For Library Directors
TRUSTEE TOOLKIT | FOR LIBRARY DIRECTORS
Director Confidential: A Companion to the Trustee Toolkit
An effective relationship between the director and the library board is critical to providing the best possible library service for the community. Director Confidential is a companion to the Trustee Toolkit, providing additional guidance and tools for directors in working with library boards.
Resources for library directors (please also see the Trustee Toolkit Resource Guide):
- Surviving your first year as a library director (Public Libraries article by Mary Wilkins Jordan)
- Survival guide for library directors (Idaho Commission for Libraries)
- Administration & leadership (Public Library Association page with curated resources for library directors and trustees)
- Library Directors Group (facilitates communication, collaboration, and continuing education for library directors, especially for those in their first five years on the job)
- The Public Library Director’s Toolkit (American Library Association; practical guide for both new and experienced directors. Must be purchased from ALA, but free templates and sample documents for each chapter are available online).
Working with the board:
- Who runs the library? (Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Library Administrative Essential #3)
- Making each other look good (LibraryWorks webinar with Jamie LaRue; practical advice for directors on working with their library boards)
- Templates and sample documents for working with the board (from the Public Library Director’s Toolkit; free online documents)
- Troubled boards (United for Libraries)
Presenting data to the board:
- Outcomes data (California State Library)
- Telling the library story (California State Library; worksheet by Jamie LaRue)
- Data visualization (webinars by the Research Institute for Public Libraries)
- Data visualization tools (Colorado State Library)
Working with consultants:
- Library Consultants Directory Online
- Califa RFP Library
- California cooperative library systems (reach out to neighboring libraries about consultants through your cooperative system)
Building a better board:
- How to build an effective nonprofit board (article by Tatiana Morand, Personify [Wild Apricot])
See the Resource Guide for more on board development.
Board orientation: