Trustee Onboarding

Goffstown Public Library Board of Trustees Mission Statement

The Library Board of Trustees (LBOT) is the governing board of the Goffstown Public Library and primary advocates for its mission and values. The Library Board of Trustees represents the community to the Library and the Library to the community.

Meeting Schedules and Expectations

• Roles and Responsibilities of a Library Trustee (PDF)
• Goffstown's Code of Conduct for Town Officials (PDF)

The full Library Board of Trustees meets twice each month, on the first and third Wednesdays with a start time of 6:30 p.m. The meetings are open to all members of the public, and are therefore "Posted" by the Director through the town hall. Since we work on behalf of the members of the community, it is critical that we follow the law to the letter in terms of what we are doing and why. Please be sure to read the section on Right to Know Law.

In order for a full board meeting to be legal, a quorum of the board must be present. If for any reason you must miss a meeting, or be delayed in arriving for a scheduled board meeting, please contact the Chair and the library Director as far in advance as possible in the event a meeting must be rescheduled to accommodate a quorum. (A quorum is considered at least four of the members.)

Every attempt is made to keep the meetings efficient and the agenda reasonable for one evening's worth of work. 

Minutes are kept at all meetings. At full board meetings, a paid recorder takes minutes and has them available to the members and the public within five business days for review. These minutes are read, corrected, and accepted as a matter of business at the next board meeting.

Board Packets are prepared by the Library Director and the Chair in advance of each full board meeting. Background material on items of discussion and action are included, as well as financial and usage statistics, and the previous month's minutes. It is important to read board packets prior to the monthly meeting. If you're new to the board, it may take a while to understand the data and conversations, but eventually the lines will fall into place.

As members of the Board of Trustees, we are each separate individuals with distinct opinions and perspectives. We are empowered to act on behalf of the Library only by action of a vote of the board; as individuals we have no authority or power. Your vote is your voice as a board member. Votes of the majority carry the decision of the board. Alternate members of the Library Board of Trustees are welcome to voice opinions and concerns, but they will only cast a vote in the absence of an elected member of the board.

If you have items of interest to the board or concerns regarding the library, it is your responsibility to make mention to the Chair to request a slot on a meeting agenda. It is at the Chair's discretion to comply or defer.

If a concern arises which is either of a specific personnel issue or of a sensitive legal negotiation, the board has the authority to enter into a non-public session. There are extremely rigorous rules for entering into non-public session. See RSA 91-A:3 for the rules and process for non-public meetings.

Goffstown Public Library and Town of Goffstown

The people of Goffstown elect members to sit on various boards. The Goffstown Public Library Board of Trustees (LBOT) is a separate legal entity from other town departments. The Library Board of Trustees is a governing board responsible for all library decisions on behalf of the people of Goffstown. We are a distinct and equal entity to the Select Board. As a matter of practice, we work in concert with the Select Board, the Goffstown Town Administrator, and other Goffstown Department Heads.

The Library Board of Trustees is responsible for the oversight of the Goffstown Public Library and its holdings; the Library Board of Trustees is responsible to oversee the hiring of the Director of the Library, and through that Director all the other employees of the Library.

The Library Board of Trustees is responsible to submit a budget proposal to the town through the Select Board and the Budget Committee to a vote to the townspeople. The Library Board of Trustees are then responsible to expend those town monies approved in the March election (our Approved Budget).

The Library Board of Trustees is fully responsible for:

• policies relating to the decision-making of the board and, through the Director relating to the operation of the library,
• budget and trust fund oversight,
• hiring or dismissal of Library Director,
• evaluation of Library Director, and through the Director, approval of staff evaluations,
• and advocacy for the library.

Most of the duties of the Library Board of Trustees are prescribed by the state law of New Hampshire in RSA 202-A. Please see the RSAs for the full text and legal requirements.

Legal and Fiduciary Roles and Responsibilities of a Goffstown Public Library Trustee

The role of the Library Trustee in Goffstown is heavily weighted in watching the town budget cycle and the private donations made to sustain the library. This may appear overwhelming and confusing, but there's help along the path, and it becomes easier. A few main points:

Funding Sources:  Town, Fines, Gifts, Interest, Grants

From our RSA 202-A:4 Maintenance. - "Any city or town having a public library shall annually raise and appropriate a sum of money sufficient to provide and maintain adequate public library service therein or to supplement funds otherwise provided."

In other words, the town is responsible to set aside some money through taxes to run the library.  That's our relationship with the Selectmen, the town Budget Committee, and ultimately the tax rate and town vote. This is the bulk of the Goffstown Public Library funds each year. The budget is voted on in March and we are notified of the specific amount of money we will have to work with for the current year; we begin planning for the next year's budget in June. Each month, we watch how the money is applied to our needs. The budget is something we look at all twelve months of the year.

The annual operating budget (funds received from the town) is kept in a lapsing account. In other words, any money leftover at the end of that fiscal year does not remain in the library's account, it returns to the general fund of the Town of Goffstown.

The library charges small fees for non-resident cards, use of the printers or copiers, and of course for the replacement of lost or damaged books. That money is also part of the overall accounting of the running of the library.

Big Items - like a Building Expansion - or major expenses necessary to the library building or major operations, go into a separate budget process, CIP (Capital Improvement Plan). Just like a home budget must look ahead to anticipate a new roof or an addition to the house, so must the town. The CIP budget is a 1,2,5,10 year planning tool which tries to balance out the tax burden by strategically planning big expense needs.

