Mission Statement
The Dormann Library is a community library that exists to support lifelong learning for the members of our community.
Meeting Dates
All meetings of the Board of Trustees are held on the third Tuesday of the month (except for July and August) unless otherwise noted.
Members
The Board of Trustees of the Dormann Library is comprised of eleven members who reside or work within the boundaries of the Bath School District. Trustees are elected to serve a three-year term. The Board meets on the third Tuesday of each month September through June at 5:00PM in the Empire Room.
Tom Simms, President
Term: 2018
Angie Longwell, Vice President
Term: 2019
Tess McKinley, Secretary
Term: 2020
Joanne Sheehan, Treasurer
Term: 2018
Laura Bronson, Trustee
Term: 2019
Jim Deats, Trustee
Term: 2018
Kirk Mishrell, Trustee
Term: 2020
Linda Perry
Term: 2019
Mark Schlechter, Trustee
Term: 2018
Ruth Sprague, Trustee
Term: 2018
Cheryl Stephenson, Trustee
Term: 2018
Mission Statement
The Dormann Library is a community library that exists to support lifelong learning for the members of our community.
Preamble
The Board of Trustees (hereinafter referred to as the “Board”) of the Dormann Library, located in the Village of Bath, County of Steuben, State of New York, which was incorporated with the Secretary of State pursuant to the General Business Laws of New York on August 13, 1869 and which incorporation/charter has been thereafter amended from time to time, most recently May 20, 2008 to change the number of Trustees from nine (9) to be not less than nine (9) nor more than fifteen (15), shall be governed by the laws of New York State, the regulations of the Commissioner of Education, and by the following By-Laws.
Bylaws
1. Name of the Organization
a. The name of the organization shall be the Dormann Library.
2. Purpose
a. The purpose of the organization is to provide superior library service to the residents, adults, and children of the Bath Central School District.
3. Fiscal Year
a. The fiscal year of the library shall be from January 1 through December 31.
4. Board of Trustees
a. The library shall be governed by a Board of Trustees. The Board shall consist of not less than nine nor more than fifteen members; the exact number of trustees to be set by resolution of the Board, which will be filed with the New York State Education Department and which is currently eleven (11). The term of office of trustees shall be three years and shall be limited to three successive terms.
b. Eligibility for the Board of Trustees shall be limited to adults residing or owning property within the geographical limits of the library district.
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 Members 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 in the office of any trustee will be filled by a Board appointment until the next annual election of trustees, at which time a person will be elected for the balance of the unexpired term.
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 E-mail voting may be used if there are time constraints on important issues. The results will be duly noted in the Minutes of the next regularly held Board Meeting.
g. All action 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 a president, a vice president, a secretary, and a treasurer elected annually by the Board at the annual meeting. These officers shall service for a period of one year or until their successors shall have been duly elected.
b. The duties of such officers shall be as follows:
i. President
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 an ex-officio voting member of all committees, and generally perform all duties associated with that office.
ii. Vice President
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. Secretary
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. Treasurer
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 duties shall be performed by such other members of the Board as the Board may designate
v. Other Officers
The Board may create such other officer positions and fill them by election as from time to time are necessary to accomplish the duties of the
Board, e.g. Assistant Secretary, Assistant Treasurer, etc.
c. Vacancies among the officers shall be filled at an election at a regular meeting and a majority vote of the trustees present shall be necessary for an election.
6. Director
a. The Board shall appoint a qualified 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. The Director shall have the right to speak on all matters under discussion at Board meetings but shall not have the right to vote thereon.
7. Committees
a. The following will be standing committees: public relations, personnel, building, budget and finance, and legal. These committees shall have all the usual powers associated with such committees.
b. A nominating committee shall be appointed by the president in September of each year.
1. The nominating committee shall compile a list of qualified nominees for open Board seats to present the rest of the Board for approval at the regular December Board meeting. Newly elected members will take office at the regular Board meeting that follows the annual reorganizational meeting in January.
2. The nominating committee will also present a slate of officers for the coming year for approval at the annual reorganizational meeting in January. Additional nominations for officers may be made from the floor.
c. The Budget and Finance committee shall create and present a preliminary budget for the subsequent calendar year at the regular meeting in January. The final budget for the subsequent calendar year shall be presented for approval at the regular meeting in February.
d. Committees with a specific purpose may be appointed by the president with the approval of the Board. Such committees shall serve until the completion of the work for which they were appointed. Non-board members may be appointed to such committees to bring special capabilities for the resolution of problems confronting the committee.
e. All committees shall make a progress report to the Board at each of its meetings.
f. No committee will have other than advisory powers unless, by suitable action of the Board, it is granted specific power to act.
