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Durham County Library Board of Trustees

Board Members | By-Laws | Committees | Public Comment | Agendas | Minutes of Meetings

Board Members

Chair: Al Roberts
919-419-9528 (home)
rrsnuffy16@aol.com email

Vice-Chair: Elsa Woods
919-490-5560 (home)
elsawoods@nc.rr.com email

Tatia Ash
919-490-6496 (home)
919-613-9244 (work)
tatiaash@yahoo.com email

Joe Hewitt
919-489-9875 (home)
joe_hewitt@unc.edu email

Allan Lang
919-471-5636 (home)
609-658-0596 (cell)
AllanLang@aol.com email

Dottie Reid
493-8447 (home)
dreid7@nc.rr.com email

Michael Schoenfeld
919-489-9831 (home)
919-681-3788 (work)
Michael.schoenfeld@duke.edu email

Joyce Sykes
919-382-0622 (home)
joysykes@nc.rr.com email

Beck Tench
919-439-8428 (home)
beck@becktench.com email

Liaison from the Durham County Board of Commissioners:
Becky Heron
919-489-4402 (home)
bmheron@durhamcountync.gov email

Liason from the Friends of the Durham County Library
Wendell Musser
919-477-1325
amusser123@verizon.net email

Liaison from the Durham County Library Staff
Lakesia Farmer
919-560-0162 (work)
lfarmer@durhamcountync.gov email

By-laws of the Board of Trustees

ARTICLE I: MEMBERS

SECTION I: In accordance with Article 14, Chapter 153A of the General Statutes of the State of North Carolina, the Board of Commissioners of Durham County do hereby appoint a Library Board of Trustees for the Durham County Library. Said Board of Trustees shall consist of nine persons. All terms shall be for three years.

SECTION II: In the event of a vacancy on the Board, the vacancy shall be filled by the County Commissioners for the unexpired term of the member creating the vacancy.

SECTION III: The position of a board member who has been absent from three consecutive regular meetings shall be considered vacant, unless the Chair, after consultation with the Vice-Chair, shall find good cause for any of the absences and excuse them. Regardless of whether the absences are excused, the position of any board member missing 50% of the regular meetings during a fiscal year shall be considered vacant unless the Board shall vote to excuse any of the absences and petition the Board of County Commissioners for a waiver of its attendance policy.

SECTION IV: The same person may not serve more than three consecutive terms, An appointment to fill an unexpired term of one year or more shall be considered one term and said appointee can be appointed for only two additional terms.

ARTICLE II: MEETINGS

SECTION I: The Library Board will hold it regular meeting on a monthly basis according to a calendar set at the annual meeting of the Board.

SECTION II: The annual meeting shall be held at the first regular meeting of each fiscal year in the Board Room of the Main Library.

SECTION III: Special meetings may be called by the Chairman, or upon written request of the four members of the Board, for the transaction of business stated in the request.

SECTION IV: Notices of all meetings including an agenda and documentation shall be made by the Library Director to all members at least three business days in advance.

SECTION V: A quorum for the transaction of business shall consist of a majority of members.

ARTICLE III: OFFICERS

SECTION I: The officers of the Board of Trustees shall be a chairman and vice chairman.

SECTION II: Officers shall be elected at the annual meeting of the Board and shall serve for one year.

The Chairman of the Board shall preside at all meetings and shall have the usual powers of a presiding officer. The Chairman of the Board shall notify the Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners of any vacancies on the Board.

The Vice Chairman of the Board shall act as chairman in the absence or disability of the Chairman

SECTION III: The Director of Libraries shall issue notices of all meetings of the Board and delegate a library staff member to take minutes. Minutes will be subject to final approval by vote of the Board and will be maintained with other Board records by the Director. The Director of the Libraries shall be an ex officio member of the Board and shall not have a vote; nor will the staff member appointed to take minutes have a vote.

ARTICLE IV: COMMITTEES

The Chairman shall appoint any committee deemed necessary.

The Chairman may decide upon the number of persons to be appointed to a committee and designate the purpose of the committee. The committee may be dissolved upon the completion of its task or at the pleasure of the Board. Vacancies on committees may be filled by the Chairman at any time.

