The name of the library shall be “Claymont School District
Public Library.” Where and when appropriate in the publications of
the library it shall be indicated that the Library District is the
Claymont School District.
The main library shall be located at 215 E. Third Street,
Uhrichsville, Ohio.
The Claymont School District Public Library serves its
communities as an information agency to support both the formal
and informal learning requirements and recreational needs of its
customers. The library extends its services to all residents of
the state of Ohio on equal terms.
Members of the Board of Trustees are, by law, appointed by the
Board of Education of the Claymont School District for a term of
seven years. Trustees may serve concurrent terms as approved by
the majority of its members. Vacated and un-expired terms of
office shall be appointed by the Board of Education as recommended
by the current Claymont School District Public Library’s Board of
Trustees.
The Board of Trustees shall have all of the powers granted to
it by law and shall, in open meeting, determine and establish, in
accordance with law, the basic policies of the library with
respect to (a) the appropriation and budgeting of funds; (b) the
establishment and maintenance of libraries and library services;
(c) acquisition, improvement, maintenance, insurance, use, and
disposition of properties; (d) the hiring, compensation, and
responsibilities of, and the personnel practices concerning,
librarians and other employees; (e) the selection, collection,
lending, and disposition of books and other library materials; and
(f) the acceptance of gifts. The policies so determined and
established by the Board shall remain in effect until changed or
rescinded by further action of the Board and shall be administered
by the library staff. The Director shall cause a compilation of
all operating policies established by the Board to be prepared and
kept up to date and to be distributed to the members of the Board
and to appropriate members of the library staff and to be kept
available to the public generally.
At the regular meeting in January of each year, the Board shall
select from its membership a President, Vice President and a
Secretary who shall serve a term of one year. The president, who
will present a slate of officers at the January meeting, shall
appoint a nominating committee. Additional nominations may be made
from the floor. At the same meeting, the Board shall elect and fix
the compensation of a Clerk who may be a member of the Board of
Trustees and who shall serve for a term of one year. Each of said
officers shall have powers and duties as are prescribed by the
Ohio Revised Code or by these By-Laws or by special action of the
Board from time to time to the extent that these By-Laws or said
actions are consistent with the law of Ohio.
Clerk
The Clerk shall be the treasurer of the library funds. Before
assuming the duties, a bond shall be executed in an amount and
with a surety to be approved by the Board, payable to the Board
and conditioned for the faithful performance of the official
duties required by the Clerk. All moneys received by the Clerk for
library purposes shall be immediately placed in a depository
designated by the Board. The Clerk shall keep an account of the
funds credited to the Board upon such forms as are prescribed and
approved by the Ohio Bureau of Inspection and Supervision of
Public Offices and shall render a statement to the Board monthly
showing the revenues and receipts from whatever sources derived,
the disbursements and the purposes of such disbursements, and the
assets and liabilities of the Board, and the relation of the
several items of the foregoing to the budget. At the end of each
fiscal year, the Clerk shall submit to the Board a complete
financial statement showing the receipts and expenditures in
detail for the entire fiscal year.
President
The President shall preside at all meetings of the Board,
shall, in consultation with the Director and committee chairs,
determine the agenda for each meeting and shall, with the consent
of the Board, determine the order of business. The President
shall, with the Secretary, sign the minutes of each meeting of the
Board. The President shall appoint all committees and committee
chairs with the consent of the Board and shall serve as an
ex-officio member of each committee. The President shall execute
on behalf of the Board, and when approved by it, all such
instruments of conveyance, assignment, transfer, contract,
indebtedness, or lease as, in order to be effective, must be
executed by an officer or member of the Board other than or in
addition to the Clerk, and all written reports, applications, and
statements which law or government regulations require to be
executed and filed on behalf of the Board by an officer or member
of the Board other than or in addition to the Clerk or Director.
Vice President
In the absence or unavailability of the President or the
President’s declination to act, the Vice President shall have all
the powers and duties of the President, except as otherwise
provided by law.
Secretary
The Secretary shall prepare and sign the minutes of the
meetings of the Board and certificates evidencing resolutions or
actions of the Board and, when required attest to the signatures
and authority of the President, Vice President, Clerk or Director
and co-sign instruments and writings executed by any of them. The
Clerk shall be responsible for the safekeeping and preservation of
the minutes and official records of the Board.
