Article I – Name and Mission
- Section 1. The name of this body shall be the Board of Trustees of the Akron-Summit County Public Library. This Board is organized under Section 3375.19 of the Ohio Revised Code, and derives its authority from Section 3375.40 and other relevant sections of the Ohio Revised Code.
- Section 2. The mission of the Akron-Summit County Public Library shall be appended to these by-laws and shall be revised from time-to-time by the Board of Trustees as appropriate.
Article II – Meetings
- Section 1. Organizational Meeting: There shall be held in the month of January of each year an organizational meeting for the purpose of the election of officers and such other business as may be deemed necessary by the Board of Trustees.
- Section 2. Regular Meeting: Regular meetings of the Board shall be held on such dates and at such times as the Board directs.
- Section 3. Special Meeting: Special meetings shall be held at the call of the President, or on the written request of two members of the Board. To call a special meeting, the Clerk-Treasurer or the Secretary of the Board must give three working days notice to all Board members in writing. If the special meeting is of an emergency nature, twentyfour hours notice, either orally or electronically, must be given.
- Section 4. A quorum necessary for the conduct of business shall be four trustees with Robert’s Rules of Order serving as the governing structure for the Board except as provided in these By-Laws.
- Section 5. The Director, in collaboration with the Clerk-Treasurer and the President of the Board, shall prepare an agenda for each regular meeting. The agenda items for each regular meeting shall include, but not be limited to:
Roll Call
Adoption of Agenda
Minutes
Finance Report
Personnel Report
Report from Director
Reports from Board Committees
Reports from Senior Library Staff
Public Participation
Adjournment
Article III – Officers
- Section 1. The officers of the Board of Trustees shall be President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Clerk-Treasurer. Each officer shall be elected at the organizational meeting and shall hold office for the term of one year, or until his or her successor shall be elected. All officers of the Board shall hold full voting privileges except the Clerk-Treasurer.
- Section 2. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Board, authorize calls for any special meetings, appoint all committees, execute all documents authorized by the Board, serve as an ex officio voting member of all committees, and generally perform all other duties associated with the office.
- Section 3. The Vice-President, in the event of the absence of the President, or of a vacancy in that office, shall assume and perform the duties and functions of the President.
- Section 4. The Secretary shall keep an accurate record of all meetings of the Board, shall issue notice of all regular and special meetings, and shall perform such other duties as are generally associated with the office.
- Section 5. The Clerk-Treasurer, or his or her designated representative, shall be the disbursing officer of the Board, co-sign all checks, and shall perform such other duties as are generally associated with the office. The Clerk-Treasurer and his or her designated representative(s) shall be bonded in an amount as required by the Board of Trustees. The Clerk-Treasurer and his or her designated representative do not have voting privileges as granted to all other Board officers.
Article IV – Committees
- Section 1. The standing committees of the Board shall be: Buildings and Grounds, Finance, Marketing Communications and Library Services, and Personnel. Each committee shall consist of at least three members of the Board of Trustees with full voting privileges and shall include the Director and other appropriate senior library staff who shall serve as non-voting ex officio members, as determined by the Board President and the Director. Meetings shall be held at the call of the committee chair. A quorum shall consist of fifty percent (50%) of the members of the committee with full voting privileges.
- Section 1a. The Buildings and Grounds Committee shall consider the establishment of all new branches and make recommendations on site selection, size, and character of each library building. Additionally, the Committee shall work with the Director and appropriate senior library staff to determine the building needs and improvements for all buildings owned or operated by the Library.
- Section 1b. The Finance Committee shall work with the Director, the Clerk-Treasurer, and appropriate senior library staff to maintain in a prudent manner the fiscal status of the Library.
- Section 1c. The Marketing Communications and Library Services Committee shall work with the Director and appropriate senior library staff to provide contemporary library services to the residents of the Library’s service district and others as determined by the Board of Trustees, and to promote these services through all appropriate means.
- Section 1d. The Personnel Committee shall work with the Director and appropriate senior library staff to determine personnel and compensation policies of the Library. Additionally, the Committee shall work with the Director and appropriate senior library staff to best determine the working conditions that contribute to the success of the overall mission of the Library.
- Section 2. From time-to-time, the President shall appoint committees of one or more members of the Board, the Director, and appropriate senior library staff for such purposes as the business of the Library may require. An ad hoc committee shall be considered to be discharged upon the completion of the purpose for which it was appointed and after the final report of the ad hoc committee has been accepted by the Board.
- Section 3. No committee shall have other than advisory powers unless, by suitable action of the Board, it is granted specific power to act.
Article V – Governance
- Section 1. The Board shall appoint and fix the compensation of a qualified Director who shall serve, under the Board’s review and at its direction, as the chief executive and administrative officer of the Library. In this capacity, the Director shall be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Library. The Director shall recommend to the Board the appointment and specify the duties of all other staff and shall be held responsible for: the proper direction and supervision of the staff, the care and maintenance of library buildings and property, the adequate and proper selection of materials and information in keeping with the stated policies of the Board, the efficient and prudent provision of library service to the public, and its financial operation within the fiscal limitations as determined by the Board of Trustees. The Director shall be expected to attend all meetings of the Board and to meet with all committees unless otherwise agreed to with the President and committee chair.
- Section 2. The Board shall appoint and fix the compensation of a qualified Clerk-Treasurer who shall serve, under the Board’s review and at its direction, as the chief financial officer of the Library. In this capacity, the Clerk-Treasurer, or his or her designated representative, shall be responsible for the day-to-day fiscal operations of the Library. The Clerk-Treasurer shall be responsible for the certification of Library monies, collected or in the process of being collected, and the appropriate expenditure of these monies. The Clerk-Treasurer shall be the treasurer of all Library monies and shall deposit all monies received according to the statutes of the State of Ohio. A full financial accounting of Library receipts and disbursements, as determined by the Board, shall be made by the Clerk-Treasurer, or his or her designated representative, at the regular meeting of the Board.
- Section 3. The Board, collectively, shall serve as the policy making body of the Library. Additionally, the Board shall assume those powers given it by relevant sections of the Ohio Revised Code and shall perform such other duties as are generally associated with the office.
- Section 4. Members of the Board are expected to be regular and timely in their attendance and performance of duties of the position to which they have been appointed. Failure to do so may result in notification of such conduct by the President to the appropriate appointing authority.
Article VI – Amendments
- Section 1. Amendments to these by-laws must be presented in writing and read at a regular meeting of the Board. They may be adopted at any subsequent meeting of the Board by a two-thirds affirmative vote of the Board.
Adopted: June 15, 1967 - Revised: December 14, 1995; April 24, 1997; January 22, 1998; March 26, 1998; October 30, 2003