ARTICLE V: DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF TRUSTEES

The duties and responsibilities of the Trustees shall consist of conscientiously carrying out the powers herein given them:

  1. To review and make recommendations to the Director of Libraries, County Manager, or Board of County Commissioners, as appropriate, on proposed library programs, policies, and regulations for the government of the Library;
  2. To make recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners concerning the construction and improvement of buildings and other structures for the library system;
  3. To advise the County Manager regarding the appointment of the Director of Libraries;
  4. To participate in preparing the annual budget of the library system;
  5. To recommend to the Board of County Commissioners a schedule of fines and charges for late return of, failure to return, damage to, and loss of library materials, and to take other measures to protect and regulate the use of such materials;
  6. To otherwise advise the Board of Commissioners on Library matters. The Board shall make an annual report on the operations of the library to the governing body and shall make an annual report to the Department of Cultural Resources as required by G.S. 125‑5.

ARTICLE VI: LIBRARY DIRECTOR

The Director of Libraries shall be the executive officer of the library system and shall have general supervision and responsibility of the libraries under the direction of the Board of Commissioners through the County Manager and reviewed by the Board of Trustees.

The Director of Libraries with the advice and counsel of the Board of Trustees shall be responsible for the physical plants and equipment, for the employment and direction of the staff for the library service to the public, and for the operation of the libraries under the financial conditions set forth in the library budget.

The Director of Libraries shall attend all board meetings.

ARTICLE VII: ORDER OF BUSINESS

Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the proceedings of the Board.

The order of business at the regular meetings shall be as follows:

  1. Roll call
  2. Approval of minutes of previous meeting
  3. Communications
  4. Financial report
  5. Report of committees
  6. Old business
  7. New business
  8. Directors report
  9. Election of officers when necessary
  10. Adjournment

ARTICLE VIII: AMENDMENTS

These by‑laws may be amended at any regular or special meeting of the Board with a quorum present, by the majority vote of the members present, provided a copy of the proposed amendments shall have been sent to each member at least two weeks before the meeting at which they are to be considered for adoption or submitted in writing and read at the Board meeting preceding the one at which the amendment is to be considered for adoption.

Subsequent to the acceptance by the Board of any modification, addition, or deletion from the bylaws, formal approval of said action must be obtained from the Board of County Commissioners of Durham County prior to its being entered into such by‑laws.

By‑Laws adopted July 21, 1975; amended November 4, 1982, April 28,1986, November 26, 1990, June 8, 1998, September 14, 1998, and May 13, 2002 by the Durham County Board of Commissioners.

Durham County Library Board of Trustees
By‑Law Amendments
November 4, 1982:

Article I, Section III: The words without adequate excuse added after absent; the word regular added after consecutive.
Article I, Section IV: The words of one year or more added after the words unexpired term.
Article II Section I: The regular days of meetings were listed as the fourth Monday in July, September, November, January, March, and May.
Article II, Section II: The annual meeting was established as the fourth Monday in July, and the place of the meeting listed as the Board Room of the Main Library.
Article III. Section I: The officer of secretary was dropped.
Article III, Section III: The sentence, The Director of Libraries shall serve as secretary, but shall not have a vote was added at the beginning of the section, and the last sentence It is suggested that the Director of Libraries serve as secretary, but shall not have a vote was dropped.
Article V. number 2: Added establishing policies regulating library operating procedures.
Article V, number 5: Added and policies after the word ;budget.
Article VII: Added financial report after communications and moved director's report to follow new business.

April 28, 1986:

Article I, Section IV was changed to permit a Board member to serve three consecutive terms, rather than two.

November 26,1990:

Article II Section I was changed to permit the Board to set a calendar of bi‑monthly meetings for the year at the annual meeting of the Board. The change eliminated reference to specific months in which the Board would meet and the specified day of annual meeting.

June 8, 1998:

Article I, Section I: Changed the number of members of the Board from seven to nine.
Article V: Added #6: To present a report at least annually to the Durham County Board of Commissioners on library accomplishments and plans.

September 14, 1998:

Article II, Section V: Changed the size of a quorum from four to a majority of members.

May 13, 2002:

Article I, Section III: Elliminated without adequate excuse; following absent.
Article II, Section IV: Added and documentation following agenda changed Secretary to library Director and added business after ;three.;
Article III. Section I: Added and secretary after vice chairman.
Article III, Section II: Added as second sentence of second paragraph: The Chairman of the Board shall notify the Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners of any vacancies on the Board. Deleted The Director of Libraries shall serve as secretary, but shall not have a vote. from fourth paragraph.
Add Section III to Article III: The Director of Libraries shall issue notices of all meetings of the Board and have custody of the minutes and other records of the Board. The Director shall be an ex officio member of the Board and shall not have a vote.
Article V: The duties and responsibilities were revised to read as follows:

  1. To formulate and adopt library programs and regulations for the government of the Library.
  2. To make recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners concerning the construction and improvement of buildings and other structures for the library system;
  3. To advise the County Manager regarding the appointment of the Director of Libraries;
  4. To participate in preparing the annual budget of the library system;
  5. To recommend to the Board of County Commissioners a schedule of fines and charges for late return of, failure to return, damage to, and loss of library materials, and to take other measures to protect and regulate the use of such materials;
  6. To otherwise advise the Board of Commissioners on Library matters. The Board shall make an annual report on the operations of the library to the governing body and shall make an annual report to the Department of Cultural Resources as required by G.S. 125‑5.
Article VII: The sentence Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the proceedings of the Board was moved to proceed the order of business.