The Board shall appoint and fix the compensation of the
Director who shall be the chief administrator and the librarian of
the library. The Director shall have full charge of the
administration and operations of the library in accordance with
the objectives and policies adopted by the Board and under the
direction and review of the board. The Director shall be held
responsible for the care of all buildings and equipment, for
public relations, for the employment and direction of the library
staff, for the selection, acquisition and disposition of books and
non-book materials, within the annual appropriates adopted by the
Board and subject to the general policies from time to time
adopted by the Board. The Director shall present at each meeting a
report concerning the work of the library and submit for
consideration with recommendations all matters requiring action by
the Board, and, to that end, shall consult with the President as
to the agenda for each meeting of the Board. The Director shall
attend all Board meetings except those executive sessions at which
the Director’s appointment or salary is to be discussed or
decided.
The Director shall serve at the discretion of the Board. The
Personnel Policy Manual of the Board of Trustees shall govern his
or her employment.
The Board shall approve the appointment and fix the
compensation of the Assistant Director who shall be responsible
for such duties as may be delegated by the Director in accordance
with the policies established by Board. In the absence or
unavailability of the Director, the Assistant Director shall act
for and perform the functions of the Director.
Evaluation
On an annual basis, the Board of Trustees shall evaluate the
job performance of the Director. The Director will evaluate the
performance of the Assistant Director and recommend to the Board a
salary consideration.
Regular meetings of the Board shall be held at the Main Library,
8:00 AM on the first Thursday of those months established each
year at the Board’s annual meeting, or at such time or place as
shall be agreed upon by the Board. Special meetings of the Board
shall be called at any time by vote of the Board or by the
President or Vice-president. The annual meeting of the Board shall
be held on the first Thursday in January and shall be the regular
meeting of the Board that month. At this meeting, the Board shall
elect officers and clerks and the oath shall be taken by the newly
appointed Board member and the Clerk.
Written Notice
Written notice of each meeting of the Board shall be mailed by the
Director to each member of the Board, at the address designated by
the member, at least one (1) week before a regular meeting.
Posted Notice
The Director shall cause a written notice of the time and place
of each Board meeting and standing committee meeting to be posted
on a prominent bulletin board in each of the two libraries at
least 24 hours before the meeting, except in the event of an
emergency requiring immediate official action the notice shall be
posted promptly after the meeting is called. Each posted notice of
a special meeting of the Board shall state the purpose of the
meeting. Whenever the place or time of a Board meeting is changed,
the Director shall promptly place the changes on the bulletin
board.
Executive Session
The board may hold an executive session only after a majority
of a quorum of the board determines, by roll call vote, to hold
such a session and only at a regular or special meeting. The
purpose(s) for holding such an executive session shall be as
specified in Section 121.22(g), as amended, of the Ohio Revised
Code and the purpose(s) shall be included in the motion to hold
the session.
Quorum
Four persons, a majority of the full membership of the board,
shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business,
provided that in the absence of a quorum those present may adjourn
the meeting until a quorum is present.
Order of Business
The business conducted at any special meeting of the board
shall be limited to the purposes stated in the written notice of
such meeting, unless the transaction of other business shall be
approved by all the members present at the meeting. In general,
the agenda of each regular meeting shall include the roll call and
certification of notification; approval of minutes; comments from
the audience; and reports from the President and Director.
Reports
Financial and statistical reports will be distributed to Board
members at each regular monthly meeting. At the meeting, the
President shall inquire of the members present whether there are
any questions or objections to the reports or to the payments or
actions therein reported. If no correction, amendment or addition
to a report is made at the meeting, the reports, payments and
actions therein reported shall be considered approved by each
member present without motion, resolution or roll call; and the
Secretary shall so indicate in the minutes of the meeting.
Any member not present at the meeting when the report is
considered may at the first regular meeting at which he is
thereafter present voice any objection the member may have to any
such report or to a payment or action reported therein and have
the member’s objection entered into the minutes of the meeting,
but such objection shall not invalidate or otherwise affect the
previous approval of such report, payment, or action, unless by
motion, resolution or roll call the Board shall decide otherwise.
Any report to which an addition, amendment, correction or
objection is made at the meeting to which it is submitted shall be
approved only by motion or resolution and vote of the Board.
