Mission

TRUSTEE TOOLKIT | MISSION

1. Mission

The many roles of the public library and the central mission of public library trustees. 

Public libraries have long offered free access to books and other information resources. But in today’s environment they provide so much more. On a given day at the public library one might see:

• Children and caregivers engaging in library storytimes;
• Summer lunch being served to school children
• Teens getting homework help and connecting with friends
• Students using high-speed broadband to do academic research
• Immigrants learning about local resources and getting language skills
• People getting skills training and help in finding a job
• Entrepreneurs exploring how to create successful businesses;
• Veterans connecting to benefits and places to shelter
• People taking part in arts and cultural programming
• The unhoused being connected to shelter and community services

In a state where drought, wildfires and unpredictable weather have become the norm, many libraries also fill the critical roles of warming center, cooling center and clean air haven.

All these activities require resources, and library budgets are not unlimited. The central mission of the library board is to help identify and prioritize the programs and services needed by the community, and to help manage and develop the funds and partnerships needed to fulfill them, for the continous improvement of the public library.

A successful library board starts with engaged and informed trustees that understand and believe in the various roles of the public library that they serve. Library trustees come to their positions as community leaders with their own views on the public library and the services it should offer. They should challenge their assumptions and reach out to the library director and administration; to other trustees; to neighboring libraries; and to state and national experts and resources, to learn about the public library, what it does, and what it can be and do, recognizing the very real resources that it takes to provide library services.

Trustees should also be prepared to commit the time and effort needed to engage fully in the board process (prepare for, attend, and contribute to all board meetings; serve on committees; communicate with stakeholders; attend library programs; etc.). Being a trustee means holding a position in public trust; the people that trustees represent deserve the best job they can do.