The Board of Library Trustees of the Genoa Public Library District is charged with the responsibility of the governance of the library.  The Board will hire a skilled Library Director who will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the library.  The Board will meet at least once per month.  These meetings will be open to the public and noticed in advance.  The Library Direstor will post the agenda and information packet for regular meetings to the Trustee Portal by 5:00 pm on the Thursday prior to the scheduled meeting.  Physical copies of the agenda and information packet will also be available for pick-up from the library by any Board member after 5:00 pm on the Thursday prior to the scheduled meeting.  Any Board member wishing to have an item placed on the agenda will call the Library Director in sufficient time preceding the meeting to have the item placed.  Any Board member who is unable to attend a meeting will call the library to indicate that they will be absent.  Due to the fact that a quorum is required for each meeting, this phone call should be placed as far in advance as possible.

Board members are not to be compensated pursuant to statute but will be reimbursed for necessary and related expenses as trustees.  To be effective, Board members must attend most meetings, read materials presented for review, and attend an occasional Library System (or other library-related) workshop, seminar, or meeting.  The Library Director will make the dates of these workshops known to the Board in a timely manner.  It is the goal of the Board of Library Trustees to have each member attend a minimum of one Library System (or other library-related) workshop, seminar, or meeting during each calendar year.  Board members using their own vehicle will be reimbursed at the rate allowed by the IRS for travel to and from any Library System (or other library-related) workshop, seminar, or meeting.  Board members are not exempt from late fees, fines, or other user fees.

OFFICERS AND ELECTIONS

The officers of the Board shall be a president, a vice-president, a secretary, and a treasurer.  Those officers shall be elected by vote for two (2) year terms at the regular meeting in the month of June.  The president shall not serve more than two consecutive terms unless by unanimous Board consent.  In the event of a resignation from an office, an election to fill the unexpired term of that office will be conducted by vote at the next regular meeting.

President

The president shall preside at all board meetings, appoint all standing and special committees, serve as ex-officio member of all committees, and perform all other such duties as may be assigned by the Board. The president shall be the only spokesperson for the Board of Library Trustees in all advisory or disciplinary action directed to the staff.

Vice President

The vice president, in the absence of the president, shall assume all duties of the president.

Secretary

The secretary shall keep minutes of all board meetings, record attendance, and record a roll call on all votes (except when a ballot vote is taken).  The secretary shall perform all other such clerical duties as may be assigned by the Board.

Treasurer

The treasurer is authorized by the Board to sign checks, shall serve on the finance committee, and shall draw up checks.  The treasurer shall keep all financial records of the Board.  The normal depository of all financial records shall be the library.  The treasurer shall have charge of the library funds and income, sign all the checks on the authorization of the Board, and report at each meeting the state of the funds. In the absence of the treasurer or when he or she is unable to serve, the president or vice president may perform the duties of the treasurer.  The treasurer shall be bonded in the amount to be approved by the Board and according to statute requirement.  The treasurer is authorized to pay salaries and insurance bills as they come due.

STANDING COMMITTEES

The standing committees shall be appointed annually in the month of June and shall consist of three members including the Library Director.  The standing committees at their first meeting shall elect a chairperson.  The standing committees shall be the finance committee, the policy committee, the facilities committee, and the technology committee.  The library shall be the depository of all committee reports.

Finance Committee

The Finance Committee shall be comprised of two members of the Board of Library Trustees including the Treasurer and the Library Director.  The Finance Committee’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to, drafting a preliminary Budget or Budget and Appropriations Ordinance for full board approval, drafting a Levy for full Board approval, drafting a working budget for full Board approval, monitoring library investments, and implementing the library’s investment policy.

Policy Committee

The Policy Committee shall be comprised of two members of the Board of Library Trustees and the Library Director.  The primary responsibility of the Policy Committee is to develop the Library Policy.  This policy shall include the division of responsibility between Board and staff and a Library Materials Selection Policy, and shall adhere to the “Library Bill of Rights” and the “Freedom to Read” statements of the American Library Association.  The committee shall determine the library regulations governing the use of the Library and review sections of existing policy in a systematic fashion to ensure that all policy is reviewed at an interval not to exceed three years.  As a result of such policy reviews, the Policy Committee will make recommendations regarding additions or changes to existing policy as well as deleting policies which are no longer appropriate or of value.  The entire Library Policy must be approved by Board vote and made readily available to the public.

Facilities Committee

The Facilities Committee shall be comprised of two members of the Board of Library Trustees and the Library Director.  The Facilities Committee’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to, conducting an annual inspection of the library’s physical facility to identify areas which are in need of repair and making recommendations to the full Board regarding any and all repairs which are deemed necessary either as a result of the annual inspection or throughout the year as the need arises.

Technology Committee

The Technology Committee shall be comprised of two members of the Board of Library Trustees and the Library Director.  The Technology Committee’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to, an annual inspection of the library’s technology to identify areas which are in need of upgrading and making recommendations to the full Board regarding any and all upgrades which are deemed necessary either as a result of the annual inspection or throughout the year as the need arises.

SPECIAL COMMITTEES

Special committees may be appointed by the president to present reports or recommendations to the Board and shall serve until the completion of the work for which they were appointed.  The special committees include the Librarian Search Committee.

Librarian Search Committee

When the position of Librarian falls vacant, the Board shall immediately select an acting librarian for the interim and establish a Librarian Search Committee, which shall consist of the President and two members elected from the Board.  Applications for the position of Librarian shall be filed at the library and available to all Board members.  The Search Committee shall report the results of applications and interviews to the Board.  Five votes shall be required for the Board to hire a Librarian, after which the Search Committee is dissolved.

ORDER OF BUSINESS

The following Order of Business shall be followed at regular meetings:

•          Call to Order
•          Approval of Agenda
•          Public Comment
•          Presentations
•          Approval of Minutes
•          Correspondence
•          Treasurer’s Report
•          Old Business
•          New Business
•          Standing Committees Reports
•          Director’s Report and Monthly Statistics
•          Closed Session
•          Additional Discussion
•          Adjournment

PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE

Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised shall govern the parliamentary procedure of the Board, unless otherwise specified in the bylaws.

NEW TRUSTEES

The librarian shall meet with new trustees to examine the property and review services and shall present to new trustees a packet which includes the Library Policy and other procedural material, a list of trustees and committees, minutes and financial reports for the previous 12 months, and other pertinent information.

DUTIES OF THE LIBRARIAN

The librarian shall administer the policies adopted by the Board.  Among duties and responsibilities of the librarian shall be that of hiring personnel; directing, supervising and disciplining of all staff members; monthly and annual reports as required by the Board; to select and purchase books, library materials, and supplies; to attend library-related meetings, institutes, and workshops; and recommending such policy and procedure as will promote the efficiency and service of the library.  All purchases of library materials and supplies, excluding books, totaling over five hundred dollars ($500) must be approved by the Board prior to purchase.

AMENDMENTS

Amendments to these bylaws, the Library Policy, or any other policy or procedural document may be proposed at any regular meeting of the Board and will become effective if and as adopted by a majority of those members present, providing they represent a quorum.

Approved as Amended:  December 18, 2017

Approved as Amended:  April 20, 2020

Approved as Amended:  December 27, 2021

Approved as Amended:  September 18, 2023