LIB AGENDA 04-25-2000 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Linking Library Trustees Editor, Sherry Telephone: 651-257-0827 E-mail: stirliug@tc.umn.edu A library outranks any other one thing a COY/117111n1ty can do to benefit its people. It is a never failing spring in the desert -Andrek~ Carnegie ~~~ Plan Ahead for Trustees Day September 29th, 2000 Message from MLTA President Constance Crane While you aze planning your calendaz for the year 2000, be sure to set aside Friday, September 29th, for Trustees Day at the MLA annual cen- ference. The cohference will be in St Paul at the RiverCenter. The executive committee of MLTA is working on setting up informative sessions which aze of value to you. In order to do that, however, we need your input. The St. Paul site is convenient for many of us, so it will be a great time to meet other trustees and compaze notes. What aze other trustees doing; What's going on in their libraries; How aze they serving on their boards? Listen to other trustees and shaze your ideas. You will return to your board regenerated (or is that rejuvenated?). Anyway, you'll have a new enthusiasm for your role. Maybe we'll even offer amoney-back guarantee on that. If you've just begun your term as a trustee, attending Trustees Day at the annual conference is a great way of finding out what your role is all about. If you've been a trustee for quite awhile, then you're the one who needs to be there so that others can benefit from your expertise. What is your experience as a trustee: neophyte or authority? We need to hear from you. What suggestions do you have for Trustees Day ses- sions? What confused you at the last board meeting you attended? What do you think your colleagues on your board need to know? Please a-mail your suggestions to me Constance Crane at woodcrane@hotmail corn, Leonard Sobanja at sugarbush@boreal.org, Rod Krueger at rodmn@Itotmail corn, or Sherry Styling at stirling@ tc.umn.edu. Library trustees aze extremely busy, sand- wiching meetings in between all our other obligations. We recognize this just as we recognize that we want to the best job possible. That's why making an effort to attend Trustees Day is important. We'll be talking more about the Conference in future newsletters. I~ ® C~ Being au Effective Trustee., Message from MLTA Secretary Leonard Sobanja You have accepted the appointment to your local library board and a couple of questions you probably have asked yourself is how can I be an effective trustee and what aze my duties? I would suggest that first you take the Min- nesota Public Library Trustee Handbook that your director should have given you, and famil- iazize yourself with the contents. (Handbooks aze also available from the Library Develop- ment Services office, phone 651-582-8722, of the Minnesota Department of Children, Fami- lies, and Learning.) Since many trustees do not know their duties and responsibilities under the law, a good place to start is the appendices, page 85, Home Rule Charter Cities in Minnesota. If your library is on this list, your library is a charter library and you will have to read the city charter to deter- mine what your responsibilities and rights aze. If, however, your library is not listed, then your library is governed by Minnesota Statutes. If you aze a statutory library, then go to the appendices, page 62, for a copy of Minnesota Statute 134 on Libraries. While there aze a number of sections, the one that would proba- bly be the most informative is ]34.11- Organization of lioazd: Duties. Under subdivision 2 of 134.11, it spells out