Public library trustees are responsible for adopting policies to govern the use of the library and personnel concerns. Policies must be written and formally adopted by the library board in an open meeting.  SALS is working with its member library directors and their Boards of Trustees to write or review current library policies through NYLTO (New York Library Trustees Online).

All library policies should be evaluated with the Four Tests For a Legally-Enforceable Library Policy*.   If a board approved library policy does not meet the four tests, the policy could be ruled invalid if challenged in court.

The four questions that need to be answered:

1. Does the policy comply with current statutes? Does the policy contain any provisions that would be illegal under state or federal law?
2. Is the policy reasonable?
3. Could there be discriminatory applications to the policy? For example, a no noise policy will mean no noise from older adults, teenagers, staff.
4. Is the policy measurable? The policy must be written with language that the community, the staff, and the library board members can understand.

NYLTO is an exciting collaborative project among nine public library systems and many  public libraries in New York State.  It supported in part by Federal Library Services and Technology Act funds, awarded to the New York State Library by the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services.  For more information, please contact Sara

*Adapted from Ruth Dukelow, Library of Michigan Access, September-October, 1994.