Voting
Except when a larger vote is required by law, all actions of the
Board shall require the affirmative vote of a majority of the full
membership of the Board. When a motion is made and seconded to
adopt a resolution authorizing the purchase or sale of real or
personal property or the appointment of an officer or the payment
of any debt or claim or the contracting or incurrence of any
obligation or the payment of money or the transfer of property or
the adoption of the annual budget or appropriation, or upon the
request of any member of the Board and enter in the minutes of the
meeting the names of those voting “yes”, those voting “no”, and of
those abstaining.
Rules of Order
When not otherwise governed by these By-laws, the proceeding of
the meetings of the Board shall be in accordance with Roberts
Rules of Order as currently revised and published at the time of
the meeting.
It shall be the policy of the Board of Library Trustees of the
Claymont School District Public Library to provide official
minutes and financial reports after approved by the Board to the
public if requested. All documents, which are public records,
shall be available for review and inspection by any person upon
reasonable request to the Director. Official reports of the Board
required by the Ohio Revised Code and the Auditor of the State
shall be maintained in the Business Office and available to the
public upon request to the Director if viewing these records does
not infringe on privacy rights of individuals.
Copies of Board policies, position descriptions, and salary
schedules of the library staff shall be available to the public
and the staff in each building.
The annual report of the Director and branch managers shall be
also available to the public.
The Claymont School District Public Library shall observe the
Federal, State, County, and local requirements regarding the
finances of the library.
This includes receipt expenditures and investment of funds,
preparation and presentation of budgets, bank depositories,
insurances, contracts, records and reports, and bidding.
Authorization to Classify Funds Received as Active, Interim or
Inactive
The Clerk of this library is authorized, upon receipt of funds
of the library, to determine the extent to which the needs of the
library reasonable require that such funds be classified as active
funds or permit them to be classified as interim or inactive funds
in an authorized depository or qualified investment provided that
any such deposit or investment shall be in compliance with the
authorizing resolutions of this Board for deposit or investment of
interim or inactive funds.
Authorization to Transfer Inactive, Interim, and Active Funds
and to Invest and Reinvest Funds.
The Clerk of this library is authorized, upon majority of any
funds of this library held as interim or inactive funds, to
determine the extent to which the needs of the library reasonable
require that such funds be transferred to the status of active
funds and the extent to which funds may remain as interim or
inactive funds and to deposit, invest or reinvest any such funds
remaining as interim or inactive funds in an authorized depository
or other qualified investment provided that any such deposit,
investment or reinvestment shall be in compliance with the
authorizing resolutions of this Board for deposit or investment of
interim or inactive funds.
Use of Building and Repair Funds
The use of the Building and Repair Fund shall be limited to
major planned expenditures or emergency repair expenditures, each
of which shall be individually submitted to the Board for
approval. In December of each year a transfer from the unexpended
General Fund appropriation to the Building and Repair Fund may be
approved by the Board.
Approval of General Fund Expenditures
The Board’s General Fund Annual Appropriation Resolution empowers
the Clerk to expend the funds required for the operation of the
library. However, the following shall be submitted individually to
the Board for prior approval:
Non-recurring or initial expenditures in excess of $5000;
Recurring expenditures in excess of $5000, which have increased
by 20% or more over the prior year;
Reassignment or creation of responsibilities which results in
the addition of salaried staff positions;
Any special circumstances, at the discretion of the Director.
No members of the Board of Trustees shall have any pecuniary
interest in any contact entered into by the Board (ORC 3373.35).
This Board of Trustees subscribes to the tenets contained in “A
Statement of Ethics for Library Trustees” of the American Library
Trustee Association (attached.)
These By-Laws may be amended by the affirmative vote of a
majority of the full membership of the Board of Trustees, provided
that a notice of the proposed amendment shall have been given with
the notice of the meeting.
All visitors attending Board meetings will be recognized early
in the meeting. Those desiring to address the Board may do so,
first stating their name and home address. Each speaker will be
allotted five minutes to address the Board on concerns of the
Library. If, in the opinion of the Board President, a speaker
needs additional time, the President may grant such time.
All news of Board actions released to the MEDIA shall be from
the entire Board. The Library Director or the Board President will
issue news of Board actions to the MEDIA. No one Board member
shall unilaterally speak for the Board, unless directed to do so
by the other Board members at a scheduled Board meeting.
