Hiring and Evaluating the Library Director with Brian Hildreth | April 2026
Hiring and evaluating the Library Director is one of nine Trustee Responsibilities. While all responsibilities are important, deciding who will be your library’s chief executive officer determines how successful a board will be at carrying out all other responsibilities. The decision has tremendous weight as it impacts your library and community. Regularly evaluating your director is equally important because it fosters a positive and healthy relationship between board and director. Furthermore, it supports the director in a way that empowers them to deliver on mission in partnership with board, staff, and all other library stakeholders. This installment of the Trustee Handbook Book Club offers a surface level overview of these two processes, and answer trustee questions in real time to provide a deeper understanding, which should strengthen the relationship between boards and directors.
Freedom of Information Law with Kristin O’Neill | Feb 2026
Kristin O’Neill, Committee on Open Government (NYS), joins Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, co-author of the Handbook for Library Trustees of New York State and Brian M. Hildreth, Executive Director, Southern Tier Library System, to provide an opportunity for viewers to learn more about a public library’s rights and responsibilities in relation to the Freedom of Information Law. The webinar focuses on the areas of concern most relevant to libraries and discusses unusual situations.
Open Meetings Law with Kristin O’Neill | Jan 2026
In this session, Kristin O’Neill, Committee on Open Government (NYS) provides an opportunity for attendees to learn more about Library Board of Trustees’ obligations under the Open Meetings Law.