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GOVERNANCE <br />i <br />Outcome <br />The library is an efficiently managed community resource that provides high-value services through <br />the effective stewardship of public funds. <br />Overview <br />Public libraries in Colorado are established by a municipal <br />or county government or as a library district under <br />Colorado Library Law. The Library Governing Authority <br />adopts and provides oversight of budgets, supervises the <br />library director, adopts policy, and sets strategic direction. <br />The Library Governing Authority can be the library district <br />governing board, city council, town manager, or other civic <br />leadership. <br />Library governing and advisory boards <br />have the responsibility to advocate for <br />the library, to identify community <br />priorities, to follow state and national <br />laws applicable to libraries, and to plan <br />for the future of the library. <br />Colorado recognizes two types of library boards, governing (in library districts) or advisory (in most city, <br />county, municipal, and joint jurisdictions). The responsibilities of a library governing board are clearly <br />defined in the Colorado Library Law. Conversely, a library advisory board gets direction from the Library <br />Governing Authority and represents the community by advising the library director. <br />The library advisory board's responsibilities will vary from city to city and county to county; however, both <br />library governing and advisory boards have the responsibility to advocate for the library, to identify <br />community priorities, to follow state and national laws applicable to libraries, and to plan for the future of <br />the library. In order to stay current and informed, both the library director and the library governing or <br />advisory Board participate in activities sponsored by state and national library organizations. <br />The library director and staff apply practical and acceptable management practices and standards to the <br />daily operations of the library. These practices are clearly defined in a set of policies adopted by the Library <br />Governing Authority, which are made available to the public. Hiring and evaluating a library director is one <br />of the Library Governing Authority's most important duties. 16 To prevent all -too -common conflicts <br />resulting from the confusion between governing and managing, a library governing board needs a policy <br />stating that human resource administration—including hiring, supervision, evaluation, and termination of <br />all library staff—is delegated to the library director. The library director provides a regular report as a part <br />of the board meetings to the city, county, or district, which is the legal employer, acting by and through the <br />Library Governing Authority. <br />The library director is responsible for creating and updating a procedures manual to carry out all policies. <br />The library director manages the library on a daily basis by planning, organizing, and directing services for <br />all people in the community. The library director measures and evaluates the effectiveness of library <br />services in relation to the changing needs of the community. The Library Governing Authority and director <br />seek to serve library users and improve library services through continuous communication with their <br />communities. <br />16 http://www.ColoradoStateLibrary.org/LibraryDevelopment/PublicLibraries/index.htm <br />16 <br />