Library Board Bylaws

Article I:  Name

This organization shall be called the “Board of Trustees of the Manhattan Public Library”, existing by virtue of the provisions of Kansas Statutes Annotated 12-1220 et. seq. of the State of Kansas, and exercising the powers and authority and assuming the responsibilities delegated to it under said statute.

Article II: Officers

Section l.  The officers shall be a president, a vice-president, a secretary, and a treasurer.

The president and vice-president shall be elected from among the appointed trustees annually at a regular monthly meeting. The same person may hold the offices of secretary and treasurer. The director of the library may be appointed by the Board to serve as the secretary/treasurer.

Section 2.  Officers shall serve a term of one year from the meeting at which they are elected, or until their successors are duly elected.

Section 3.  The president shall preside at all meetings of the board, authorize calls for any special meetings, appoint all committees, execute all documents, and sign all checks for library expenditures authorized by the board, serve as ex-officio voting member of all committees, serve as a voting member of the Manhattan Library Foundation, and generally perform all duties associated with that office.

Section 4.  The vice-president, in the event of the absence or disability of the president, or of a vacancy in that office, shall assume and perform the duties and functions of the president.

Section 5.  The secretary shall keep a true and accurate record of all meetings of the board, shall issue notice of all regular and special meetings, and shall sign each check for library expenditures authorized by the board. The secretary shall have custody of the minutes of the board meeting and act as official custodian of public records, and shall prepare and submit reports as requested by the board.

Section 6.  The treasurer shall be the disbursing officer of the board, shall have charge of all funds collected for the maintenance of the library, and shall pay out said funds on orders from the board. The treasurer shall keep an accurate account of all moneys received and disbursed by the treasurer and make a financial report thereof to the board monthly or as often as the board shall require. The treasurer shall be bonded in an amount as may be required by law.

Article III:  Meetings

Section 1.  The regular meetings shall be held each month, the date and hour to be set by the board. All public library board meetings are subject to the Kansas Open Meetings Act (KOMA), K.S.A. 75-4317 et seq.

Section 2.  The annual meeting, which shall be for the purpose of the election of officers, shall be held at the regular meeting in April of each year.

Section 3.  The order of business for regular meetings shall include, but not be limited to, the following items, which shall be covered in the sequence shown so far as circumstances will permit:

    1. Roll call of members
    2. Public comment
    3. Disposition of minutes of previous regular meeting and any intervening special meeting
    4. Director’s financial report and action on bills
    5. Standing committee reports
    6. Progress and service report of director
    7. Communications
    8. Unfinished business
    9. New business
    10. Adjournment

Section 4.  Special meetings may be called by the secretary at the direction of the president, or at the request of four members, for the transaction of business as stated in the call for the meeting.

Section 5.  A quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting shall consist of four members of the board present. A majority of those present can bind the board by their action.

Section 6.  The director shall mail notice of all meetings to all members in advance of the meeting.

Section 7.  Conduct of meetings: Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern proceedings of all meetings.

Section 8.  Active participation in regular and special meetings of the Board of Trustees is an obligation of each trustee. Regular attendance at board meetings is important to keep board members well informed of governance matters and allow for the personal contribution of each board member to the board’s deliberations.

The president of the board shall report to the mayor any failure of a board member to fulfill attendance obligations with a request that the mayor declare a vacancy, and to fill the same in accordance with Kansas law.

Article III:  Meetings (Section 8. Continued)

A board member shall be considered as not having fulfilled required attendance if: (1) the member has unexcused absences for any 3 meetings in one calendar quarter year, or (2) the member is absent at all board meetings for 2 consecutive calendar quarters, for any reason.

Excuse for absence shall exist if a member contacts the director or board president, no later than four hours (except in emergencies) prior to the meeting, explaining that for business, or professional reasons or personal or immediate family illness or emergency the member will not be able to attend the board meeting.

Article IV:  Library Director and Staff

The board shall appoint a qualified library director who shall be the executive and administrative officer of the library on behalf of the board and under its review and direction. The director shall appoint and specify the duties of other employees and shall be held responsible for the proper direction and supervision of the staff, for the care and maintenance of the library property including buildings and equipment, for an adequate and proper selection of books and materials and services in keeping with the stated policy of the board, for the efficiency of library service to the public, and for its financial operation within the limitations of the budgeted appropriation.

The board endorses the A.L.A. revised Code of Ethics as a standard of professional ethics for the library. (See Appendix A)

Article V:  Committees

Section 1.  The standing committees shall be: Finance; Building and Grounds; Policy and Planning; and Legislative; and Director’s Evaluation. The membership of each committee shall be by appointment of the president, who shall appoint one member to be chairman.

