Montgomery County Board Bylaws

On This Page

I. Introduction

  1. The Montgomery County Library Board was established under the Montgomery County Code to advise the County Executive on library matters. The advice is generally given to the Director of the Department of Public Libraries for transmission to the County Executive, or directly to the County Executive. Refer to County Code Section 2-46 and 2- 47 for more information on Library Board composition, powers and duties.
  2. The Board serves as a voice of the community on Library issues and has a leadership role in articulating community opinions and concerns about library-related matters to the Department of Public Libraries (MCPL). The Board’s primary responsibility is to provide MCPL with the user’s perspective on the library system, policies, facilities, and services. The Board may coordinate testimony and advocacy efforts of the local Library Advisory Committees (LACs). The Board may testify before County Council and State legislative bodies with regard to library issues in coordination with the County Executive through the Director of Public Libraries.
  3. The Board provides advice and counsel to MCPL and to the County Executive on a broad range of issues including, but not limited to the following: capital and operating budget matters, facilities, library policy and practices, planning initiatives, and legislative and public affairs.
  4. The Board has approval authority regarding all changes in book fines, and other appropriate issues. However, the Board does not intervene in personnel or internal operating issues of Refer to County Code Section 2-54 for a description of additional administrative responsibilities of the Library Board.

II. Membership Issues

  1. The Library Board consists of twelve members who are appointed by the County Executive and confirmed by the County Council. There are two ex-officio members representing the Public Schools and Montgomery College. Refer to County Code Section 2-46, for composition and terms of members of the Library Board. Individuals may be invited to participate in Board meetings as liaisons from related organizations.
  2. A full term of appointment to the Library Board is three years and each member is eligible for appointment to two full terms of service. Each year, the terms of four members begin. In the event of a resignation before a member’s term is completed, a new member will be appointed to fill the unexpired term. Thereafter, the new member is eligible to apply for appointment to serve two full terms (if the unexpired term is less than two years.) Therefore, the maximum amount of service time by any Board member can be no more than approximately eight years. Refer to County Code Section 2-46 and County Council resolution 13-230.
  3. Membership on the Board requires certain responsibilities including the following: serving as liaison to two or more LACs, attending and participating in all regular and special Board meetings, serving on one or more workgroups of the Board, attending and participating in the meetings of Board standing or ad hoc committees as appropriate, attending and participating in special events scheduled by the Board, attending and participating in official functions of MCPL as requested.

III. Officers

  1. The officers of the Board shall be a Chair and a Vice-Chair.
  2. The officers of the Board shall be elected at the regularly scheduled June or July meeting of the Board, and shall take office the following September. They are elected to a term of two consecutive years.
  3. The Chair and Vice-Chair shall not be eligible to succeed themselves in the same offices for a second full two-year term. However, they may be elected for an additional one-year term by a majority vote of the Board membership.
  4. The duties of the officers shall be those which are consistent with the functioning of the Library Board as intended in Montgomery County Code.
  5. If a Board member fails to meet attendance requirements, the County Executive’s office will be notified.

IV. Meetings

  1. Meetings shall be held monthly at a time and place determined by the Board and open to the public.
  2. Special meetings may be called by the Chair or by three Board members.
  3. Each Board member acts as a liaison to two or more local Library Advisory Committees and is expected to attend these meetings as well as the Board meetings
  4. Board members serve on at least one permanent Work Group and are expected to attend these Occasionally members are asked to serve on special committees or task forces, as appropriate.
  5. Members are deemed to have resigned from the Library Board if absent from 25 percent or more of the scheduled meetings during any six-month period, as per Montgomery County Refer to County Code Section 2-148 for meeting attendance requirements of Board members.

V. Quorum

  1. A quorum for the transaction of Library Board business shall be a simple majority of the membership.

VI. Work Groups of the Board

  1. Such standing Work Groups as are agreed upon by the Board shall be appointed by the Chair (President). The Work Groups presently include but are not limited to: LAC Activities Work Group, Legislative and Public Affairs Work Group, and Policy and Practices Work Group.
  2. Any special committee created by the Board is automatically dissolved upon completion of its assignment.