Trustee Handbook Online: Bylaws

Imagine trying to play a complex game with a summary of the rules? And you have never seen the complete set of the rules. How do know your summary mentions all the rules? How do you know how well the summary describes each rule? How do you know the summaries are up-to-date?

If "Library Board" is a game, then the bylaws should be the rules for playing the game. After reading numerous bylaws, I learned that all boards are playing with bylaws that are incomplete, inaccurate, and out-of-date.

Therefore, I wrote The Complete Library Board Bylaws combining Kansas library laws, standards, guidelines, ethics, and even tips and tricks into a complete set of rules for running the library board month-by-month through the year. For less frequent duties such as evaluating, hiring, and firing library directors the complete bylaws contain links to more information available on this Web site.

Difference between bylaws, policies, and procedures

Bylaws describe the structure and rules for library trustees, e.g., when the board meets, open meetings requirements and executive session exceptions, how board officers are chosen and their duties, trustee term limits, funding and how the library can handle money, etc. Kansas laws about boards should be distilled into every library board's bylaws. Not following bylaws may get the library board in legal trouble.

Policies describe what work should be done by library staff and establish proper relationships between staff, patrons and library materials. Poor policies mean poor library service.

Procedures describe how library staff does specific library work. The Board approves policies describing what work should be done. The library director and staff write procedures describing how library work is done. Poor procedures mean inefficient library service.

Information about policies