Director Briefing - February 20, 2024

Trustee Handbook Updates

Upcoming Trustee Handbook Book Club Training Session

What’s New in the 2023 Edition of the Trustee Handbook
Tuesday, March 19th, 5:00-6:30 PM REGISTER

Libraries for the Future: An Introduction to Sustainability as the Newest Core Value
Tuesday, June 18th, 5:00-6:30 PM REGISTER

Governance Structure: The Role of Board Officers and Board Committees
Tuesday, October 15th, 5:00-6:30PM REGISTER

We have also recorded another “After Party” session to answer a bunch of the questions we got during 2023 session that we ran out of time to answer during a particular webinar: https://midhudson.org/trusteebookclub/

We have archived all past sessions (2021-2023) here: https://midhudson.org/trustee-handbook-book-club-archive/

Trustee Handbook Distribution

I have been working on delivering the Trustee Handbook to libraries as I have been out and about. I still have them for libraries I have not visited yet. For now, here is a link to the online version: HANDBOOK FOR LIBRARY TRUSTEES OF NEW YORK STATE 2023 Edition

Aspen Upgrade - February 22, 2024

Our Aspen server will be upgraded on 2/22/2024. More details about new features and fixes are available on OWWL Docs.

OWWL Library System Board Meeting Follow-Up

The OWWL Library System Board of Trustees met last Wednesday; here are a few highlights from the meeting:

• Meeting Agenda
• Meeting Minutes
• The Board updated several policies, including the Brand Usage Policy (more on this later), the Cash Management Investment Policy, the Claims Auditor Policy, the Fixed Assets Capitalization Policy, and the System and Member Library Relationship Policy (more on this later).
• The Board approved the 2024 legal updates for the System's Employee Handbook (libraries can find the HR Works Legal Update Document here).
• We also discussed the Annual Statements Trustees need to complete, including the Conflict of Interest statement, Whistleblower statement, Trustee Education requirement, and the Sexual Harassment Prevention training requirement (all library trustees should be reviewing/completing these items every year).
• The Board approved the Livingston County Capital Improvement grant (these are pass-thru funds provided by the county).
• The Board approved the first payment of the year for fiction and non-fiction content in OverDrive
• Finally, the Board approved our 2024 operating budget.

Policies Impacting Member Libraries

At the December 1, 2023 OWWLDAC Meeting we discussed the System Policies that impact member libraries. Two of those policies were updated at last week's Board Meeting; below is an update on the major changes.

Brand Usage Policy

This existing policy has been updated in a few key ways.

First, the name of this policy has been updated to System Branding, Logos, and Assets Usage Policy.

Second, we have been working with a branding consultant to clarify the use of the OWWL Library System’s brand assets. This is the same consultant that came to speak to libraries earlier in 2023 about branding.

The policy and guidebook are designed to accomplish two things: 1) encourage libraries to use their own local branding when communicating with their community and 2) protect system branding assets so they are used for the programs they are intended to represent.

The policy allows libraries to use the following System logos:

1. Library Card Logo (for promotion of library cards and catalog),
2. OWWL2Go Logos (in the context of promoting Digital Library resources [this may change depending on how OWWL2Go branding changes]), and
3. OWWL Member Logo (available for use on the library's website secondary to individual library branding).

Other logos created by the System for special projects (i.e., The Great Give Back, Booklet, One Book OWWL Kids, etc.) may be used in the context of and for the duration of that program.

Older/outdated logos (pre-2014) should no longer be used.

Branding is incredibly important for libraries. When talking with your community, I highly encourage libraries to adopt their own logos and branding guidelines. Feel free to use this policy and guidebook as a template for your own internal identity system.

• System Branding, Logos, and Assets Usage Policy
• Partner Brand Guidelines

This policy does not dictate how libraries may use their own logos or branding, only that assets/graphics produced at the System may be used for specific programs.

System and Member Library Relationship Policy

This is another pre-existing policy with a few updates.

