Library Board of Trustees

The Library Board meets on the 3^rd Monday of the month (except January and February due to holidays), the regular meeting dates for 2024 are: 1/22/2024; 2/26/2024; 3/18/2024; 4/15/2024; 5/20/2024; 6/17/2024; 7/15/2024; 8/19/2024; 9/16/2024;

10/21/2024; 11/18/2024; 12/16/2024. Meetings are held at 6:30 pm at the Chaplin Public Library.

Responsibilites of the Library Board of Trustees include advocating for the Library in the Community and advocating for the Community as a member of the Library Board.   To be a Library advocate is to work for the betterment of library services for the Community.   Advocacy includes working to obtain adequate funding for the Library; pursuing opportunities to meet and speak with Community groups and making sure the Community’s needs and interests are paramount when making Board decisions. 

The Board must also plan for the future of the Library.  Planning is one of the most important trusts that the Community gives to the Library Board.  Planning is deciding what is going to happen with Library Services over the next few years.  It is taking charge of the Library’s future and molding it to be responsive to what the Community needs. 

Monitoring and evaluating the overall effectiveness of the Library is key.  The Community puts its trust in the Library Board to make sure the Library is operating the way it should.  For example, the Library Board is familiar with the Library’s budget - where the money is coming from and how it will be spent.  The Board monitors monthly financial reports and approves the bills so they can be paid.  The Board also helps determine whether the Community is satisfied with the service received from the Library. 

The Board must also set Library policies.  The Library Board spends much of its time on policy issues - developing policies and monitoring the effectiveness of those policies.  (Policy is a carefully designed, broadly stated, written guideline for actions and decisions of the Library.)  Once adopted by the Board, Library staff carry out the policies on a day-to-day basis. 

For more information on the Chaplin Public Library, click here.