Meet to Decide

Board Decisions

Meeting Do's & Don'ts

A state's open public meeting legislation defines the time required to notify the public.
Board members need a copy in their board notebooks, in addition to other state and local laws pertaining to the library.
Community members should be accommodated with:

Board meeting leaders are responsible for developing the agenda.
The agenda should be set, with the exception of emergency items at the preceding meeting.
All participants will have a chance to provide input.
The finalized agenda, with any other necessary information should be provided to members five to ten days prior to the meeting.
Read the board packet and added information when received.
Set an agenda and manage a productive meeting.
Agenda formats are arranged according to outcomes or expected reaction from the board members.

The chairperson is usually designated to lead board meetings.
The library director is expected to attend and participate in all board meetings.
The chairperson needs good facilitation skills:

Executive sessions are not open to the public.
Need to be announced ahead of time following the normal meeting notification procedures.
The discussion topic needs to be made public.
Reasons for an executive session:

To deal with personnel.
Collective bargaining sessions with employee unions.
Grievance or mediation proceedings.
The director’s performance evaluation may be held privately according to the majority of state laws on the subject.
To consider publicly bid contracts or real estate transactions.

Board members need to check their state’s Open Public Meetings Act before proceeding with executive sessions.
Meeting Errors
A common error that wastes time:

The chairperson should appoint a subcommittee to deal with the details of the project.
Board members do not address or deal with trivial problems.

Micromanagement is damaging to the library and its staff.
= “controlling with excessive attention to minor details,”.
It is counterproductive and destructive.
A library board does is not responsible for management.
Avoid excessive attention to minor details.
Board members who micromanage either do not have a clear understanding of what they are supposed to be doing or they have lost trust in the management of the library.

Deal with mistrust during the director's performance evaluation and include additional management training.

When micromanagement is a behavioral issue, it is the responsibility of the chairperson to have a private talk with the person with the behavioral problem.

Board meetings must be conducted in an orderly fashion.
If public outbursts occur the board may ask any public attendees to leave and the meeting will continue in their absence.
Final action can take place only on the agenda matters listed, and members of the media must be allowed to remain.
The skill of public comment management is important.

Time should be alotted on the agenda for public comment.
Use courtesy and consideration.
It is important for the board members to hear the opinions, so that they can keep in touch with the library’s patrons.

Make Decisions

When the library director brings up a problem for discussion and presents a number of options that he/she has already considered board members need to decide which option is best for the library and its patrons.
Board members should understand the issue thoroughly and make sure the director has gone through a valid process in coming up with the options.

A decision is not fully made until the board members decide who will do what, by what time or date.
If one of the steps requires something to be done, the board member should record the task and the time by which he/she said they could get it done.
Decision follow-up is a sign of an efficient and effective board.
When board members make decisions as a group, the decision may not be accepted by all.

If a board member can get used to the change that may have occurred, then resigning is not necessary.

The New Leader by the year 3000