The policy contains a list of all the policies that impact the System’s relationship with Member Libraries (none are new). The edit was to list each policy with a brief explanation of how the policy impacts the relationship between the System and the libraries.

• Brand Usage Policy – Outlines the appropriate use of “OWWL” and System logos (Yes, I need to change the name of this one in the policy).
• Confidentiality of Patron Records Policy – Adheres to compliance with Civil Practice Law 4509 and the non-disclosure of patron information or library records.
• Construction Aid Policy – Provides guidance and requirements for applying for the NYS Library Construction Aid program.
• Reduced Match Eligibility Requirements – Outlines eligibility requirements for reduced match for the NYS Library Construction Aid program.
• Procurement Policy – Provides System guidelines for large-scale procurement on behalf of member libraries. This policy does not impact local purchases of Member Libraries.
• Acceptable Use and Internet Safety Policy – Sets Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) requirements for E-Rate funding to subsidize member library Internet costs.
• Computer Support Policy – Outlines support and limitations of member library devices.
• Data Breach Policy – Details the responsibilities and conditions for data-related services.
• Systems Access and Confidentiality of Library Records Policy – Outlines requirements for access to information systems such as Evergreen, email, and patron data.
• Wi-Fi Access Policy – Stipulates Wi-Fi access and management of wireless access points at member libraries.
• Code of Conduct Policy – Sets conduct expectations for interactions involving System staff.
• Pest Management Policy – Instructs member libraries and the system in handling potential pest outbreaks in libraries.

System and Member Library Relationship Policy

Any time a policy impacting the relationship between the System and Libraries is updated, I will be sure to let you know.

This Week in the OSC

None of the audits released this week were anything new; however, the OSC did highlight their report titled, New Yorkers: in Need A Look at Poverty Trends in New York State for the Last Decade (a PDF copy of the report can be found here).

The report was originally released in December of 2022 and has an incredible amount of sobering information regarding poverty across the state. The Rochester area was called one of the areas considered to have significantly higher rates of poverty.

Our four counties range between 8.8% and 10.3% of poverty rates (which looks better than what it was 10 years ago for some areas).

This may be a worthwhile report for libraries working on projects that impact poverty in their communities.

Question of the Week: Missed Oath of Office

Question: This year, we ran out of time for our new Trustees to take their Oath of Office. What do we do if we don't have it notarized and filed within 30 days of the start of the Trustee's term?

Answer: Missing the deadlines associated with an Oath of Office can be troublesome. According to the Trustee Handbook,

Trustees and officers, including the Library Director, Library Treasurer and Library District Clerk, of municipal, school district, and special/consolidated legislative district public libraries, and trustees of cooperative and federated library systems are required to file the oath of office specified in the New York State Constitution…

The oath may be given by any officer of the court (judge, attorney, notary public), or the library's Board President or District Clerk, if they have taken an oath of office, and must be filed in the local County Clerk’s office (or with the town clerk for municipal library trustees chartered to serve a town). For a trustee, Treasurer or District Clerk, failure to do so within 30 days of commencing their term of office will vacate the position.

-2023 Trustee Handbook, page 31

That last sentence is what gives us a problem. If the 30-day deadline is missed, the Trustee is no longer on your board. The best way to fix this is to shift to thinking about this term as vacant. The board should follow its procedures for appointing someone to the vacancy. This can certainly be the same person (or someone else if need be). After the board appoints, following the procedures in their bylaws, the Trustee will again need to file the Oath of Office within 30 days of that appointment date.

The Annual Report asks about when Oaths of Office are filed, so if the situation above happens, you'll need to add some clarifying notes. It's a good idea to keep all these dates (appointment and oath) in a spreadsheet so you have all that information year-to-year and don't need to look for information when filling out the Annual Report. It will also be good to have this in case the library is audited.

A bigger issue is if this situation is not caught immediately. Once the Trustee is considered to have vacated their position because of failure to file their Oath of Office, any motions or actions made during that timeframe would not be valid. If you ever find yourself in that situation, let me know, and we can come up with a fancy solution.