We also have gifts given to the library from grants, townspeople, or businesses. Gifts are all considered non-lapsing. That is, when those monies are given to the Library, they are not given back to the town at the end of the year; they remain with the library for future purposes.

From our RSA 202-A:4-c Trustees' Authority to Accept and Expend Gifts. - "…any town at an annual meeting may adopt an article authorizing… the public library trustees to apply for, accept and expend…unanticipated money from the state, federal or other governmental unit or a private source which becomes available during the fiscal year."

In other words, we need town permission to accept gifts [or "unanticipated money"]. We have already asked that permission, but the law continues that if the money is more than $5,000. (five thousand dollars) we have to ask again. There are regulations for a Special Hearing in that case. All this is covered in the RSA, and the Director should be aware of the details of how to do this. There is a follow-up section on receiving property (land, a building, an antique car or something of value). This has essentially the same rule.

Gifts may be given as "Restricted" or "Unrestricted" to the library. A Restricted gift is given with specific, stated intentions by the donor…for example, "I am donating $100 to the library for the purpose of purchasing materials about the History of Goffstown". An Unrestricted gift is one that does not have those specific intentions….for example, "I am donating $100 to the library for the library to use as it chooses".

The library has from time to time received large sums of money which have been put into CDs (Certificates of Deposit), or stocks, or savings accounts…all of which generate some interest income. As a board, we project what we think that interest will be in the coming year, and factor that number in to our budget. The income we receive in interest from the funds is likewise restricted or unrestricted, depending on the donor's intentions at the time of the donation. A current list of the GPL Funds and Holdings is in the Budget section of this packet.

The Library Director may ask permission of the Library Board of Trustees to apply for a grant from outside organizations. Grants are typically given for specific, stated goals…they are typically a challenge to improve an organization or to enhance awareness of a certain theme or idea. Grants require a separate accounting and may not be considered as a routine part of the library budget.

Lastly, from this section of the RSA 202-A:5 Status. - "Every public library shall remain forever free to the use of every resident of the town wherein it is located. "

• RSA 202 (Public Library Statutes)
• RSA 91 (Right to Know)
• Is it a Meeting? (PDF) via Right to Know Law | New Hampshire Municipal Association
• Volunteers - Best Practices for New Hampshire Libraries

All employees and LBT members need to keep any communication about the Town Meeting informational only. This means no "please support" or "make sure you vote" emails from the workplace or in your official capacity or putting signs on town property or vehicles. Additionally, Department Heads need to be keenly aware of the posts on official Town Facebook Accounts. Department Heads or designees posting to Facebook need to ensure posts comply with the electioneering laws. Additionally, sharing another Facebook post encouraging support of a specific article could be considered electioneering.

New Hampshire Municipal Association - Ensuring a "Clean Vote" in Your Municipality Article

Title LXIII Elections

659:44-a Electioneering by Public Employees. -

1. No public employee, as defined in RSA 273-A:1, IX, shall electioneer while in the performance of his or her official duties.
2. No public employee shall use government property or equipment, including, but not limited to, telephones, facsimile machines, vehicles, and computers, for electioneering.
3. For the purposes of this section, "electioneer" means to act in any way specifically designed to influence the vote of a voter on any question or office.
4. Any person who violates this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

Source. 2003, 172:2, eff. June 18, 2003. 2016, 176:1, eff. January 1, 2017.

Duties of Board vs Director

The Board should be concerned with the overall picture of general operating and administrative policies of the library, while the Director supervises the internal management and daily operation of the library. The Director exercises professional judgment under the direction and review of the Board to implement the goals, objectives, and policies set by the Board. It is imperative that the Board and the Director discuss issues fully in a cooperative manner and, together, determine a course of action.

Under no circumstances should the Board of Trustees or any member of the Board undermine the authority of the Director.

Who’s Responsible—The Board or Library Director?

Procedure for Goffstown Public Library Director Evaluation

1. The LBOT reviews the timeline/procedure for the evaluation. Prior years’ evaluations are saved in Forms. If no changes have been made to the Library Director’s job description, the prior year’s form can be copied and updated. If changes have been made, they must be reflected in the evaluation form. This is usually done by the Chair/Vice-Chair because they have access to the trustee account. This is usually done at one of the November meetings.
2. The Chair or Vice-Chair sends the Library Director Evaluation form out to the LBOT and the Self-Evaluation form to the Library Director with a deadline for when responses are due back. Links to the Board/Director self-evaluation usually go out in late December/early January with responses due 4-5 days before the January business meeting.
3. Trustees and Library Director complete the forms.
4. The Chair and Vice-Chair access the replies to compile and prepare them for presentation to the Board. This process includes calculating scores/overall average to ensure that the threshold for a step increase has been met.
5. The LBOT meets to discuss the Board/Director responses and draft tentative goals. This is done in non-public session and usually takes place in January.
6. The Chair and Vice Chair set a date to meet with the Library Director to go over the results.
7. The Library Director will receive a copy of the LBOT Evaluation results and the comments before the meeting with board officers. A copy of the comments will be kept by the Library Director.
8. At the meeting with the Library Director and the board officers, the results will be reviewed and the Library Director can ask questions. Draft goals will be reviewed with input from the Library Director and finalized during the review meeting to ensure that goals are realistic and feasible. The board officers will complete the Evaluation document and ensure that both copies are signed and dated.
9. A signed copy of the review document will be given to the Library Director for their personnel file and a signed copy will be stored in the Trustees secured filing cabinet.
10. LBOT Chair/Vice Chair will sign the employee change of status form for Director's Step increase if applicable.