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Compilation of Trustee Council feedback received at Spring 2006 meetings
As of June 14, 2006
NOTE: All trustee council representatives in attendance at the Spring 2006 meetings were given a Trustee Council feedback form and asked to fill in some thoughts about what they value the most about the meetings. The forms were anonymous, and each of the 8 geographic groups of representatives were asked to participate. Below is the feedback which we received from 20 trustees. The information is organized such that one paragraph equals the feedback of one trustee.
Trustee Council 1 [St. Thomas area]
What I like best are the roundtable discussions – the opportunities to hear about other library boards’ successes and challenges, and to share information on best practices. I would like to see this formalized. OLBA is a planning mechanism to facilitate this. I want to stress that we want Board activities. SOLS should also stress that other members of your Board can attend. I like the learning activities at each event. I hope these continue!
Escarpment Trustee Council [Lincoln area]
The Round Table is invaluable for hearing how others are dealing with issues. The meetings provide networking opportunities so you have contacts when you are looking for ideas or information.
I like the exposure to the broader library community, especially with libraries in Escarpment. I like to hear what is new and pick up new ideas – and share the good things we have happening, as well as any pitfalls we have encountered. I like to pick up news on trends, new provincial/Ministry “thinking”, innovation, etc. It was a good idea about changing meeting times – just like daylight savings time.
I enjoy the sharing part. It’s nice to see what other libraries do. It’s also good to know what is going on in the library community, and the OLA and SOLS Reports are very informative. I feel more connected to library communities and I learn from everyone at the meeting.
Trustee Council 3 [Hanover area]
The networking is excellent! This is the best place to share, the discussion reassures and challenges, and it puts faces on libraries.
I appreciate the sharing of concerns; good news stories are valuable. I like the new ideas for communicating to public, fundraising ideas, governance issues.
I believe very strongly in the Trustee Councils; the sharing of ideas, success stories, and tales of how sometimes things have gone wrong; these are always met with happiness or empathy shared by all. I feel that, for small libraries, this is the only time they can do this, as they do not encounter such opportunities often. Trustee Council 3 has been very successful in meeting our goals. This is also a time when we can find out about library events at the Ontario level from our SOLS and OLBA members.
Trustee Council 4 [Gravenhurst area]
This is what I value at Trustee Council: 1. I appreciate the opportunity to hear what other Boards are doing and to share tools, e.g. of their work that can be applied to our own work (e.g. at one meeting a trustee showed me their CEO’s report in which every activity was always related back to their strategic plan). I thought it was a fantastic idea that also will help Boards as they try to evaluate their CEO’s performance. (We have since adopted that format for our CEO reports.) I do think, during the roundtable, that some trustees focus too much on what their library is doing. Unless the Board had active involvement, I am less interested in these stories because I’m there to learn how to improve what the Board does. However, even these stories can be useful because they help you see where your library is positioned amongst others in our SOLS area. Trustees should be encouraged to come up with their own reports for these discussions, rather than counting on their CEOs to prepare something for them, since the CEO will focus on library activities, not Board activities. 2. I like the information that is brought to the table by the SOLS consultant, for instance, the session on situational analysis was very interesting and our Board is using it now as we develop our new multi-year strategic plan. 3. To a lesser degree, I also find valuable the news the consultant brings. For instance, it was good to hear about E-books because I could then ask our CEO if we made use of this initiative. Again, this helps trustees see how their library compares to others. 4. I used to really enjoy Trustee Tips and we have used them at our Board meetings to develop our trustee competencies. I believe OLBA is hoping to revive these. 5. I like that we can call upon our SOLS consultants for help (e.g. we have had SOLS help our library with strategic planning and with a space needs review and assessment. 6. As part of the OLA Super Conference planning committee, and as a regular attendee of the conference, I have enjoyed having SOLS consultants lead sessions.
Trustee Council 5 [Oshawa area]
This being the first time for me attending one of these council meetings, I didn’t know quite what to expect. To my surprise, I found the session, especially the roundtable discussion, to be interesting and informative. There was ample opportunity to contribute to the discussion and to ask questions of, or seek advice from, other participants on issues of interest or concern to our library. [for future use, you might want to include an email address and a fax number for those who do not turn in the feedback sheet at the end of your meetings].
The Round Table is the most valuable part. It is very helpful to realize that many boards are working on the same issues and to know our Board is focused on the right kinds of issues.
The meeting affirms many aspects of what our Board does well. It alerts one to some common concerns. It demonstrates the riches of our collective energies. It shows the wide range of library services provided. There are some great conversations.
The meeting is valuable to get a quick update on provincial matters. However, it’s even more important to have a time to share successes and failures, and to have concerns and questions answered. The key is to have an interesting quick-moving agenda and meeting, which we have. The meetings give equal voice to everyone, big and small, so that no one is dominant.
The Trustee Council meetings provide a forum to receive information from SOLS and provide feedback on initiatives to the SOLS representatives. The highlight of the meeting is the Round Table discussion, when individuals share pertinent information pertaining to their libraries and/or issues. I have received very valuable information related to a major issue facing our library board, from the individuals attending the trustee council. It is essential for smaller library boards to attend trustee meetings; the forum for information-sharing, amongst trustees, is invaluable!
Trustee Council 6 [Napanee area]
This is an opportunity to hear the stories of other libraries – their triumphs and their struggles. It is very useful in hearing the problems of other libraries and possible solutions offered. I find it helpful to small libraries to be updated on SOLS and OLBA – and the “feud” with the FOL [or overlap]. OLBA seems to be more in tune with small, rural libraries.
My favourite time is the round table. Information-sharing on how all small libraries run, and have improved their attendance and programs is very helpful. Information on all the grants available is invaluable, as are tips on how to recruit volunteers. I like the exchange of ideas.
Trustee Council 7 [Petawawa area]
I really get a lot out of hearing from others in our area and from SOLS as well.
Trustee Council 8 [Ottawa area]
This was the first one I have attended and found it very interesting and informative. The Roundtable discussion gave us great ideas!
I love attending my trustee council meetings. I learn so much from other trustees – valuable tips that I can take back to my Board. We are each others’ greatest resource.
I love to hear stories about fundraising ideas – the sharing session encourages us to be a more high-profile part of our community.
I enjoy sharing ideas…raising the profile of OLBA…and I appreciate the support from others as dedicated as you are to libraries.