Director Briefing - July 31, 2023

Upcoming Trustee Workshops

Feel free to remind your Trustees of these upcoming and recorded workshops…

Workshop	Date	Time	Link
State Aid for Library Construction Info Session	✓ January 31, 2023	4:00 PM	Recording
Roles and Responsibilities for New Trustees	✓ February 6, 2023	5:00 PM	Recording
Trustee Handbook Book Club: Open Meetings Law with Kirsten O’Neill, Committee on Open Government	✓ February 21, 2023	5:00 PM	Recording
Key Laws & Regulations for Libraries	✓ March 9, 2023	5:00 PM	Recording
Trustee Handbook Book Club: The Board-Director Relationship	✓ April 18, 2023	5:00 PM	Recording
Q&A with Ron at Wadsworth Library in Geneseo (Resource Page)	✓ April 27, 2023	6:00 PM	Recording
Q&A with Ron at Newark Public Library (Resource Page)	✓ June 8, 2023	4:30 PM	No Recording
Trustee Handbook Book Club: Financial Planning & Budgeting	✓ June 20, 2023	5:00 PM	Recording
Q&A with Ron at Stevens Memorial Library in Attica, NY (Resource Page)	✓ July 10, 2023	6:00 PM	No Recording
Budgeting Q&A with Ron and Kelly (Resource Page)	✓ July 17, 2023	5:00 PM	Recording
Patron Privacy and Access Policies (Hybrid)	August 7, 2023	5:00 PM	Registration
Trustee Handbook Book Club: Strategic Planning	August 15, 2023	5:00 PM	Registration
Trustee Handbook Book Club: Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Access & Justice	October 17, 2023	5:00 PM	Registration
Trustee Handbook Book Club: Financing & Managing Construction Projects	December 19, 2023	5:00 PM	Registration

Copied from https://docs.owwl.org/Community/TrusteeEducation on July 31, 2023.

HBR: Giving Hard Feedback Is…Hard. Here’s How to Do It

I often find really good advice from Harvard Business Review, this one is interesting as it details how to give difficult feedback:

Giving your employees tough feedback can be painful, but it’s a requirement for any leader. Here’s how to navigate the discomfort and apprehension that comes with difficult conversations so you can say what needs to be said. Start by challenging the assumption that critical feedback makes you a difficult or mean manager. Instead, focus on the rewards of clear, honest communication; your input may be exactly what your employee needs to finish a challenging assignment, and it could help them grow in new, productive ways. Then, before you actually deliver your feedback, consider the worst, best, and most likely outcomes, and come up with a game plan for each. Plan your opening remarks: Use “I” statements, be specific, and strike a respectful, honest tone. Finally, make feedback a regular, predictable habit, rather than an occasional “big” conversation. The more you practice giving feedback in lower-stakes, everyday scenarios, the better at it you’ll become. Remember: You’re not criticizing your people; you’re nurturing them. And you’re certainly not being a villain; you’re being the leader they need.

This tip is adapted from “Overcoming Your Fear of Giving Tough Feedback,” by Melody Wilding

Washington Post: Public Libraries are the Latest Front in Culture War Battle Over Books

A Trustee sent this chilling Washington Post article to me last week. It details the "escalation of book wars in Virginia and across the country."

Public Libraries are the Latest Front in Culture War Battle Over Books - The Washington Post.pdf

Question of the Week: Policies are Required by Law

Question: There are a lot of policies in the Trustee Handbook that we should have in place, but which ones have laws tied to them that we are legally required to have?

Answer: Great question. The Trustee Handbook has a list of Recommended Policies that have been updated in the past few years that you can take a look at to get a good idea of all the policies you should have.

According to State Laws, here is a list of policies you must have:

• Open Meeting Policy: All public and association libraries are subject to the open meetings law (Education Law, Section 260-a).
• Confidentiality of Library Records: All public and association libraries are required to keep library records confidential according to Civil Practice Laws and Rules, Section 4509.
• Internet Use Policy: Chapter 357 of the Laws of 2000 requires that the Board of Trustees of a public, free association or Indian library, which provides public access to the Internet, establish a policy governing patron use of computer terminals that access the Internet. The law provides that a verification of such policy shall be included in the annual report submitted to the State Education Department.
• Conflict of Interest Policy: All public and association libraries are subject to Not-for-Profit Corporation Law, Section 715-a.
• Whistle Blower Policy: All public and association libraries with twenty or more employees AND an annual revenue in excess of one million dollars in the previous fiscal year are subject to Not-for-Profit Corporation Law, Section 715-b. (Note that this is required only for certain libraries.)
• Sexual Harassment Prevention Policy: All public and association libraries are subject to Labor Law, Section 201-G. All employers in NYS are required to have a sexual harassment prevention policy and are required to provide sexual harassment prevention training. Additional information is provided at https://www.ny.gov/combating-sexual-harassment-workplace/employers

Source: https://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/register/policies.htm

Other policies that have come up in OSC audits that you will need to have include the following:

• Procurement Policy: Bethpage Public Library – Procurement (2019M-219); Lima Public Library – Procurement (2017M-295).
• Cash Handling Policy: Fulton Public Library – Cash Receipts and Disbursements (2017M-269); East Islip Public Library – Cash Receipts (2017M-223).
• Investment Policy: Plattekill Public Library – Procurement and Investment of Funds (2020M-143).
• Claims Auditing Policy: East Meadow Public Library – Claims Auditing (2017M-275); Franklin Square Public Library - Claims Audit (2018M-48); Hillside Public Library of New Hyde Park – Claims Processing (2017M-175).

This is not an exhaustive list of policies the OSC requires, but it is a good place to start. For a complete list of Library Audits, visit https://www.osc.state.ny.us/local-government/audits/library.