Article I: Name
The name of the library shall be Lake Forest Library.
Article II: Trustees
Section 1. General Powers
The Library shall be governed and regulated by the Board of Trustees in harmony with the spirit and intent of the Illinois statute in such case made and provided and the City of Lake Forest ordinances and shall have such powers as are conferred by statute.
Section 2. Special Powers
The Board of Trustees may exclude from the use of the Library and reading room any and all persons who willfully violate the rules of the Library. The Board may extend the privileges and use of the Library and reading room to persons residing outside of Lake Forest upon such terms and conditions as it may from time to time prescribe.
Section 3. Duties
The finances, business affairs, and regulations of the Library shall be managed by the Board of Trustees of the Library.
Section 4. Appointment of Library Director
The Board of Trustees shall have the power to appoint a Library Director, who as the technical expert, shall:
- have full responsibility for services, programs, material selection, personnel matters, and facilities management;
- attend all Board meetings (including executive sessions unless specifically excluded) and make reports to the Board in such form and on such subjects as the Board may direct;
- serve as an advisor to the Board on library matters;
- authorize capital expenditures not to exceed $10,000 for any one item;
- be responsible for the Library’s financial operation within the limits of the budgeted appropriations.
The Board of Trustees also shall have the power to remove appointees.
Article III: Officers
Section 1. Designation
The officers of the Lake Forest Library shall be President, a Vice-President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer, and such other officers as the Board of Trustees may from time to time deem
necessary and elect. Each office shall be held by a different Trustee.
Section 2. Tenure and Filling of Vacancies
The officers of Lake Forest Library shall be elected at the Annual Meeting of the Board of Trustees and serve a term of one year. The same Board member may hold the office of
President for not more than two consecutive one-year terms. All officers shall hold office until the next annual election or until their respective successors shall have been duly elected
and qualified. Vacancies occurring between annual elections of officers may be filled by the Board of Trustees at any meeting of the Board.
Section 3. Removal
Any officer of the Lake Forest Library may be removed by the Board of Trustees whenever in the judgment of the Trustees the best interest of the Library will be served thereby.
Officers may be subject to forfeiture of office if they miss more than three consecutive regularly scheduled meetings of the Board.
Section 4. President
The President shall be the principal executive officer of the Library. He or she shall preside at all meetings of the Board of Trustees. He or she shall sign all papers and documents to
which his signature may be necessary or appropriate. In general, he or she shall perform all duties incident to the office of President and such other duties as may from time to time be
prescribed by the Board of Trustees.
Section 5. Vice-President
In the absence of the President or in the event of his or her inability to act, the Vice-President shall perform the duties and shall have all the power of the President. In general,
he or she shall perform all duties incident to the office of Vice-President, and such other duties as may from time to time be assigned to him or her by the President or be prescribed
by the Board of Trustees.
Section 6. Secretary
The Secretary shall keep the minutes of all meetings of the Board of Trustees, shall be custodian of the Corporate records, shall sign all papers and documents to which his or her
signature shall be necessary or appropriate. In general, he or she shall perform all duties incident to the office of Secretary and such other duties as may from time to time be
assigned to him or her by the President or prescribed by the Board of Trustees.
Section 7. Treasurer
The Treasurer shall oversee the books of account for the Library, and shall in general perform all duties incident to the office of Treasurer and such other duties as may from time
to time be assigned to him or her by the President or prescribed by the Board of Trustees. The Board shall annually employ a certified public accountant to perform an audit of the
Library’s records.
Article IV: Meetings
Section 1. Regular Meetings
Regular meetings of the Board of Trustees shall be held monthly at a time and place to be determined by the President or Vice-President and specified in the notice of the meeting. At
the beginning of each fiscal year, the Board shall specify regular meeting dates and times for except that the Board of Trustees may determine different meeting dates when necessary.
The first meeting date after July 1 of each year shall be the Annual Meeting of the Board of Trustees.
Section 2. Order of Business
The order of business for a regular meeting shall include, but not be limited to, the following items:
- Call to Order/Roll Call
- Approval of the agenda
- Opportunity for Public Comment and Correspondence
- Approval the minutes of previous meeting
- Financial Report
- Library Director’s Report
- Committees
- Unfinished Business
- New Business
- Adjournment
Section 3. Special Meetings
Special meetings may be called by the President, Vice-President, or any three members of the Board of Trustees.
Section 4. Notice of Meetings
The Secretary shall be responsible for seeing that written notice of all meetings is given to all members of the Board of Trustees not less than three days in advance of each regular
meeting.
Section 5. Quorum and Manner of Acting
A majority of the Board of Trustees shall constitute a quorum at any meeting. An affirmative vote of the majority of the Board present at the time shall be necessary to approve any
action before the Board. The President may vote upon, may move, or second a proposal before the Board.
Section 6. Attendance at a Meeting by a Means Other Than Physical Presence
At a regular or special meeting at which a quorum is physically present, a Trustee may be allowed to attend and participate in the meeting by video or audio conference if the Trustee
is prevented from physically attending due to the following circumstances: (i) personal illness or disability; (ii) employment purposes or the business of the Library; or (iii) a family or
other emergency. A Trustee wishing to attend a meeting by video or audio conference, must notify the Secretary prior to the meeting, unless such advance notice is impractical. The
notice should state the circumstance which underlies the Trustee's request for remote attendance.
An affirmative vote of the majority of the Board physically present at the meeting is required to allow a Trustee to participate by video or audio conference. The minutes of the meeting
shall reflect the attendance of a Trustee by means other than physical presence, the reason permitting the attendance by a means other than physical presence, and record the vote on
the request of the Trustees physically present at the meeting.
Article V: Finances
The Board of Trustees shall have the exclusive control of the expenditures of all monies to the credit of the Library fund. Such fund may be drawn upon for any proper Library
purposes by check. All checks shall bear the facsimile signature of two authorized officers of the City of Lake Forest. The Library Director, or in the absence of the Library Director, the
Assistant Director, shall also sign any check over $3,500. Any check over $10,000 shall also be signed by the President, or in absence of the President, the Vice President or Treasurer. A
petty cash account shall be kept by the Library Director in an amount to be determined from time to time by the Board of Trustees.
Article VI: Amendment of Bylaws
These Bylaws may be altered, amended, or repealed and alterations, amendments of new Bylaws adopted, as the case may be, by the Board of Trustees at any regular Meeting of the
Board or at any Special Meeting if the notice of such meeting shall indicate that alteration, amendment or repeal of these Bylaws may be submitted to such meeting.
(Adopted January 4, 1971 as amended June 9, 1979, September 10, 1979, January 19, 1981, July 15, 1985, November 19, 1985, January 16, 1990, November 20, 1990, March 13, 2007,
August 13, 2013, October 14, 2014, February 13, 2018, and July 13, 2021.)