Board of Trustees

Sheila Whisker – President
Jim Hollis – Vice President
Lisa Appleby – Secretary/Treasurer
Ashley Bennett
Amy Hoover
Anne Lewis
Corey Meckes
Monica Meckes
Iva Jean Price
Colleen Shotts
Robin Swindell
Randolph Thompson, Jr
Elizabeth Winck

The Board meets monthly at 7pm on the fourth Monday of each month (except July and December) at the Library and all meetings are open to the public.

Any community member in the library’s service area who is interested in becoming a Trustee should fill out an application and submit it with a resume to the Library Director.

Trustee Application

Please submit completed applications to:

Amber Snyder, Library Director
Everett Free Library
137 E Main Street
Everett, PA 15537
Phone: 814-652-5922
Fax: 814-652-5425
(email: asnyder@everettlibrary.org  Subject line: Trustee Application)

Trustee Job Description

The Board is an active non-profit Board that provides governance for the Everett Free Library; establishes and monitors annual budget; hires and evaluates the director; develops a long-range strategic plan; sets policy; actively fundraises; advocates for the organization; and ensures the library complies with Pennsylvania State Library standards. Each Board member is responsible for supporting the Library’s vision and mission and communicating it to the community. The Board acts in a position of trust for the community and is responsible for the effective and ethical governance of the Library, and for supporting the work of the Library Director.

Qualifications:

  • Commitment to providing the best possible library service for the community
  • An abiding interest in the library and the community
  • Knowledge of the political climate of the community
  • Readiness to devote time and effort to the duties of trusteeship including regular monthly Board and Board Committee meetings, library fundraising events, countywide library meetings, and local community and municipal meetings as needed
  • Ability to work with people, lead meetings, and communicate effectively
  • Be a legal resident or work in one of the following municipalities: Everett Borough, East Providence, Hopewell, Mann, Monroe, Snake Spring, Southampton, and West Providence Townships in Bedford County, PA.

Roles & Responsibilities:

  • Attend all board meetings and participate appropriately
    • Prepare for board meetings by reading minutes and other relevant materials
    • Serve on committees as assigned by board president
    • Lend expertise and leadership to the board
  • Develop and review library policies, procedures, and bylaws annually
  • Secure adequate funding for library operations and maintain a clear picture of the library’s financial situation
    • Assist in budget preparation
    • Represent the library to Borough Council, Township Supervisors & other funding agencies
    • Requests funding from outside sources when necessary
    • Regularly review financial reports
  • Advocate for the library in the community and advocate for the community as a member of the library board
  • Stays informed of the services and resources offered by the library and promotes them in the community
  • Participate in ongoing strategic planning
  • Employs a competent library director who is responsible for the daily operation of the library
  • Evaluates annually the performance of the library director, taking action if necessary
  • Supports basic library tenets of Intellectual Freedom
    • Freedom to Read
    • Confidentiality of Patron Records
    • Library Bill of Rights
    • Public’s Right to Information
  • Is aware of local, state, and federal library laws and issues, taking action when appropriate
    • Reading the literature
    • Attending professional meetings, workshops, conferences
    • Visiting other libraries
    • Talking to trustees from other libraries
  • Abides by majority decisions reached by the Board and publicly supports these decisions
  • Follows established chain of command for effecting change, working through the library director
  • Regularly evaluates the board’s actions using standard evaluation tools
  • Actively participate in workshops, activities, and support fundraising.
  • Visit the library often and be acquainted with its services by using them.

There is no monetary compensation for this position.

Resources for Trustees:

Office of Commonwealth Libraries

American Library Association

Pennsylvania Library Association

Power Library

  • PA-TRUSTEE-TALK
    This list is only open to those who serve Pennsylvania public libraries as trustees. If your name does not already appear as a subscriber on the FOR-TRUSTEES-FROM-STATE-LIB mailing list, please ask your library director to send a list of your library’s trustee emails to dmegdad@pa.gov so you may receive information from the Office of Commonwealth Libraries and be subscribed to this mailing list. Alternately, to join the PA-TRUSTEE-TALK listserv and also receive email from FOR-TRUSTEES-FROM-STATE-LIB, send an email to dmegdad@pa.gov stating that you are a public library trustee in Pennsylvania and would like to join the PA-TRUSTEE-TALK listserv. Please provide your name and the name of your library.
  • FOR-TRUSTEES-FROM-STATE-LIB (Please see PA-Trustee-Talk)
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