Assigning Roles and Responsibilities

You have been elected chair! Now what? You need to elect or designate the other important roles that will assist you and your board to function lawfully and effectively. In a small community, these roles may be filled by Trustees. In larger centres the roles of Secretary and Treasurer may be staff positions, such as Board Secretary and Chief Financial Officer or Treasurer.

Vice Chair

The Vice Chair serves as your co-leader and stand-in when you are not available. Responsibilities include:

Assumes duties of the Chair in the absence of the Chair
May have signing authority on library accounts
May have ongoing assigned duties, such as trustee orientation or recruitment.

You also need to elect or designate people for two important roles that will assist the Board to function lawfully and effectively. In a small community, these roles may be filled by Trustees. In larger centres the roles of Secretary and Treasurer may be staff positions, such as Board Secretary and Chief Financial Officer or Treasurer.

Secretary

The Secretary may be a member of your Board, a paid staff person, or a non-trustee volunteer. This individual looks after the many logistical tasks that make meetings run smoothly and in accordance with the law and your bylaws and policies.

Ensuring meeting logistics are handled lawfully and competently, and advising the Board Chair on these matters.
Recording minutes and circulating them to Trustees, see Keeping Records;
Handling Board correspondence; and
Possibly holding signing authority for library accounts.

Treasurer

The Treasurer is a member of your Board or a paid staff person, and his or her tasks may run the gamut from bookkeeping to financial monitoring and reporting. The treasurer works with
Trustees to ensure the financial health of the Board and the Library.