Dexter Free
Library
The Dexter Free Library exists
to provide quality service to the residents of Dexter, New York (coterminous with the Town of Brownville,
minus the Villages of Brownville and Glen Park) region(delete) in an open
and non-judgmental environment with access to library materials in a variety of
formats.
PREAMBLE
The
Board of Trustees (hereinafter designated as the “Board”) of The Dexter Free
Library, a corporation created under a charter granted under Section 253 of the
New York State Education Law by the Board of Regents (or Secretary of State) of
the State of New York, dated May 29, 1924, shall be governed by the laws of New
York State, the regulations of the Commissioner of Education and by the
following by-laws.
BY-LAWS
1. NAME OF ORGANIZATION
a. The name of the organization shall be the Dexter
Free Library.
2. PURPOSE
a.
The
purpose of the organization is to provide superior library service to the
residents of the community of Dexter, New York region and serve the community
as a general center for current reliable information.
b.
The
library will assemble, preserve and administer, in organized collection, books,
non-print materials and related educational and recreational material in order
to promote the communication of ideas and the enrichment of personal lives.
3. FISCAL
a. The fiscal year of the library shall be the calendar
year, January 1 to
December 31.
4. BOARD OF TRUSTEES
a.. The Board shall consist of seven (7) to thirteen
(13) members, elected for terms of 3 years each. The trustees selected at the
annual (December) meeting shall be elected for staggered terms of three, two
and one year. As the terms of such
trustees expire, their successors shall be elected for terms of three years
each. Newly elected trustees will take office at the January meeting. There
must be at least 3 members of the board present to vote in a quorum. All
policies are to be reviewed by the board every 5 years.
b. Eligibility for office shall be limited to adult library
members residing or owning property in the Dexter, NY area.
c. Absence from three consecutive meetings shall
constitute automatic dismissal from the Board unless the Board defers this
dismissal by majority vote. The President shall inform the absent Board Member
in writing that he/she is no longer on the Board. If dismissal is deferred by
Board action the President shall inform the absent Board Member in writing the
conditions of this deferral.
d. Any vacancy shall be filled by special election by
the remaining members of the Board for the remainder of the term of that
particular position.
e. Each Trustee shall have one vote, irrespective of
office held.
f. A Trustee must be present at a meeting to have
his/her vote counted.
g.
All actions of the Board shall be of the Board as a unit. No Board member shall
act on behalf of the Board, on any matter, without prior approval of the Board.
No Board member by virtue of his/her office, shall exercise any administrative
responsibility with respect to the library nor, as an individual, command the
services of any library employee.
5. OFFICERS
a. The officers of the Board shall be the President,
Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer, elected annually by the Board at the December
meeting. These officers shall serve for a period of one (1)year .
b. The duties of such officers shall be as follows:
i. 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 ex-officio voting
member of all committees, and generally perform all duties associated with that
office.
ii. 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.
iii. 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 perform such other duties as are generally
associated with that office.
iv. The Treasurer shall be the disbursing
officer of the Board and shall perform such duties as generally devolve upon
the office. In the absence or inability of the Treasurer, his/her duties shall
be performed by such other members of the Board as the Board may designate.
6. DIRECTOR
a.
The Board shall
appoint a Library Director who shall be the executive officer of the policies
of the Board and shall have charge of the administration of the library under
the direction and review of the Board. The Director shall be responsible for
the care of the buildings and equipment; for the employment and direction of
the staff; for the efficiency of the library’s service to the public; and for
the operation of the library under the financial conditions contained in the
annual budget. The Director shall render and submit to the Board reports and
recommendations of such policies and procedures, which, in the opinion of the
Director, will improve efficiency and quality of library service. The Director
shall attend all Board meetings except the portion of the meeting at which the
director’s appointment or salary is to be discussed or decided.
b.
The
director will be evaluated annually. A new director will be evaluated after six
(6) months, then annually or at other intervals as deemed appropriate by the
board.
7. COMMITTEES
a. A nominating committee shall be appointed by the
President in November. They will present a slate of officers and names of
candidates for new trustees at the December meeting. Additional nominations may
be made from the floor.
b. Committees for specific purposes may be appointed
by the President. Such committees shall serve until the completion of the work
for which they were appointed.
c. All committees shall make a progress report to the
Board at each of its meetings.
d. No committee will have other than advisory powers
unless, by suitable action of the Board, it is granted specific power to act.
e. The President shall be, ex officio, a member of all
committees.
8. MEETINGS
a. Meetings shall be held each month, the date and
hour to be set by the Board.
E-mail
notice of all meetings shall be sent to each member at least five days before
the meeting.
b. A
special meeting of the Board may be called at any time by the President or upon
request of three Board members for a specific purpose. No business may be
transacted at such special meeting except the stated business.
c. The Annual Meeting shall be held in December of
each year in conjunction with the regular December meeting. The business
transacted at this meeting shall include the election of new trustees and new
officers.
d. The operating and financial reports for the
previous year shall be presented at the regular meeting in January.
e. The final budget for the subsequent calendar year
shall be presented for approval at the regular meeting in December.
f. A simple majority of the existing Board shall
constitute a quorum for the conducting of all business. If a quorum is not
present at a regular meeting, the attending members may set a date for another
meeting to be held within one week, and the presiding officer shall notify the
absent members of this specially called meeting.
g. 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 unless circumstances make an altered order more efficient:
i. Call
to order
ii. Secretary’s report
iii. Treasurer’s report
iv. Director’s report
v. Committee reports
vi. Communications
vii. Old business
viii. New business
x. Adjournment
9. AMENDMENTS
a. Amendments to these By-Laws may be proposed at any
regular meeting and shall be voted upon at the next regular meeting. Written notice
of the proposed amendment or amendments shall be sent to all absent members at
least ten days prior to the voting session. A simple majority of the Board
shall be sufficient for adoption of an amendment.
b. Any rule or resolution of the Board, whether
contained in these By-Laws or other wise, may be suspended temporarily in
connection with business at hand, but such suspension, to be valid, may be
taken only at a meeting at which two-thirds of the members of the Board shall
be present and two-thirds of those present shall so approve.
10. PROCEDURE
a. All procedures not specified herein shall be in
accord with Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised.
Approved by The Dexter
Free Library Board of Trustees, dated December 21, 2009.