Bylaws

BYLAWS OF THE NAPLES LIBRARY

Article I – Name and Location

Naples Library 585-374-2757

Box 157, 118 North Main St.   FAX 585-374-6493

Naples, New York 14512

Article II – Status

The Naples Library is a School District Public Library established under the New York State Education Law.

Article III – Vision and Mission

The mission of the Naples Library is to inform, inspire, educate, and entertain Naples School District residents of all ages in an open, non-judgmental environment with free access to library materials in a variety of formats. 

Vision:  The Naples Library will inform , inspire, educate and entertain area residents of all ages, in an easily accessed, resource rich environment.

 Mission: The Naples Library provides all residents of its service area with a wide variety  of resources, materials, technologies and educational opportunities in order to increase the knowledge of our community, satisfy curiosity, and create new readers.

Article IV – Board of Trustees

Responsibility for setting policy and managing the business affairs of the Naples Library lies within the Board of Trustees. 

The duties and responsibilities of the Board of Trustees are as follows:

  • Determine library vision and  mission and develop short and long-range plans.
  • Establish and maintain bylaws.
  • Determine library policies for use and service.
  • Manage the finances of the Naples Library and work to obtain necessary funding.
  • Select and appoint Library Director / Manager and approve other staff members.
  • Establish pay scales and personnel policies.
  • Provide a proper physical plant in which the library can fulfill its mission most effectively.
  • Study and support legislation which will benefit the Library.
  • Encourage public support for the library.
  • Effective January 1, 2023, each board member, elected or appointed, shall be required to complete a minimum of two hours of trustee training annually.

The Board of Trustees shall consist of no less than five nor more than twenty-five members, elected by the residents of the Naples School District. Any legal resident of the district, aged 18 or older, is eligible to hold the office of trustee. The term of office for trustees shall be for a period of one to three years-to run from July 1-June 30, the library’s fiscal year. 

In the event of a trustee’s resignation, dismissal, death, or inability to serve, a successor shall be selected by a vote of the board. The newly appointed trustee will serve until the next library election at which time the position will be up for election for the remainder of the term of office of the vacant position. If an election is held to fill a seat for a full three-year term in addition to a seat for an unexpired term of less than three years, the candidate with the greater number of votes will fill the full term seat. The candidate with the fewer votes will receive the shorter term seat.

The Board of Trustees shall elect three officers: President, Vice President, and Secretary by a majority vote at the July meeting. Each officer will serve for a term of one calendar year. The Board will appoint a Treasurer.   

The President will preside at all meetings of the board, call special meetings, appoint all committees, execute all documents authorized by the Board, and serve as an ex-officio voting member of all committees.  The President will assist the Director/Manager in formulating the agenda and will follow the agenda during the monthly and special meetings.     

The President may vote and may move or second a motion before the board.

The Vice President shall assume and perform the duties and functions of the President in the absence of the President.

The Secretary shall keep a record of all meetings of the Board and execute the correspondence of the Board.  The Secretary will provide board members with a copy of the minutes of the previous meeting and will keep a written and electronic record of the proceedings on file in the library within two weeks of the meeting. 

The Treasurer shall be the disbursing officer of the Board, sign all checks and present a monthly and annual report to the rest of the Board.  The Treasurer will assist the Director/Manager in preparing the annual budget and the annual report and will sit on the Finance Committee.

The Board of Trustees will carry out its duties and responsibilities by means of six standing committees.  Each committee will have at least two members.  A trustee may be a member of more than one committee if so desired.  Each committee shall make a report of its progress at each meeting.

The committee and associated duties and responsibilities are as follows:

Building/Maintenance-The Building and Maintenance Committee is responsible for assisting the Library Director/Manager in overseeing the maintenance of our facilities to provide a safe environment for the community in a cost effective manner. The committee may enlist the services of outside individuals/businesses to help inspect the facility to determine what needs repairs and/or upgrades currently or to develop a timeline for future repairs/upgrades. 

Policy- The Policy Committee is responsible for establishing and developing effective policies that will govern and guide all phases of the Naples Library’s operation. These policies will be reviewed and updated as needed.


Finance- The role of the Finance Committee is primarily to provide financial oversight for the organization.  Typical task areas include budgeting and financial planning, financial reporting, and the creation and monitoring of internal controls and accountability policies.


Planning- The role of the Planning Committee is to assist the Library Director/Manager in creating a Strategic Plan for the library.

Personnel- The role of the Personnel Committee is to support the Library Director/Manager and the board of trustees helping to advance and address regular and emerging matters related to the human resources of the library.

Communication- The role of the Communication Committee is to support the Library Director/Manager to anticipate/identify  communication needed to update the community on non-routine library matters impacting the community. Develops strategies and communication content.

Ad Hoc- The role of anAd Hoc Committee is to provide oversight to special projects such as a library capital expansion.

Article IV – Meetings

The Board of Trustees, along with the Library Director/Manager, meets monthly.  A majority of board members constitutes a quorum.  In cases where the number of trustees is even, a majority is defined as 50% plus one. The number of quorum members required to be physically present is determined by New York State’s Open Meetings Law.

Article V – Library Director / Manager

The Library Director/Manager is appointed by the Board of Trustees.  The Director/Manager will manage day-to-day operations of the Library in accordance with policies established by the Board of Trustees.  The Director/Manager shall appoint or discharge library staff subject to approval by the Board of Trustees and will attend monthly meetings of the Board.

The Director/Manager shall attend all meetings of the board, including budget meetings or public meetings where action may be taken affecting the interests of the library. The Director/Manager shall be an ex-officio member of all standing committees of the board, and shall have the right to speak on all matters under discussion at board meetings and committee meetings, but shall not have the right to vote.

The library Director/Manager must be a paid position.

Article VI – Amendment of Bylaws

Amendments to these By-Laws may be made by a two-thirds vote of the board, including vacancies, at a regular meeting, provided, however, that such changes have been introduced at a previous meeting. 

Amendments to the Bylaws: 

Amendment I- Terms

Board of Trustees elected prior to March 2018, shall serve their full five year terms. Any board member elected after March 2018 shall serve a three year term as stated in these bylaws. 

Lisa Jensen-3 year term, July 2022 to June 2025

Linda Strauss-Jones-3 year term, July 2020 to June 2023

Deidre Dutcher-3 year term, July 2021 to June 2024

Kim Torpey-3 year term, July 2021 to to June 2024

Paul Lambiase-3 year term, July 2021 to June 2024

Doug Cochrane-3 year term, July 2022 to June 2025

Treasurer-Janis Pridmore, identify annually (Paid position)

These bylaws may be amended by the Naples Library Board of Trustees at any time. 

Original bylaws approved: June 27, 2007

Revised and approved:  March 27, 2018, Revised January 30, 2020, Revised August 18, 2021, Revised December 3, 2021, Revised September 21, 2022