Contact Josh Muse via email with your name and the name of your library to sign-up for the Vermont Trustees and Friends Listserv. The LibTRUSTFRIEND listserv is designed for library trustees, Friends of the Library and staff with interest in trustees and Friends issues.
Library Trustees
Core Toolkit
- Trustees' Manual, 6th Edition
- Training Videos
- Short Orientation Videos
- Division of Duties at Incorporated Libraries (5 min. 36 sec.)
- Division of Duties at Municipal Libraries (5 min. 16 sec.)
- Roles and Responsibilities (6 min. 46 sec.)
- Friends of the Library (4 min. 5 sec.)
- Policies (4 min.)
- Recruiting New Trustees (3 min. 29 sec.)
- Videos of Trustee Basic and Refresher Training (from 2020 Trustees and Friends Conference):
- Trustee Duties and Responsibilities (28 minutes, 54 seconds); PowerPoint Slides
- Fundraising Basics (22 minutes, 13 seconds); PowerPoint Slides
- Succession Planning (7 minutes, 55 seconds); PowerPoint Slides
- Community Needs, Strategic Planning, & Advocacy (18 minutes, 26 seconds); PowerPoint Slides
- Short Orientation Videos
- Working Together chart
- Board Planning Matrix
- Division of Powers & Effective Collaboration Between Library Trustees and SelectBoard Members - 2018 VLCT Presentation by Jenny Prosser (VT Secretary of State's Office) and Lara Keenan (VT Dept. of Libraries)
Additional Core Materials
- Niche Academy Friends and Trustees Academy (online training)
- Trustee Basic and Refresher Training - PDF of PowerPoint slides from Lara Keenan, Consultant for Governance and Management
- Strategic Planning & Advocacy
- Working Together for Our Communities: Towns and Libraries as Partners - 2019 VLCT Presentation by Lara Keenan
Additional Trustee Resources
- United For Libraries, American Library Association's division for trustees and friends
- Organizational Tools for Trustees - including Basic Principles of Parliamentary Procedure, Sample Director Evaluations, Understanding Roles, and more
- Sample Policies
- ILoveLibraries.org - Become a Library Trustee!
- Fiduciary Duties for Trustees from the Utah State Library
- Creating a Job Description for Your Library Director - a February 2019 article from United for Libraries (see bottom of page)
- Fundraising
- How to Improve Your Library's Fundraising: Article from February 2019 "The Voice for America's Libraries" (A United for Libraries publication)
- Fundraising for Libraries: Presentation by Christine Graham, September 22, 2015
- Planned Giving: Presentation by Christine Graham, September 22, 2015
Open Meeting Law
As of July 1, 2014, Act 143 updated the Open Meeting Law. The Law was updated again in 2016 and 2018. The Vermont Secretary of State and the Vermont League of Cities and Towns have produced information to help meet the new requirements.
Open Meeting Law update, January 25, 2023
The Governor signed Act 1 (H.42) into law on January 25, 2023, once again temporarily amending Vermont’s open meeting law in response to COVID-19.
Under Act 1, public bodies are authorized until July 1, 2024 to hold fully remote public meetings. Public bodies holding fully remote meetings must use technology that permits attendance of the public, must allow access by telephone, and must post and include in each meeting agenda info that enables direct access and participation.
For more details, please visit the Municipal Assistance COVID-19 Response page.
Every municipality should be in touch with its own municipal counsel for legal advice about how to handle specific situations.
Secretary of State
- Got Transparency? presentation (2019)
- A Guide to Open Meetings (2019)
- Vermont Statute Title 1, Section 310
League of Cities and Towns
- Open Meeting Law FAQ (updated 2021)
- Open Meeting Law COVID-19 FAQs (2023)
- Hybrid Public Meeting Toolkit
- Quick Guide to Open Meeting Law (2023)
Additional Resources
(Updated: 5/26/21)