Trustee Education: Home

Effective 2023, New York State requires each library trustee to complete two (2) hours of Trustee Education annually.  [(Education Law 260-d added by Chapter 468 of the Laws of 2021)] In addition to these Education hours, each Trustee must complete Sexual Harassment Prevention training. This annual training is also mandated by the state of New York.

The purpose of this guide is to provide links to asynchronous Trustee Education through which trustees may learn or revisit important information in order to successfully govern a library board.   The tabbed Modules (Part 1. through 4.) across the top of this guide should be completed in order.  Any questions that arise from the materials should first be addressed to the Director of your library and may then be posed to Grace Riario, Executive Director of Ramapo Catskill Library System.

It is recommended that Trustees first review the Handbook for Library Trustees of New York State which may be accessed online HERE.  Print copies of the Handbook may be requested from Ramapo Catskill Library System by emailing Grace Riario. Review the contents and information within this document as you complete your Trustee Education.

RCLS offers Trustee Education to augment the offerings from NYS approved providers detailed below.  Visit the RCLS calendar to register for real-time Trustee Education sessions presented by RCLS staff.  Additionally, some Continuing Education courses offered by RCLS for library staff will also carry credit towards fulfilling the Trustee Education requirements.  Please check individual course descriptions for details concerning credit provisions for a particular course.

A record of your attendance at all Trustee Education sessions hosted by RCLS will be maintained by Anita Baumann, RCLS Executive Assistant.  A summary of trustee attendance will be provided to each library director at intervals during the calendar year.  Certificates will not be provided except upon request. 

NOTE: Trustees are encouraged to track their own attendance for any education provided by a third-party (i.e., Mid-Hudson Library System (MHLS), Southeastern New York Library Council (SENYLRC), Niche Academy [select "Trustee Education" from the Categories dropdown menu in the upper right corner of the page for applicable courses], NYLA, ALA, etc.).  Trustees must notify their library's record keeper independently of any third-party education completed. RCLS does not maintain records for those programs.

The State Library has pre-approved the following trustee education providers:

• New York State Library/Division of Library Development
• Public Library Systems
• WebJunction
• New York Library Association (including the Library Trustees Section and other Sections/Roundtables)
• Reference and Research Library Resources Councils
• Empire State Library Network (formerly New York 3Rs Association)
• PULISDO (Public Library System Directors Organization)
• ALA including United for Libraries and other Divisions

Trustees may complete Self-Assurance Forms for any training (this form serves in absence of a certificate). The Self-Assurance Form may be accessed here

Please refer to the FAQ's page of the New York State Library for additional information relating to Trustee Education Requirements.

New Users: The link in the box above will take you to the RCLS NicheAcademy login page. If you do not have an account, you can create one by clicking on the "Create a free account" text. See the example below:

While we try to grant access quickly, there may be a slight delay before RCLS Administrators are alerted and grant access to the academy. Please contact the RCLS ILS Department with questions regarding NicheAcademy.  Once your account has been established and you have succesfully logged in, select "Trustee Education" from the Categories dropdown menu in the upper right of the page for applicable courses.