Chapter 2.85: Board of Library Trustees

Sections:

2.85.010  Purpose.
2.85.020  Membership – Appointment.
2.85.030  Qualifications.
2.85.040  Terms of Office.
2.85.050  Vacancies – Filling.
2.85.060  Compensation.
2.85.070  Powers and duties.
2.85.080  Power to contract with others for use of the library.
2.85.090  Nonresident library use.
2.85.100  Library account.
2.85.110  Annual report.

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2.85.010   Purpose.

The purpose of this chapter is to provide for the creation and appointment of a city library board of trustees, and to specify that board's powers and duties. 
(Ord. 1177 § 1, 1975)

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2.85.20     Membership – Appointment.

The board of trustees of the Keokuk public library, hereinafter referred to as the "board," consists of nine members.  All board members are to be appointed by the mayor with the approval of the council.   (Ord. 1177 § 2, 1975)

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2.85.30     Qualifications.

All of the members of the board shall be bona fide citizens and residents of the city and all shall be over the age of eighteen.   (Ord. 1177 §3,1975)

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2.85.40     Terms of office.

All appointments to the board shall be for six years, except to fill vacancies.  Each term shall commence on July 1st.  Appointments shall be made every two years of one-third the total number, to stagger the terms.  The present incumbents are confirmed in their appoint ments and terms. (Ord. 1177 § 4(l), 1975)

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2.85.50     Vacancies – Filling.

The position of any trustee shall be vacant if he moves permanently from the city; or if he is absent from three consecutive regular meetings of the board, except in the case of sickness or temporary absence from the city.  Vacancies in the board shall filled by appointment of the mayor, with approval of the council, and the new trustee shall fill out the unexpired term for which the appointment was made.  (Ord. 1569 § l, 1993)

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2.85.60     Compensation.

Trustees shall receive no compensation for their services. (Ord. 1177 § 4(3), 1975)

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2.85.070   Powers and duties.

The board shall have and exercise the following powers and duties to:

• (1) Meet and elect from its members a president, a secretary and such other officers as it deems necessary;

• (2) Have charge, control and supervision of the public library, its appurtenances, fixtures, rooms and grounds containing the same;

• (3) Direct and control all the affairs of the library;

• (4) Employ a librarian, and authorize the librarian to employ such assistants and employees as may be necessary for the proper management of the library, and fix their compensation; provided, however, that prior to such employment, the compensation of the librarian, assistants and employees shall have been fixed and approved by a majority of the members of the board voting in favor thereof;

• (5) Remove by a two-thirds vote of the board the librarian, and provide procedures for the removal of assistants or employees for misdemeanor, incompetency or inattention to duty, subject, however, to the provisions of Chapter 70, Code of Iowa;

• (6) Select, or authorize the librarian to select, and make purchases of books, pamphlets, magazines, periodicals, papers, maps, journals, other library materials, furniture, fixtures, stationery and supplies for the library within the budgetary limits set by the board;

• (7) Authorize the use of the library by nonresidents of the city and to fix charges therefore;

• (8) Make and adopt, amend, modify or repeal rules and regulations, not inconsistent with ordinances and the law, for the care, use, government and management of the library and the business of the board, fixing and enforcing penalties for violations;

• (9) Have exclusive control of the expenditure of all funds allocated for library purposes and of all moneys available by gift or otherwise for the erection of library buildings, and of all other moneys belonging including fines and rentals collected, under the rules of the board;

• (10) Accept gifts of real property, personal property, or mixed property, and devises and bequests, including trust funds; to take the title to the property in the name of the library; to execute deeds and bills of sale for the conveyance of the property; and to expend the funds received by them from such gifts, for the improvement of the library;

• (11) Keep a record of its proceedings;

• (12) Enforce the performance of conditions on gifts, donations, devises and bequests accepted by the city by action against the city council. (Ord. 1177 § 5, 1975)

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2.85.080   Power to contract with others for use of the library.

• (a) Contracting.  The board may contract with other boards of trustees of free public libraries, any other city, school corporation, private or semi-private organization, institution of higher learning, township, or county, or with the trustees of any county library district for the use of the library by their respective residents.

• (b) Termination. Such a contract may be terminated at any time by mutual consent of the contracting parties.  It also may be terminated by a majority vote of the electors represented by either of the contracting parties.  Such a termination proposition shall be submitted to the electors by the governing body of a contracting party on a written petition of than five percent in number of the electors who voted for Governor in the territory of the party at the last general election.  The petition must be presented to the governing body not less than forty days before the election.  The proposal can be submitted to any election provided by law that is held in the territory of the party who is seeking to terminate the contract.  (Ord. 1177 § 6, 1975)

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2.85.090   Nonresident library use.

The board may authorize the use of the library by nonresidents in any one or more of the following ways by:

• (1) Lending the books or other materials of the library to nonresidents on the same terms and conditions as to residents of the city, or upon payment of a special nonresident library fee;

• (2) Establishing depositories of library books or other materials to be loaned to non-residents;

• (3) Establishing bookmobiles or a traveling library so that books or other library materials may be loaned to nonresidents;

• (4) Establishing branch libraries for lending books or other library materials to nonresidents.  (Ord. 1177 § 7, 1975)

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2.85.100   Library account.

All money appropriated by the council from the general fund for the operation and maintenance of the library shall be set aside in an account for the library.  Expenditures shall be paid for only on orders of the board, signed by its president and secretary.  The warrant writing officer is library board treasurer. (Ord. 1177 § 8, 1975)

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2.85.110   Annual report.

The board shall make a report to the city council immediately after the close of the municipal fiscal year.  This report shall contain statements of the condition of the library, the number of books added thereto, the number circulated, the amount of fines collected and the amount of money expended in the maintenance of the library during the year, together with such further information required by the council. (Ord. 1 177 § 9, 1975)

(Keokuk Supp. No. 7, 4-06)