Recently Asked Questions (RAQs)

A patron came in and asked me to “witness a signature.” He was signing some bank document, but it didn’t need to be notarized, just witnessed. I realized he wasn’t signing his name, and when I asked him about it, he said that it was his aunt’s name and he had a Power of Attorney - he showed me those documents, so I ended up signing as a witness. But I felt uncomfortable about it. My understanding is if you have a POW, you should be signing your own name, not forging the signature of that other person. I asked my wife who is an attorney about it, and she said I shouldn’t have signed as a witness. This is a regular patron of ours, so I’m concerned not only that this will come up again, but that I will get pushback if I refuse to sign as a witness.

A member of the public called me regarding the trend to switch to LED lighting in many libraries, especially rural libraries applying for NYS Public Library Construction Funding. She told me that she suffers from Photosensitive Epilepsy, and LED lights (among other light sources) cause her to have seizures, which result in injuries. She said this disease has limited access to much of what we all take for granted.

The local library, across the street, was the only place she could go because of the older lighting. The library is about to undergo renovation, and LED lighting may be part of the project because of its cost-savings and environmental impact.

She would like the library board to reconsider and asked why the library has not conducted a “reduction of access survey” because public libraries need to maintain or improve access. Are there reasonable accommodations combined to be fiscally responsible?

Thanks.

Two members of an immediate family are employed by the library. They were hired long ago at different times by a previous administration. After many years and changes in leadership one family member is now in a supervisory position over the other. There is no other supervisor for him to report to. Is there any reason why the employee cannot continue to be employed? Are there any legal pitfalls we need to worry about? Thank you.

We are a free association library. More than 90% of our funding comes from a tax levy voted on by local residents when they vote on our local school district budget.

We are considering strategies for reminding library patrons to go out and vote. We do not have a friends group.

We know that the library cannot say “vote yes.” But we are unsure of where the line is.

Can we create a Facebook event for the Library Budget Vote, reminding people to vote?

In emails, social posts, or other marketing materials reminding people to vote on the library budget, can we use language like:

“Your vote matters!”

“Library supporters- your vote is critical!”

Thanks for clarifying!

A member library has the following questions concerning libraries that are subject to Open Meetings Law (OML) and have adopted Robert’s Rules of Order for their meetings:
1. Are consent agendas allowed for agencies subject to OML?
2. Should public or association libraries refrain from having their Boards of Trustees accept the financials (motion, second, vote) presented by the library’s treasurer so as not to give the appearance of agreement and assurance that they are accurate and without error?
3. If there is a board committee that, per the bylaws, is not given the power to act independently o[f] the board, is it permissible for a member of such a committee to make a motion to be followed by discussion and vote without a second?
4. From the perspective of OML or others that you know are relevant for the library is it legally acceptable for a board chair to make a motion?