Congratulations! You are a Public Library Trustee...Now What?

In addition to meeting legal requirements, an effective Board will adopt, and periodically review, its own code of ethics to guide its actions. A Code of Ethics serves as a roadmap for how Trustees are expected to act as public officers.

If your Board does not have a written code of ethics, you might consider the following statements as a starting point:

As a public servant and advocate for the public library, I will:

• Work to ensure that the public has equal access to information.
• Work to meet the information needs of the whole community.
• Resist efforts to censor library materials.
• Keep all library policies free of racism, sexism and other bigotry.

As a public servant and representative of the community, I will:

• Attempt to interpret the needs of the community to the library and interpret the action of the library to the community.
• Represent the whole community to the library and not a particular area or group.
• Protect the public's right to open meetings.
• Refer complaints about the library to the proper level in the chain of command.

As a member of the library Board, I will:

• Listen carefully to other Board members.
• Respect the opinions of other trustees.
• Support the decisions of the Board.
• Recognize that all authority is vested in the Board when it meets in legal session and not with individual Board members.
• Be well-informed of developments that are relevant to issues that may come before the Board.
• Call to the attention of the Board any issues that may have an effect on the library.
• Vote to hire the best possible person to manage the library.
• Not interfere with the duties of the director or undermine the director's authority.
• Ensure that the library is well maintained, financially secure, growing and always operating in the best interests of the community.
• Declare any personal conflicts of interest and avoid voting on issues that appear to be conflicts of interest.
• Not use any part of the library for my personal advantage or the personal advantage of my friends or relatives.
• Not discuss confidential Board proceedings outside of the Board meeting.
• Not promise before a meeting how I will vote on any issue to be decided on during the meeting.
• Work to learn more about the job of a trustee and how to do it better.

The statements in this example are provided for you to discuss on the way to adopting a Code of Ethics for your board.  It's a good idea to review this with your county or city attorney to be sure it is consistent with local government policy.  

Questions to Ask the Director or Legal Counsel

• Does our Board have a Code of Ethics? When was it last updated?
• Where can I learn more about the ethical responsibilities of a public officer?
• How do I know if I have a conflict of interest? What's the best way to disclose it?