Mission
The Cape Vincent Community Library exists to provide quality service to the residents of the Township and Village of Cape Vincent in an open and non-judgmental environment with free access to library materials in a variety of formats, and
- To assemble, preserve, and administer a collection of books, non-print and electronic materials in order to promote the enrichment and education of the lives of the citizens of Cape Vincent and the surrounding areas.
- To serve the community as a general center for current reliable information.
- To provide resources for informed public opinion, personal recreation, and education.
- To support civic and cultural activities of groups and organizations.
- To support groups and programs whose primary goal is the eradication of illiteracy.
- To seek and identify community needs, provide programs to meet such needs and to cooperate with other organizations that can provide programs or services to meet such needs.
Preamble
The Board of Trustees (hereinafter designated as the “Board”) of The Cape Vincent Community Library, a corporation created under a charter granted under Section 253 of the New York State Education Law by the Board of Regents (or Secretary of State) of the State of New York, dated 1967, shall be governed by the laws of New York State, the regulations of the Commissioner of Education and by the following by-laws.
By-Laws
1. NAME OF ORGANIZATION
a. The name of the organization shall be the Cape Vincent Community Library.
2. PURPOSE
a. The purpose of the organization is to provide quality library service to the residents, adults and children, of the communities of the Village and Township of Cape Vincent, NY.
3. FISCAL
a. The fiscal year of the library shall be the calendar year (January 1 to December 31).
4. BOARD OF TRUSTEES
a. The library shall be governed by a Board of Trustees. The Board shall consist of five (5) members, appointed for terms of five (5) years each. Newly elected members will take office at the first meeting following the annual meeting. No member shall serve for more than three consecutive five-year terms.
b. Eligibility for office 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 Member 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 shall be filled by special election by the remaining members of the Board for the remainder of the term of that particular position.
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.
g. All actions 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.
h. Each Trustee shall take an Oath of Office upon being appointed.
5. OFFICERS
a. The officers of the Board shall be the President, Vice-President, and Secretary, elected annually by the Board at the annual meeting. These officers shall serve 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. 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. 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. 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. The Treasurer is an independent Treasurer (who is not a voting member of the Board of Trustees) and 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/her duties shall be performed by such other members of the Board as the Board may designate.
6. DIRECTOR/LIBRARY MANAGER
a. The Board shall appoint a Director/Library Manager 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/Library Manager 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.
b. The Director/Library Manager shall render and submit to the Board reports and recommendations of such policies and procedures, which, in the opinion of the Director/Library Manager, will improve efficiency and quality of library service. The Director/Library Manager shall attend all Board meetings except the portion of the meeting at which the Director/Library Manager’s appointment or salary is to be discussed or decided.
c. It shall be the duty of the Director/Library Manager to attend all meetings of the board, including budget meetings, or public meetings where action may be taken affecting the interests of the library. The Director/Library Manager will offer professional advice on all matters under discussion at Board meetings but shall not have the right to vote thereon.
7. COMMITTEES
a.A nominating committee shall be appointed by the President three months prior to the Annual Meeting who will present a slate of officers and names of candidates for new trustees. Additional nominations may be made from the floor.
b. Committees for specific purposes may be appointed by the President. Such committees shall serve until the completion of the work for which they were appointed.
c. All committees shall make a progress report to the Board at each of its meetings.
d. No committee will have other than advisory powers unless, by suitable action of the Board, it is granted specific power to act.
e. The President shall be, ex officio, a member of all committees.
8. MEETINGS
- Meetings shall be held each month, the date and hour to be set by the Board. Meetings shall be open to the public in conformity with New York Public Officers Law (Article 7) and with New York State Education Law (Section 260-a). Such meetings may proceed in executive session as provided in Section 102, 103, and 105 of said statute.
- Minutes of meetings shall be taken and maintained.
- A special meeting of the Board may be called at any time by the President or upon the request of three members for a specific purpose. No business may be transacted at such special meeting except the stated business.
d. The Annual Meeting shall be held in January of each year. The business of this meeting shall include the election of new trustees and new officers.
e. The operating and financial reports for the previous year shall be presented at the regular meeting in January.
f. The preliminary budget for the subsequent calendar year shall be presented at the regular meeting in November.
g. The final budget for the subsequent calendar year shall be presented for approval at the regular meeting in January.
h. A simple majority of the existing Board shall constitute a quorum for the conducting of all business.
i. The order of business for regular meetings shall include, but not be limited to, the following items which shall be covered in the sequence shown unless circumstances make an altered order more efficient:
- Roll call of members
- Approval of minutes of previous meeting.
- Treasurer’s report and action on warrants
- Director/Library Manager’s report
- Committee reports
- Communications
- Unfinished business
- New business
- Period for Public Expression
- Adjournment
9. AMENDMENTS
a. Amendments to these By-Laws may be proposed at any regular meeting and shall be voted upon at the next regular meeting. Written notice of the proposed amendment or amendments shall be sent to all absent members at least ten days prior to the voting session. A simple majority of the Board shall be sufficient for adoption of an amendment.
b. Any rule or resolution of the Board, whether contained in these By-Laws or otherwise, may be suspended temporarily in connection with business at hand, but such suspension, to be valid, may be taken only at a meeting at which two-thirds of the members of the Board shall be present and two-thirds of those present shall so approve.
10. PROCEDURE
a. All procedures not specified herein shall be in accord with Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised.