Chocorua Public Library 

PO Box 128

25 Deer Hill Road

Chocorua, New Hampshire 03817

BYLAWS 

  1. The Board of Trustees (the Board) shall be the governing body of the Chocorua Public Library (the Library) and it shall determine the policies governing the operation of the Library.
  1. The Board shall consist of a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 9 Trustees. Each Trustee shall be a resident of Carroll County, NH. Nominations for new Trustees shall be proposed by current Board members and approved by majority vote of the existing Board. 
  1. The Board shall meet at least once a month, except December, and shall hold additional meetings as deemed necessary by the Chair. An annual meeting shall be held in January each year for the election of officers. 
  1. Any Trustee who misses 3 consecutive meetings without good cause shall be considered to have resigned and a new Trustee nominated to fill the position, 
  1. An affirmative vote by a majority of the existing Board shall be necessary to approve any action before the Board. Votes by telephone, email or fax are acceptable; however, proxy votes shall not be permitted. 
  1. The Trustees shall develop and implement policies in concert with the Library Director for the administration of the Library. These policies shall include but shall not be limited to Internet use, computer access and use, patron confidentiality, donations and gifts, and the furtherance of the patrons’ First Amendment rights. 
  1. The Board shall make every effort to work with the Director to formulate all policies and practices of the Library. 

OFFICERS 

  1. The Board officers shall include a Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary and Treasurer. These officers shall be elected from among the Board and shall serve a term of 1 year beginning in February and ending at the Annual Meeting the following January 
  1. The Chair shall preside at all meetings of the Board, call 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 other duties associated with that office. 
  1. The Vice Chair shall, in the absence of the Chair, assume and perform all duties and functions of the Chair. In addition the Vice Chair shall assist the Chair in all duties necessary to fulfilling the mission of the Library. 
  1. The Secretary shall keep a true and accurate record of all meetings of the Board, shall have custody of the minutes and other records of the Board, and shall perform other such duties as generally associated with that office. 
  1. The Treasurer shall keep the financial records of the library and shall disburse monies as approved by the Board. The Treasurer shall provide monthly financial reports at the Board meetings. If, for whatever reason, the Board approves the engagement of the services of an accountant or accounting company, the Treasurer shall be the liaison for the Board and shall be responsible for monitoring such service. 

COMMITTEES 

  1. The Chair shall appoint committees from the Board membership and/or shall solicit persons from without the Board to assist the Board in fundraising, programming or other activities as may arise that require assistance from the greater community 
  2. Any committee created shall have an advisory capacity only with the Board and shall not have any authority to legally bind the Board or Library. No advisory committee shall have the power to vote on any business before the Board.

LIBRARY DIRECTOR 

  1. The Board shall appoint a qualified library Director, who shall be the Director and administrative officer of the Library. The Director shall serve at the pleasure of the Board however, she/he shall be terminated only for good cause. The Director shall not be a voting member of the Board; however, attendance at Board meetings is expected. 
  1. The Chair or designated Trustee shall conduct an annual review of the Director’s job performance. This review shall be memorialized with copies provided to all Trustees and the Director.
  1. The Director shall be responsible for the daily operations of the library and shall be responsible for supervision of all staff and library volunteers. The duties of the Director shall include but are not limited to the selection of resource materials that reflect the interests of the patrons while providing educational resources for any person utilizing the library services. The Director shall seek input from the community when determining programming and materials.
  1. The Director shall be responsible for conducting an annual performance review of all staff. This review shall reflect the goals and accomplishments of the employee. The Director shall create a memo of the review, which shall be filed with the employee’s personnel file. A copy of the memo shall be provided to the employee and the Board.
  1. The Director shall recommend to the Board hiring and termination decisions concerning staff members. The Director shall notify the Board of all such decisions at the next Board meeting or shall notify the Chair as soon as possible. 
  1. In the event of an emergency the Director shall have the authority to engage the service of a temporary or part-time employee provided the Chair is informed by the Director as soon as possible.

PROPERTY 

  1. The Trustees may purchase, lease or otherwise acquire such property as they deem will carry out the purpose of the Chocorua Public Library. The Trustees may also accept gifts, grants, legacies, or any contributions from any source, including individuals, firms, trusts, corporations, and government entities or governmental agencies in a manner consistent with the mission statement of the Library
  1. The Trustees may sell, lease, convey, or otherwise dispose of property of the Chocorua Public Library upon such terms and conditions as they determine will best carry out the purposes of the Library. 
  1. The Treasurer and Chair of the Board shall co-sign deeds, contracts and other documents. The Treasurer shall be authorized by the Board to sign employee compensation checks. No individual Board member may legally bind the Board to any contract without the approval of the existing Board as reflected in the minutes. 

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

  1. Disclosure and Voting Requirements. Any possible conflict of interest on the part of any Director or Officer shall be disclosed in writing to the Board and made a matter of record through an annual procedure. In addition, the Director of Officer shall disclose any conflict of interest when a specific issue or transaction comes before the Board. Where the transaction involving a board member, trustee or officer exceeds five hundred dollars ($500) but is less than five thousand dollars ($5,000) in a fiscal year, a two-thirds vote approving the transaction is required. Where the transaction involved exceeds five thousand dollars ($5,000) in a fiscal year, a two-thirds vote approving the transaction and publication of a legal notice in the required newspaper is mandatory, together with written notice to the Charitable Trusts Unit. The minutes of the meeting shall reflect that a disclosure was made; that the interested Director and all other Directors with a pecuniary transaction with the charity during the fiscal year were absent during both the discussion and the voting on the transaction. Every new member of the Board will be advised of this policy upon entering the duties of his or her office and shall sign a statement acknowledging understanding of and agreement to this policy. 
  1. Other Statutory Requirements. The Board will comply with all requirements of New Hampshire law dealing with pecuniary benefit transactions (RSA 7:19-a and RSA 292: 6-a) and all such laws are incorporated in full into and made a part of this policy statement. These requirements include, but are not limited to, an absolute prohibition on any loans to any director or, and prohibition of any sale or lease (for a term greater than five years) or conveyance of real estate from or to an officer or director without the prior approval of the probate court. These requirements extend to both direct and indirect financial interests, as defined by the statutes.

AMENDMENTS TO BYLAWS 

  1. These Bylaws may be amended by majority vote of the Board of Trustees at any monthly meeting. 

GENERAL 

  1. The fiscal year of the Chocorua Public Library shall begin on January 1 and end on December 31.
  1. The general library fund shall pay for at least one membership in the NH Library Trustee Association on a yearly basis. 

Rev. 3/2022