Orientation for Public Library Board

Non-Profit Boards Smart, Effective, Fulfilling

Ensuring Board are:

Smart Effective

Fulfilling

Board Responsibility

Strategy

CEO Public

Standing & Ethical Integrity

Base assumptions

Want to make a difference

Prepared to make a difference

Believe that the Library does & can make a difference

Best libraries have the best Boards

Different perspectives & perceptions

Base assumption

Boards lose the effectiveness & collective as well as individual fulfillment when: Lack of common vision for the Library Blurring of Board/Patron/Operational responsibility As soon as you become a Board member you cease

being the Library client you once were & will be again when you are no longer on the Board

If staff come to you about issues, direct them to the CEO

Board Responsibility

Strategy

CEO Public

Standing & Ethical Integrity

Essential questions

Am I willing to invest the time to create common voice for our Board and a clear sense of strategy?

Am I willing to work with the Board to focus on our roles?

Am I willing to delegate to staff the means of implementation? Am I willing to avoid micromanagement and administration?• And I willing to be fair, consistent and constructive in feedback to the CEO?

Thank you to Dr. Ken Haycock for these, & for teaching me about Boards

Essential questions

Can I acknowledge that the CEO directs the staff, not the Board?

Am I willing to invest the time in planning meetings to ensure success? [generate items; develop criteria; apply criteria]

Am I willing to invest in improvement? [feedback; retreats; process observer]

Am I willing to model the behaviors that the Board values? [consensus building? starting/finishing on time? moving the agenda forward?]

Am I willing to invest my time in improving the public standing of the Library? Developing meaningful, effective relationships with council and the Town?

Thank you to Dr. Ken Haycock for these, & for teaching me about Boards

Where are you?

Smart Effective

Fulfilling

Strategy • Doesn’t happen overnight • Build generative or

strategic issue discussions into every agenda

What’s an issue for your strategy?

Planefinder.net

Google searching

Topomapper.com

Wolframalpha.com

Mondowindow.com

Journaltocs.hw.ac.uk

Quixey.com

Emporis.com

“Rowing is the only activity in which people can sit on their backsides, look backwards & still make progress.”

Ken Haycock

Public Standing & Ethical Integrity

• Financials • Council & City Relationships • Library Positive Positioning • Board Recruitment &

Succession Planning

CEO