{"id":2551,"date":"2021-04-19T15:25:41","date_gmt":"2021-04-19T19:25:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.civmixvoices.com\/scottj\/?p=2551"},"modified":"2021-04-19T15:25:41","modified_gmt":"2021-04-19T19:25:41","slug":"join-apl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.civmixvoices.com\/scottj\/join-apl\/","title":{"rendered":"Join APL!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you thought about running for an elected position in the city? Are you interested in developing high-level professional skills? Both are good reasons to run for a library\u2019s board of trustees, just like the one we have at Albany Public Library.<\/span><\/p>\n

Albany\u2019s trustee election is coming up on May 18 — and most importantly right now, nominations are due April 28 — so time is short if you are interested in running. The good news: you will only need to collect 25 signatures for this year\u2019s nomination form. A nomination packet, with instructions and deadlines, may be picked up at one of our locations or printed online from our website.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.albanypubliclibrary.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/trustee-candidate-packet_3.16.21.pdf<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

What does a library board do? It guides and advises the library administration in the big picture decisions. The members also help craft policy and oversee the budget. The incoming APL trustees will have the additional responsibility of compiling the library\u2019s next strategic plan. There is also the opportunity to help the library \u201cbuild back better\u201d as we come out of the pandemic.\u00a0 Trustees do not manage or control the day-to-day operation of the library. They do not select books for the collection or set up programs for patrons. And the only employee that answers to the board is the library director.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

APL is governed by a nine-person board that meets monthly as a full body. Each trustee also serves on one or two board committees. Overall, trustees invest about five or six hours a month in the organization, averaging about two meetings a month. The committees discuss policies, facilities, finance, and other topics. These are my favorite meetings because the committees are where board members with specific skills, or ones who want to learn those skills, roll up their sleeves and do the \u201chard\u201d work.\u00a0 Library trustee is an unpaid position, but the interesting experiences and satisfaction of serving your community are wonderful incentives.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are certain times of the year when a few extra hours are required. During the first month as a new trustee, July, you\u2019ll participate in an on-boarding process where you will meet with the library administration and the board\u2019s executive committee. We also have a day-long trustee retreat in the winter. You may also be asked to attend public meetings held during the budget process in the spring when we inform residents about the following fiscal year\u2019s proposed spending plan. (The board approves the budget in March, and the public votes on it in May.)<\/span><\/p>\n

If you want to see what a board meeting is like, I direct you to our YouTube channel. There you can watch board meetings, as well as committee meetings, since February of last year. You can also go to our website, where we store past board packets, including agendas and minutes. Checking out these videos and documents will give you a good sense of the work the trustees do and how it is accomplished.<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/AlbanyNYLibrary<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.albanypubliclibrary.org\/about\/leadership\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re interested in hearing the perspective of some current trustees, please watch our information session for potential trustees on Thursday, April 22, at 7 pm. It will be broadcast live on YouTube. The video will remain available to watch at your convenience. Just keep an eye on the calendar and remember that nomination forms are due April 28.<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/albanypubliclibrary.libcal.com\/event\/7724152<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/albanynylibrary<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

I have several friends who are interested in running for municipal office. I often tell them that running for a library trustee position is a great way to test the water. This is a real election. You have to collect signatures, get on the ballot, and run a campaign. In the past, some candidates have embraced the campaigning process, while others have run low-key operations. Some trustees have gotten their signatures, started a Facebook page, and been swept into office by the good people of the city. Once you\u2019re on the ballot, you can tailor the campaign process for the May 18 election to your needs.<\/span><\/p>\n

I know first-hand how valuable board membership can be. I serve on a handful of boards for nonprofit organizations and I enjoy these experiences. My volunteer role as treasurer of the Friends of the Schuyler Mansion helped prepare me for my first job as a library director; it was a great introduction to nonprofit accounting.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you are not an Albany resident, but love libraries, I would suggest contacting your municipality\u2019s library director if you are interested in serving. If you do live in Albany and trustee just isn\u2019t your thing, but you would like to give some time to APL, I suggest getting involved with the Friends and Foundation of APL.<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/ffapl.org\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Nonprofits in Albany are always looking for board members, so if the library is not for you, I would suggest going through the list of organizations to which you donate money. They may need you and your skills.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Serving as a library trustee is one rewarding way you can give back to your community. I hope you consider it.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Have you thought about running for an elected position in the city? Are you interested in developing high-level professional skills? Both are good reasons to run for a library\u2019s board of trustees, just like the one we have at Albany Public Library. Albany\u2019s trustee election is coming up on May 18 — and most importantly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.civmixvoices.com\/scottj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2551"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.civmixvoices.com\/scottj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.civmixvoices.com\/scottj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.civmixvoices.com\/scottj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/42"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.civmixvoices.com\/scottj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2551"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.civmixvoices.com\/scottj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2551\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2552,"href":"https:\/\/www.civmixvoices.com\/scottj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2551\/revisions\/2552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.civmixvoices.com\/scottj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.civmixvoices.com\/scottj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.civmixvoices.com\/scottj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}