Section 2.  Special committees shall be appointed as needed by the president, each such committee serving until the completion of the purpose for which it was appointed and after a final report is made to the board.

Section 3.  No committee will have other than advisory powers unless, by suitable action of the board, it is granted specific power to act.

Article VI:  North Central Kansas Libraries System Board Representative

The board shall elect a representative to serve on the Board of Trustees of the North Central Kansas Libraries System. The representative will represent the interests of the Manhattan Library Board at system board meetings and report to the Manhattan Board.

The system representative shall be elected at the annual meeting in April each year.

Article VII:  Manhattan Library Association representative

The board shall elect a representative to serve on the Manhattan Library Association Board. The representative will attend board meetings and represent the interests of the library board and make reports to the board.

ARTICLE VIII:  GENERAL

Section 1.  An affirmative vote of the majority of all members of the board present at the time shall be necessary to approve any action before the board. The president may vote upon and may move or second a proposal before the board.

Section 2.  The bylaws may be amended by the majority vote of all members of the board, provided that written notice of the proposed amendment shall have been mailed to all members in the call to the meeting at which such action is proposed to be taken.

Section 3.  Any rule or resolution of the board, whether contained in these bylaws or otherwise, may be suspended temporarily in connection with the business at hand, but such suspension, to be valid, may be taken only at a meeting at which at least five (5) of the members of the board shall be present and two-thirds of those present shall so approve.

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ARTICLE VIII: RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE BOARD AND DIRECTOR

Section 1.  Duties and responsibilities of the library board (KSA 12-1225):

  1. Determine and adopt written policies to govern the operation and program of the library.
  2. Determine the purposes of the library and secure adequate funds to carry on the library’s program.
  3. Employ a competent and qualified director.
  4. Know the program and needs of the library in relation to the community; keep abreast of standards and library trends; plan and carry out the library program.
  5. Participate in a planned public relations program to interpret the library to the community.
  6. Assist in the preparation of the annual budget.
  7. Know local and state laws; actively support library legislation in the state and nation.
  8. Attend all board meetings and see that accurate records are kept on file at the library.
  9. Attend regional, state and national trustee meetings and workshops, and affiliate with the appropriate professional organizations.
  10. Communicate regularly with the City Commission.

Section 2.  Duties and responsibilities of the director:

  1. Act as technical advisor to the board; recommend needed policies for board action; employ all personnel and supervise their work.
  2. Carry out the policies of the library as adopted by the board.
  3. Suggest and carry out plans for extending library services.
  4. Prepare regular reports embodying the library’s current progress and future needs; cooperate with the board to plan and carry out the library program.
  5. Maintain an active program of public relations.
  6. Prepare an annual budget for the library in consultation with the board and give a current report of expenditures against the budget at each meeting. The budget shall consist of: a tax fund; benefits fund; a grant fines; fees and interest fund, and a gift fund.
  7. Know local and state laws; actively support library legislation in the state and nation.
  8. Select and order all books and other library materials.
  9. Attend all board meetings other than those in which their own salary or tenure are under discussion; may serve as secretary of the board.
  10. Affiliate with state and national professional organizations and attend professional meetings and workshops.
  11. Make use of the services and consultants of the State Library of Kansas.
  12. Report regularly to the library board, to the officials of local government, and to the general public.

Section 3.  Board meetings.

  1. All meetings of the Board of Trustees shall be open to the public as provided by the Kansas Open Public Meetings Act (KOMA). K.S.A. 75-4317 et. seq.. The board may meet in closed or executive session only for the following purposes:
    1. For consideration of personnel matters of non-elected personnel;
    2. For consultation with an attorney which would be deemed privileged in the attorney/client relationship;
    3. For consultations with the representative of the board in employer/employee negotiations;
    4. To discuss confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corpora­tions, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships;
    5. To consider matters relating to actions affect­ing a person as a student, patient or resident of a public institution, except that such a person shall have the right to a public hearing if they so request;
    6. For preliminary discussions relating to the acquisition of real property;
    7. To discuss items relative to the negotiation process
  2. The formal motion to recess for a closed or executive session shall include the statement of the justification for the closed session, the subjects to be discussed, and those persons to be in atten­dance and the time and place at which the open meeting shall resume. No binding action shall be taken during a closed or executive session.
  3. Any person wishing to present a matter of concern to the board may do so by presenting the request in writing to the library director or by attending a board meeting and addressing the board during the regularly scheduled public comment portion of the meeting. Citizen comments shall not exceed five (5) minutes.

Approved by the Board, September 25, 2006. rev. May 29, 2019

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