Recently Asked Questions

The board of trustees of a public school district library owns the library building. A private club occupies the entire second floor. The private club has traditionally not paid any rent or utilities, nor has it contributed to the upkeep of the building in any way.

The library, through a public vote of the school district, covers all of the costs of the building. Could the library be in danger of mismanagement of funds or losing its charter?

We have been approached by a community member who would like to donate land to the library that abuts our property. Are there any legal concerns we should be aware of before accepting this gift? Would we need a real estate attorney?

Thank you!

I am looking for general information on the possible impact of Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreements on library tax levies. I believe that in some instances public libraries are parties to PILOT agreements. In other cases, library levies are stated or implied exceptions to PILOT agreements; and the company with the PILOT agreement pays the library levy like any other taxpayer; as a separate payment based on the property’s assessed value. Are there differences based on the type of public library? Or differences based on the taxing entity: special district, town or school district? Are there provisions in the legislation authorizing PILOT agreements or in Real Property Tax Law that impact library taxes and PILOT agreements?

Kids have been playing in our parking lot and my board is concerned that they will hurt themselves and we will be liable. We have a very vague policy about our parking lot being for patrons to park at only and a couple signs that say patron parking only. We can update our policy to be more specific if need be but their thoughts are no policy on our end will protect us if someone gets hurt and says they didn't know our policy so we need a sign posted that makes it clear we don't expect kids to be riding bikes, go carts, etc in our parking lot.

Our treasurer thought maybe just a "no trespassing" sign would work.

Another Library Director I know said they have a sign that reads:

          "Please No...

          Bicycling
          Loitering
          Roller Blading
          Skate Boarding

          On Library Property"

Would something more specific like that be a benefit or would it be worse because if they hurt themselves doing an activity other than those listed they can say they were in their right?

The kids are often waiting until the library is closed and I'm no longer there before they start riding around on it so simply being vigilant telling them to leave is not going to work.

Thanks so much for any guidance you can offer.

One of our member libraries has asked me the following question:

"We'd like to create an online catalog of drone pictures of our area. What do we need to consider? We know people are posting these pictures on Facebook, and we'd like to request permission to collect them all in a catalog on our website. Please let me know any technical issues or legalities we need to keep in mind. I think it's a good idea, but I don't know exactly how to implement it."

Are drone pictures copyright free as they are in other people's properties and cover large areas? Is it legal to post drone pictures without permission?

Thanks for any thoughts on this topic!