RCLS Board of Trustees: Trustee Nominations

What is required of a Trustee?

A full term on the RCLS Board is five (5) years.  A Trustee may serve any number of terms, as long as not more than two (2) are consecutive.

During 2025, the RCLS Board will meet at System Headquarters in Middletown at 6:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month.  A board retreat or library visits may be held in place of or in conjunction with the July meeting.  Individual committees may schedule meetings at alternate intervals or immediately before a Board meeting.  Attendance at meetings is a prerequisite for continued service as a trustee.

The RCLS Board is entrusted with the governance of the System.  It adopts Bylaws and a Plan of Service, and amends them as necessary, establishes such policies as will insure the achievement of the System’s objectives, employs an Executive Director, supervises the expenditure of the System’s funds, discharges all such responsibilities as provided for in the Bylaws, and exercises such other responsibilities as may be appropriate.

No RCLS employee, nor any employee of a participating library, shall be eligible for election or appointment as a voting member of the RCLS Board of Trustees.  Potential trustees must reside in the county which such trustee will represent. Under NYS Education Law, Trustees are required to complete two (2) hours of Trustee Education annually.  Sessions are offered by RCLS and other approved third parties to fulfill the requirement.  In addition, each Trustee shall complete Sexual Harassment Prevention Training and provide proof of completion to RCLS.

As of January 2024, the seat for Ulster County is vacant.  Please contact Anita Baumann abaumann@rcls.org for additional information concerning candidacy.