March 26, 2007:

Article II, Section I: Replaced The regular meeting of the Library Board shall be held bi-monthly according to a calendar set at the annual meeting of the Board. with The Library Board will hold it regular meeting on a monthly basis according to a calendar set at the annual meeting of the Board.;
Article III, Section I: Deleted and secretary at the end of the sentence.
Article III, Section II: Deleted final sentence, The Secretary shall keep a true and accurate account of all proceedings of the board meetings.
Article III, Section III: Replaced The Director of Libraries shall issue notices of all meeting of the Board and have custody of the minutes and other records of the Board; The Director of Libraries shall be an ex officio member of the Board and shall not have a vote. with The Director of Libraries shall issue notices of all meetings of the Board and delegate a library staff member to take minutes. Minutes will be subject to final approval by vote of the Board and will be maintained with other Board records by the Director. The Director of the Libraries shall be an ex officio member of the Board and shall not have a vote; nor will the staff member appointed to take minutes have a vote.

August 27, 2007:

Article I, Section III: Replaced ;The position of a board member who has been absent from three consecutive regular meetings shall be considered vacant. With The position of a board member who has been absent from three consecutive regular meetings shall be considered vacant, unless the Chair, after consultation with the Vice-Chair, shall find good cause for any of the absences and excuse them. Regardless of whether the absences are excused, the position of any board member missing 50% of the regular meetings during a fiscal year shall be considered vacant unless the Board shall vote to excuse any of the absences and petition the Board of County Commissioners for a waiver of its attendance policy.
Article II, Section V: Deleted j that appears after the end of the sentence A quorum for the transaction of business shall consist of a majority of members.;
Article V: Changed #1 by replacing To formulate and adopt library programs and regulations for the government of the Librarywith To review and make recommendations to the Director of Libraries, County Manager, or Board of County Commissioners, as appropriate, on proposed library programs, policies, and regulations for the government of the Library.

Board of Trustees Committee Charges

Facilities and Standards Committee Charge

The Facilities and Standards Committee is responsible for:

Reviewing Library standards for facilities and staffing, making recommendations relative to said standards, and setting priorities
Participating in program planning, site selection, and design of new facilities.

The Board of Trustees is an advisory board and work on new facilities is advisory in nature. Information is obtained from staff, the Library director or invited guests at scheduled Library Board meetings.

[Approved by Trustees, 3/11/08]

Information Technology Committee Charge

The Information Technology Committee exists to advise the director and the board on information technology issues and activities, bringing their expertise, experience, and expression of community concerns on all related matters, as appropriate, to the attention of the director and the board.

[Approved by Trustees, 2/13/08]

Planning and Budget Committee Charge

In support of the Library Board of Trustees duties of(1) reviewing and making recommendations to the Director of Libraries, County Manager, or Board of County Commissioners, as appropriate, on proposed library programs; and (2) participating in the preparation of the annual budget of the library system; the Planning and Budget Committee:

  • Regularly reviews scheduled financial reports;
  • Participates in meetings and discussions during the preparation of the annual budget;
  • Reviews the library’s long-range plans, goals, objectives and community needs;
  • Coordinates with other committees as appropriate; and

Reports to the full Board on these and related matters.

[Approved by Trustees, 5/13/08]

Policies Committee Charge

Definition

In accordance with the By-Laws of the Durham County Library Board of Trustees, the Policies Committee is appointed by the Board to oversee the Library’s Policies related to its books, resources and facilities. The Committee is charged with reviewing the policies and making recommendations to the Director regarding the policies.

What the Committee Does:

The Policies Committee is responsible for ensuring that the policies

  • Are submitted to the Committee in a timely manner, following the policies’ review schedule.
  • Are reviewed in a timely manner.
  • Support the Library’s goals and objectives.
  • Meet the needs of the public and are written so as to be easily understood by both public and the staff.
  • Are most current when posted to the Library’s website.

How the Committee Functions

The Committee begins its function when it receives policy or regulation drafts prepared by the library staff. The Committee then begins to search out appropriate sources for further input and information. Once the information is gathered the Committee then prepares a final draft and submits it to the appropriate parties for approval.

