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.
Friends of the Library Organizations
- Friends of the Library Groups (updated 2016)
-
United for Libraries, American Libraries Association's division for trustees and friends
- Libraries Need Friends: A Toolkit to Create Friends Groups or to Revitalize the One You Have
- Idea Sharing for Friends Groups - Ideas for booksales, membership, outreach, and more.
- Organizational Tools for Friends Groups - Including sample bylaws, operating agreements, mission statements, and more
- Friends Electronic Discussion Group (list serv from the American Library Association)
- ILoveLibraries.org - Become a Library Friend!
- Working Together Chart
- The Ethical Dozen for Friends of the Library
Library Trustees
Core Materials
-
Trustee Basic and Refresher Training - PDF of PowerPoint slides from Lara Keenan, Consultant for Governance and Management
- Laws That Govern Your Work
- Working Together chart
- Board Planning Matrix
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Videos of Trustee Basic and Refresher Training (from 2020 Trustees and Friends Conference):
- Trustee Duties and Responsibilities (28 minutes, 54 seconds); PowerPoint Slides
- Laws for Libraries (19 minutes, 37 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
- Niche Academy Friends and Trustees Academy (online training)
- Law of Public Libraries
- Trustees' Manual, 6th Edition
- 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)
- New Trustee Orientation Checklist
- Strategic Planning & Advocacy
- Working Together for Our Communities: Towns and Libraries as Partners - 2019 VLCT Presentation by Lara Keenan
Additional Trustee Materials
-
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
- Trustee Electronic Discussion Group (list serv from the American Library Association)
- 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 6/15/2021*
The temporary measures enacted by the Vermont Legislature and tied to the declared emergency will have expired. Among them are Acts 92 and 113 of 2020, which had temporarily amended the open meeting law (OML) to allow for fully remote public meetings and electronic posting of notices. As of this update, public bodies must now comply with the long-standing OML as it appears in 1 V.S.A. §§ 310-314. This includes providing a staffed physical location where members of the public may attend and participate in public meetings.The Secretary of State's office has issued this memo to local officials to help with the transition.
Secretary of State
- Got Transparency? presentation (2019)
- Guide to Open Meetings (2014, from Secretary of State Jim Condos)
- Vermont Statute Title 1, Section 310
League of Cities and Towns
- Open Meeting Law FAQ (updated 2018)
- Open Meeting Law: Explanation of 2016 Updates
- Quick Guide to Open Meeting Law (updated 05/2017)
Additional Resources
- Legislation as Enacted (2018)
- Legislation as Ammended (2018)
- Legislative Summary, Act 166 (2018)
(Updated: 5/26/21)