Post Archives By Bradley Shipps, DirectorOutagamie Waupaca Library System There are 381 public libraries in Wisconsin with 467 local outlets, and every single one of them belongs to one of fifteen regional public library systems. System membership comes with many benefits that strengthen a local library’s ability to serve its community beyond what it can […]
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Post Archives By Marla Sepnafski, Director, Wisconsin Valley Library System Determine Who Will Screen Applications and Conduct Interviews The board must decide who will participate in the hiring process—whether it will involve the full board, a designated board committee, municipal HR staff, library system staff, or others—and what their roles will be. Questions to clarify
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Post Archives By Marla Sepnafski, Director, Wisconsin Valley Library System Selecting the right person to lead a public library is one of the most important responsibilities of a library board. The director is not only responsible for managing the library but also for working collaboratively with the board, engaging with the community, and advancing library
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Post Archives By John Thompson, Director, IFLS Library System As a member of a public Library Board in Wisconsin, you have a unique and sometimes confusing role when it comes to the library facility. Library buildings are acquired or leased by the municipality for library purposes; however, the Library Board has exclusive charge, control and
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Post Archives By Shannon M. Schultz, Director, South Central Library System As a public library trustee in Wisconsin, you play a vital role not only in governance but also as an ambassador for your library in the community. Conversations about intellectual freedom, library relevance, and collection practices often happen outside of board meetings—sometimes at the
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Post Archives The Wisconsin Public Library Consortium, or WPLC, was formed in 2001 as an organization that would allow public library systems to enter into statewide partnerships. The goal was, and continues to be, to support programs that are innovative and collaborative. The main and most popular service of WPLC is Wisconsin’s Digital Library, or
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Post Archives The Wisconsin Open Meetings Law grants citizens the right to attend and observe open session meetings of governmental bodies. The law does not require a governmental body to allow members of the public to speak or actively participate in the body’s meeting. A governmental body, such as a Library Board, has the discretion
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Post Archives By Clairellyn Sommersmith, Director of Winnefox Library System Libraries operate with tax dollars. But how and from which communities? As a trustee, it is important to understand where the library’s budget comes from and be good stewards of these funds. Just as the library serves a greater community, library dollars come from that
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Post Archives Are your monthly board meetings efficient and effective? Trustee Essential 4: Effective Board Meetings and Trustee Participation covers the basics of running library board meetings and provides useful samples of an agenda and annual calendar. Here are some more tips to help you spend time wisely and accomplish as much as possible. Always
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Post Archives The State of Wisconsin recognized the importance of having a public informed about governmental affairs and adopted policies to ensure the public is receiving the fullest and most complete information regarding the affairs of government. In order to advance this policy, the open meetings law requires that “all meetings of all state and
The Library Board and Closed Sessions Read More »