8. Meetings
a. Regular meetings shall be held each month at dates and times to be established by the Board. Meetings shall be open to the public except when individual personnel issues are being discussed. A reminder notice of all meetings may be mailed / emailed by the Director to each member at least five days before the meeting. All meetings will be held in accordance with the Open Meetings Law of the State of New York.
b. Special meetings shall be held at the call of the president or upon request of three members for a specific purpose. No business may be transacted at such special meetings except for the stated business.
c. The annual reorganizational meeting shall be held in January of each year. The business transacted at this meeting shall include the election of officers, the seating of new members of the Board of Trustees, and setting of the schedule of Board meetings for the coming year.
d. The operating and financial reports for the previous year shall be presented at the regular meeting in January.
e. A simple majority of the existing Board shall constitute a quorum for the conducting of 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.
f. The order of business shall be as follows:
i. Call to Order
ii. Pledge of Allegiance
iii. Adoption of the Agenda
iv. Approval of prior meeting minutes
v. Period for Public Expression
vi. Correspondence
vii. Personnel Actions Report
viii. Treasurer’s Report
ix. Director’s Report
x. Committee Reports
Building Committee
Budget and Finance
Legal
Personnel
Public Relations
xi. Old Business
xii. Period for Public Expression
xiii. Adjournment
9. Amendments
a. These by-laws may be repealed, amended, or added to by a majority vote of the whole Board at a regular meeting. Such action may be taken, however, only after the substance of the proposed repeal, amendment, or addition has been presented in writing at a prior regular or special meeting and notice thereof has been given in the notice of the meeting at which it is to be considered.
b. Any rule of 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 which two-thirds of the members of the Board shall be present and two-thirds of those present shall so approved.
10. Procedures
a. All procedures not specified herein shall be in accord with Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised.
Approved by The Dormann Library Board of Trustees, dated March 16, 2011.
These By-Laws supercede and replace in their entirety those By-Laws adopted in November 2002 and all amendments thereto.
Amended February 19, 2013
Revised May 15, 2018
Dormann Library Plan of Service
May 2018 – Dec 2019
Linking the Past Present and Future
Mission Statement
The Dormann Library is a community library that exists to serve the ever evolving and expanding need for knowledge and information. The library provides the opportunity for life-long learning by making resources available to its patrons from local, regional and national sources; from the best-seller list to literature and the arts, to research and data, to hands-on-workshops and cultural events.
Vision Statement
Our hope is to live in a community where everyone is thriving. However, right now we face a lack of jobs and other resources for healthy, happy, safe living. In order to get there as a community, we need to revitalize our town through commercial and cultural enterprise. (October, 2017)
Priorities, Goals, & Actions
Convene Diverse Groups
Goal: The Dormann Library will sustain current internal programming efforts and over time identify targeted groups and methods for expanding convening services.
Purpose: To provide services to as many people as possible, including those not currently served with our robust suite of services.
Measurement:
Action Step 1 – Maintain 15 of the current diverse programming through staffing shifts in 2018.
- Leader: Director
- Programming to be maintained with possibility of expansion:
- Baby Café, Parents & Families, Adult crafters (ladies), Manga Monday (teens), Artist of the month, animal lovers, puzzlers, court involved families, Compassionate Friends, Recovery support group, Rotary, Diabetes group, MVP, Stay NY, AIM – navigation, deposition making lawyers, BOCES/TASC high school equivalence testing, Conable House, Snell Farms
- Time period of work: 2018
- Time period of assessment and iteration: 2019
Action Step 2 – Increase groups in and use of café, with 1 new group per quarter.
- Leader: Staff person to be determined by Director
- Time period of work: May 2018 – April 2019
- Time period of assessment and iteration: April 2019 – December 2020
Action Step 3 – By October 2019, develop a plan to convene 4 groups not currently served.
- Leader: Director
- Possible programs for start of plan:
- Agricultural support groups
- New artists
- Time period for development: 2019 (based on assessment of Action Step 1)
- Deadline for proposal: October 2019
Library services outside the library
Purpose: To expand educational opportunity and improve community.
Measurement:
Action Step 1 – Maintain 5 current outreach services through 2019.
- Leader: Director
- Programs to be maintained:
- Spirit of Christmas, Dairy Festival, Strong Kids – Safe Kids, Jail, HeadStart, St. Mary’s Day Care, Family Resource Center
- Time period of work: 2018
- Time period of assessment and iteration: 2019
Action Step 2 – In 2019, pilot 1 limited program in non-library facility community spaces per quarter.
- Leader: Staff person to be determined by the Director
- Area for possible expansion:
- Catholic Charities, Farmer’s Market
- Time period of work: January 2019 – September 2019
- Time period of assessment and iteration: July 2019 – December 2019
Action Step 3 – By October 2019, assess and develop a plan for expanding at least 1 long-term outreach service.
- Leader: Director
- Area for possible expansion:
- Home Necessities
- Time period for development: 2019 (based on assessment of Action Step 1)
- Deadline for proposal: October 2019
Growing Friends & Understanding Funds
Purpose: Increase the base of effort from which pull for programming & fundraising.
Measurement:
Action Step 1 – Research framework and feasibility of Friends group, identifying at least 3 potential Friends by January 2019.
- Leader: Director or Trustee/s
- Contact: Debbi Deats
- Time period for research: 2018
- Deadline for Friends plan: March 2019
Action Step 2 – Maintain all current partnerships for the volunteer base through 2019.
- Leader: Director or Trustee/s
- Contacts: Volunteer management ; INTERACT (youth division of Rotary)
- Time period for work: 2018 – 2019
- Time period for exploring ways to expand base: October 2019 – December 2019
Action Step 3 – Implement Friends group as identified by April 2019.
- Leader: Director or Trustee/s or Friend
- Features to consider while developing:
- Plan501(c )3 & MOU Active fundraising and political advocacy
- Time period for work: April 2019 – 2020
- Time period for assessment: Quarterly through implementation to allow flexibility to change point people and tactics
