LIB AGENDA 03-23-1999 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Has Your Board. Crossed. the Line? Ilas your board gone from governance to micro management'. lVatura~~y, both board and staff members are responsibje for maintaining the focus o{ providing for the good of the ]ibrary, but there are some marbed differences in tfreir duties. I his outjine wif~ help the jibrary board from crossing that fine ~ine from governance into management. ~iovernanee: T}ie Library Board. •Specifies outcomes, constraints, and desires. • May suggest bow to accomphsb desired outcomes. 'Determines financial resources avai~ab~e to management and generally where avai~abje resources are to be allocated. • Identifies information required to ma~Ze sound pojicy decisions and majxes decisions regarding policy. • f~onitors the progress and initiates conflict resolution when required. Management:'I~}re Library Director • Specifies process to achieve outcomes within governance constraints. • D1ust participate in decisions about what may and may not be done. I he goal: to ensure enough ~exibility that outcomes set by the board can be accomplished. •Informs governance of resources required and reconunends cost-effective ajjocation. • Identifies information needed for soon po~icy decision-majxing and may ma~xe po~icy deliberation; specifies the process fox carrying out policy. • Monitors progress and initiates conf~ict resolution when required. ~}xo is in c}rar~e o~ w}rat~ Code: R =Responsible I = In~ol~ed 'Che Library Board Director R Governance I I r'~dministration R R Decides what I I Decides bow R R Nlalzes po~icy I I Carries out po~icy R R Set goads I I Plans to achieve goads R R Reviews goals I I Implements puns R R ~ I Monitors progress R f~ I To be continu¢rl in Is=ue 3 Your Help is Needed. to 'I"ell Your story or to Aslz a Question Other library boards can benefit if yon share some method, policy, or practice that you feel wor~ZS for your board. If you as a trustee have a question that you need answered, contact fac)z ~'o~e, editor, at 1536 ~mnetlza l1ve. N., Go~den Ua]]ey, MN 55427; phone (612) 546- 7483; fax 0712) 546-1483 by 11pri~ 2O for inc~usion in the next issue of Lin~zing Z.i6rury Crustees. Trustee Training in the Metro Area visions of Libraries for the Futuxc" is the theme for the spring MELSA l~rustee workshop to be held the morning of .~pril 24 at the Roseville Pubic Library. Topics include long-term services to seniors, getting patrons baclx to their libraries, Y2K, and large versus small libraries. (,'ontact Jennifer Scribner at (6S1) 645-5731 or e-mail: jennifer~melsa.lib.mn. us How Others see the Value of the Public Library More than any other civic institution, pnbhc libraaes run on the principle of genera] trust. '1'lre boo)zs are bought with pubic funds or with money donated by ~friends~ and the buildings are open to anyone. Borrowers are expected to bring the boo~ZS back, and, astonishingly, they do for the most part. For many of us, a library card is the first symbol we acquire as chi~dren that indicates we are separate people, with freedom of individual choice and a capacity for responsible action. The institution is pubic, but perhaps because of the peculiar aloneness of reading, the essential quality of each person in relationship to boolzs and, by extension, to libraries, is private. .Iallz of the town Nero Ior~er