[Approved by Trustees, 5/13/08]

Library Board Development and Evaluation Committee Charge

The Board Development and Evaluation Committee is designated by the Chair of the Library Board to support the Board’s professional development and to evaluate its activities.

Our responsibilities are:

  • To participate in orientation activities with the Chair of the Library Board and the Library Director
  • To coordinate/facilitate Board development activities and/or opportunities (e.g., retreat)
  • To communicate Board development activities and/or opportunities (locally, regionally, nationally)
  • To evaluate the effectiveness and the efficiency of the Board in regard to its ability to meet its objectives/goals and identified/assigned tasks

[Approved by Trustees, 6/10/08]

Board of Trustees - Public Comment

PUBLIC COMMENT

PURPOSE

The purpose of the Public Comment policy is to establish a process by which Durham County residents can express their concerns directly to the Board of Trustees on matters related to the library.

STATEMENT OF PROCEDURES 

A--Citizens wishing to address the Board must sign up at least fifteen minutes before a scheduled Board meeting by completing the appropriate form, requiring their contact information and a brief statement of their concerns.  Forms will be found at the circulation desk of the main library.

B--At the board meeting, individuals will be allotted three minutes to state their concern and they are expected to do so in a concise, orderly and courteous manner that is respectful of all others. They should not deviate from the subject indicated in advance on their form.  Due to time constraints, the Board Chairman may limit the overall time for public comment on a specific topic.

C—Specific reference to Library employees or to matters appropriate for closed session will not be permitted.  The appropriate manner for raising concerns about a specific employee is to submit comments in writing to Director of the Library or to the County Manager.

D—Comments should be directed to the Board and not to other participants or to the audience
 
E—Clarifying questions may be addressed to the speaker only by Board members and only at the conclusion of his or her remarks.  The time taken by these questions and their answers will not affect the initial time allotted to the speaker.

F—Violation of these procedures or other inappropriate, discourteous, or disruptive behavior will lead to the Chairman’s asking the individuals involved to leave the meeting. 

APPLICABILITY

These procedures will apply to all regularly scheduled Board meetings.

RESPONSIBILITY

The Chairman of the Durham County Library or, in his or her absence, a meeting’s presiding officer will interpret and administer the procedures described in this policy.                                                

Board of Trustees Agendas

January 5, 2010 pdf file
No December meeting
November 3, 2009 pdf file
October 6, 2009 pdf file
September 1, 2009 pdf file
August 11, 2009 pdf file
June 2, 2009 pdf file
May 5, 2009 pdf file
April 7, 2009 pdf file
March 3, 2009 pdf file
November 11, 2008 pdf file
October 14, 2008 pdf file
August 12, 2008 pdf file
No September Meeting
July 8, 2008 pdf file
June 10, 2008 pdf file
April 15, 2008 pdf file
March 11, 2008 pdf file

Board of Trustees Minutes

November 3, 2009 pdf file
October 6, 2009 pdf file
September 1, 2009 pdf file
August 11, 2009 pdf file
July 7, 2009 pdf file
June 2, 2009 pdf file
May 5, 2009 pdf file
April 7, 2009 pdf file
March 3, 2009 pdf file
February 3, 2009 pdf file
January 13, 2009 pdf file
No December Meeting
November 11, 2008 pdf file
October 14, 2008 pdf file
No September Meeting
August 12, 2008 pdf file
July 8, 2008 pdf file
June 10, 2008 pdf file
May 13, 2008 pdf file
April 15, 2008 pdf file
March 11, 2008 pdf file
February 12, 2008 pdf file

December 11, 2007 pdf file
November 13, 2007 pdf file
October 9, 2007 pdf file
September 11, 2007 pdf file
August 14, 2007 pdf file
July 10, 2007 pdf file
June 12, 2007 pdf file
June 5, 2007 pdf file
April 10, 2007 pdf file
March 13, 2007 pdf file
February 13, 2007 pdf file
January 9, 2007 pdf file

December 12, 2006 pdf file
November 14, 2006 pdf file
October, 10, 2006 pdf file
September 12, 2006 pdf file
August 8, 2006 pdf file
July 18, 2006 pdf file
June 20, 2006 pdf file
May 16, 2006 pdf file
April 18, 2006 pdf file
March 21, 2006 pdf file
March 7, 2006 pdf file
February 21, 2006 pdf file
January 24, 2006 pdf file

December 19, 2005 pdf file
November 21, 2005 pdf file
October 19, 2005 pdf file



Last Update: March 1, 2010