Topic outline

  • Welcome!

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    Montana's Capitol Building. Image from VisitMT.orgWhile Montana law has given most public library boards a fair amount of authority, the governance structure of the library and the form of local government influences how that authority works. It’s important to understand the structure of your city or county’s local government. 

    Knowing who does what and what laws they must follow helps you get your work done while building strong, positive relationships with your local government officials.

    If you haven't already completed Trustee Essentials: Responsibilities, you may want to start with that course.


  • Your Library and Local Government

  • Forms of Local Government

  • Who Does What?

  • Library's Relationship to Local Government

  • Improving Work with Local Governments

  • Course Wrap-Up

    • Trustee Essentials: Understanding Local Government and Its Relationship to the Library

      The objectives for this course are to learn about:

      • different forms of local government and about how the form of government impacts the library
      • the work of key local government officials and how the library interacts with those officials
      • how to better understand some of the sources of tension between local government and library boards and why they exist
      • techniques for managing areas of tension

      We hope you will put this information into practice.

      Before you complete the course evaluation please consider these questions:

      • What new information have you learned about this topic?
      • What is something you need to learn more about?
      • Which MSL Staff member or other do you need to connect with?
      • Who can you share your learning with?