BCR Board of Trustees:
Duties and Responsibilities

A Board member participates in the ongoing responsibilities of the BCR Board of Trustees and provides a link between the membership and the operational organization.

Job Description for BCR Board Members

The primary role of a member of the BCR Board of Trustees is to work to ensure that BCR is successful in its mission as a multistate nonprofit library network.

The BCR Board of Trustees is the governing board of a nonprofit corporation. Corporate governance specifies the rules and procedures for making decisions on corporate affairs and provides the structure through which BCR’s objectives are set, as well as the means of attaining and monitoring the performance of those objectives. As a governing board, BCR Board members:

• Endorse the organization's business strategy
• Establish policy
• Appoint the president and CEO
• Ensure accountability and financial viability

A Board member is charged with the following essential duties:

• Lending expertise and experience to BCR
• Monitoring BCR's fiscal activity and adherence to financial policy
• Participating in planning for future BCR library services
• Helping determine strategic priorities for BCR
• Assisting in setting program plans and pricing
• Focusing on long-term outcomes for library members and their patrons
• Participating in the evaluation of the president and CEO's performance
• Supporting resource sharing among libraries
• Representing the interests and needs of and communicating with his/her designated constituency
• Attending and participating in all regular meetings of the Board
• Participating in committees and activities as necessary
• Promoting library services and programs
• Assisting in making BCR visible to the library community
• Serving as a leader in the library community

Composition of the Board

The BCR Board of Trustees is composed of 19 positions. Each state library agency member automatically is designated on seat on BCR's Board. This may be the state librarian or another state library staff member.  In addition to three at-large elected positions on the Board, five trustees are elected by the type of library they represent – public libraries, academic libraries, special libraries, research libraries or school libraries and processing centers. Although each trustee’s constituency varies, the responsibilities for each are the same.

The president and CEO is the secretary-treasurer of BCR. Other management staff may also attend and participate in Board meetings.

Terms of Office

Each member state library agency provides one trustee throughout the duration of the state membership agreement between BCR and the state represented.   Representative and at-large trustees are elected to two-year terms and may serve two consecutive terms.

Relationship of BCR's OCLC Members Council Delegates to the BCR Board

Three OCLC Members Council representatives are elected by the BCR OCLC members to represent their concerns. OCLC Members Council representatives are not members of the Board, and they do not vote. They are highly encouraged to attend and participate in the Board's meetings to keep abreast of Board and member concerns and to update the Board on issues that are of concern to the BCR Board and BCR members. They do not participate in executive sessions held by the Board.

Attendance

While all members have responsibilities and obligations at their home institutions, it is anticipated that Board members will make regular attendance at meetings a high priority.

Removal from Office

Any trustee who is absent at three consecutive meetings may be removed from office by a majority vote of the Board of Trustees. The Board may also remove trustees at any time for cause by an affirmative vote for removal by three-fourths of the remaining members of the Board of Trustees.

Participation

Board materials are prepared and distributed via the Internet in advance of the meetings. Board members are expected to review these materials prior to arriving at the meeting and to come prepared with questions, comments and suggestions.

Reimbursement

BCR pays for or reimburses trustees for travel expenses incurred in attending meetings at BCR. Board members can make their own travel arrangements and submit expenses for reimbursement, or BCR staff will make travel arrangements upon request. BCR has agreements with two nearby hotels – the DoubleTree Hotel and the Comfort Inn, at which BCR staff will make hotel reservations.  Board members will be reimbursed for meals based on the current BCR Travel Policy.

Financial Policies

The Board has established policies related to investments. These policies are reviewed during the orientation for new Board members and OCLC Members Council delegates.

Nominating Committee

A Nominating Committee is appointed each year to seek nominations for both the BCR Board election slate and the slate for electing OCLC Members Council delegates. In addition to one trustee, members are appointed to the committee based on the state they represent. This state participation is rotated among the 11 member states with four states being represented each year.

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee is comprised of the chair, vice-chair, secretary-treasurer and three other trustees who are elected by the Board. The Executive Committee reviews the Board agenda for the following day and prepares recommendations for actions to be presented at the Board meeting. The Executive Committee may also participate in other activities as a representative for the entire Board. Officers are elected at the May BCR Board meeting.

Evaluation of the President and CEO

BCR's president and CEO is evaluated by the Board on an annual basis. The Board chair solicits the input of all trustees and compiles a draft review based on that input. The Board approves the final evaluation and votes on a salary increase or one-time bonus based on the results of the evaluation. The chair then conducts the face-to-face evaluation of the president and CEO.

Board Meeting Schedule

The Board meets four times per year, typically in September, December, February and May. Usually, the meetings are one day in length, but occasionally an extra day or half-day of activities is scheduled, including an orientation for new trustees and delegates in September, prior to the regular Board meeting. Certain Board activities take place at the same time each year.