Section 3030.250  Board of Directors Requirements 

a)         The system board of directors shall represent the system members as a whole and not individual libraries or type of library.

b)         The system board shall annually review the composition and proportion of the library interests represented on the library board and propose adjustments, if necessary.

c)         The system board shall meet a minimum of nine times per year. Meetings of the board and other subsidiary bodies shall be publicized to members and the Illinois State Library to provide an opportunity to attend.  Written records shall be maintained of meetings.  All board  meetings will be held in compliance with the Open Meetings Act [5 ILCS 120].   The library system board is strongly encouraged to include an Illinois State Library staff person, if present, in closed sessions held under the Open Meetings Act.

d)         The board shall adopt policies and bylaws in accordance with the Illinois Library System Act and this Part and shall codify and disseminate them.  The system policies and bylaws shall be written and available via the library system web site.  The board shall annually review the policies and bylaws. Policies and bylaws are subject to approval by the State Librarian, as stated in Section 3030.255. 

e)         The board shall annually review the statewide membership eligibility and act on certification issues in a timely manner.

f)         The board shall act expediently on membership issues.

g)         The system board shall employ an executive director, reporting to and accountable to the system board, who shall have a master's degree from an American Library Association-accredited library education program and who has a minimum of five years postgraduate employment that includes a minimum of two years of library administrative experience.  The executive director shall have the authority to hire such other employees as may be necessary, to fix their compensation, and to remove those employees, subject to the approval of the board. Salaries shall be based on a board-approved written compensation plan.

h)         The board shall annually evaluate the executive director.  A written evaluation and meeting to discuss the evaluation are required.  The board shall require that staff of the system is evaluated annually in writing.

i)          The board shall review facilities and equipment annually to ensure they are appropriate for the program and supporting services.

j)          There will be no alternate directors on library system boards.

k)         Board members must be eligible electors in the geographical area of the system.

l)          The board shall review the results of the communications between system leadership and the Illinois State Librarian concerning the system's annual application and make any required revisions.

m)        The board shall review, revise if deemed necessary, and approve the library system application for system funding, and accept the annual audit report, before the information is submitted to the Illinois State Librarian. The audit report shall be reviewed and discussed at a system board meeting with the system auditor.

n)         The board shall ensure the library system remains in compliance with federal and State statutory requirements, as well as local ordinances.

o)         The board shall ensure, to the best of its knowledge, that the following issues are addressed:

1)         The library system shall require that all system members have opportunities for input into or comment on planning and evaluation activities, such as planning documents and program designs, including budgetary information, before those documents are finally adopted.

2)         The library system shall maintain communications with other system agencies and the Illinois State Library, sharing information on matters relating to system operations.

3)         The library system shall cooperate with other library and non-library agencies on matters of mutual interest and benefit, especially in areas in which contracts or programs of service are effective means of using limited financial resources.

4)         The library system, in cooperation with the State Librarian, shall regularly determine the most cost-effective approaches to services and administration.

5)         The system staff shall ensure publication of information that affects the membership, including posting meeting agendas, bylaws, minutes, board policies, budget information, annual application, annual report and procedures on the library system web site.

6)         The system staff shall keep statistics measuring its services for assessment of system services, including how the standards for core services are met.