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Library By-Laws

BY-LAWS OF THE ADDISON TOWNSHIP PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD which operates under the authority of the Michigan Public Act #164 of the year 1877.

BY-LAWS OF THE ADDISON TOWNSHIP PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD which operates under the authority of the Michigan Public Act #164 of the year 1877

ARTICLE 1 – NAME 

The Board shall be known as the Addison Township Public Library Board. 

ARTICLE 2 - OBJECT 

The principle object for which this Board is formed is to provide efficient and economical library services to the citizens of the Addison Township area and to encourage usage of the facilities by the citizens. 

ARTICLE 3 – MEMBERSHIP 

The Board shall consist of six members who shall be elected by a majority of the people at the annual election in November 1988 and every four years thereafter. 

The Library Board shall fill a vacancy on the Board by appointment of an individual to hold said office until the next regularly scheduled election. 

Resignation from the Library Board must be made in writing to the said Board. A Library Board vacancy is to be posted in the library within five (5) working days of the date of acceptance of the member’s resignation by the Library Board. An interview committee will consist of no less than two (2) and no more than three (3) members from the existing Library Board. The members of this committee shall determine the selection procedures. Final selection of the new Board member is the sole responsibility of the Addison Township Public Library Board. 

ARTICLE 4 – OFFICERS 

Officers of the Board shall be elected by a vote of the current members of the Addison Township Public Library Board at the first meeting of the Board that follows their election and on an annual basis thereafter. Officers shall be as follows: President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer. An Officer may succeed him or herself.

The Board shall be insured by a Directors and Officers Liability insurance policy to be obtained by the library. 

ARTICLE 5 – DUTIES OF OFFICERS 

The President of the Board shall preside at all meetings, appoint all committees, authorize call for any special meetings, act as liaison between the Library Board and Director and generally perform the duties of a presiding officer. 

The Vice-President shall preside in the absence of the President. 

The Secretary of the Board shall keep a true and accurate account of all proceedings of the Board meetings. 

The Treasurer of the Board shall keep him or herself informed on the status of the Library Fund and shall report at each meeting on the state of the funds. 

ARTICLE 6 – COMMITTEES 

Special committees for the study and investigation of special problems may be appointed by the President and such committees shall be dissolved when their specific functions have been completed. 

ARTICLE 7 – MEETINGS 

The Library Board shall meet the third Tuesday of each month, except July and December, at 7:00 P.M. at the Library. The November meeting shall be the annual meeting. Special meetings may be called by the President, or upon request of three members, for the transaction of business as stated in the call. This Board will be in compliance with the Michigan Open Meetings Act (Act No. 27 of the Public Acts of 1976, MCL 15.26-15.275). The meetings will be conducted according to Roberts’ Rules of Order. 

ARTICLE 8 – QUORUM 

A quorum for any meeting shall exist of four members.

ARTICLE 9 – LIBRARY DIRECTOR 

The Library Director shall be considered the executive officer of the Library and is responsible for the administration at the Library, following policies and procedures as determined by the Library Board. 

The Board President will, at the regular meeting in August of each year, appoint a Director’s Evaluation Committee. This committee will, with the involvement of the total Board, be responsible for conducting an evaluation of the Director’s job performance. The results of this evaluation shall be presented at a meeting of the Library Board President, Chairman of the Director’s Evaluation Committee and the Library Director. 

The Director shall attend all Board meetings except as approved by the Library Board President. 

ARTICLE 10 – LIBRARY PROPERTY 

The Library Board is responsible for the care and custody of all library property and to provide suitable facilities. 

The Library Board is authorized to hold, acquire, purchase or lease in the name of the library, such site or sites within or without the Township for libraries, administration buildings, other buildings and any other property as may be necessary in the foreseeable future; to purchase, lease, acquire, erect or build and equip such buildings for library use as may be necessary; to pay for the same out of the funds of the library provided for the purpose; to sell, exchange, or lease, subject to the City, Village and Township Libraries Act 164 of 1877, any real or personal property of the library which is no longer required thereby for the library purposes; and, to give proper deeds, bills of sale or other instruments passing title to the same. 

Raising and Borrowing Money: The Library Board is authorized to initiate the necessary procedures to raise or borrow money for library purposes by any means authorized by the law. 

ARTICLE 11 – ORDER OF BUSINESS 

A typical agenda may look like the following: 

Call to Order: 

Pledge of Allegiance:

Call to Audience: 

Approval of the Agenda: 

Approval of the Consent Agenda: (Consent Agenda consists of previous meeting minutes and bills paid) 

Approval of the Financial Report: 

Report of the Library Director: 

Reports of the Committees: 

Unfinished Business: 

New Business: 

Public Forum: 

Adjournment: 

ARTICLE 12 – AMENDMENTS 

These by-laws may be amended at any regular meeting of the Board with a quorum present by majority vote of the members present, providing the amendment was stated in the call for the meeting. 

Adopted 9/18/1984 

Amended 4/16/2002 

Amended 1/20/2004 

Amended 3/15/2005 

Amended 10/17/2006 

Amended 2/19/2008 

Amended 7/13/2018 

Amended 8/8/2018 

Amended 3/21/2023

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