Library Board
Carstairs Public Library is governed by appointed trustees from the municipality of Carstairs.
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Current Board Members
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Jen Awde (Board Chair)
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Wendy Knudson (Vice Chair)
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Donna Maxwell
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Marjorie Jantzen
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Dwayne Fulton (County Representative)
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Shannon Wilcox (Town Council Representative)
Our History
For our 70th Birthday in 2021 we updated our local history as 70 Years and On. We are so proud of our long history in the community of Carstairs and of the many dedicated Board volunteers, library volunteers and staff who have built our library into what it is today.
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Interested in Joining our Board?
We are looking for library lovers and community minded individuals to join our Library Board. The Library Board meets 9 times a year and is responsible for governing, planning, and budgeting for the library. They work closely with our library manager.
Serving as a trustee on the Library Board provides opportunities for enthusiastic local residents to contribute to the community. If you have strong ties to Carstairs and experience in finance, governance, or human resources we’d love to meet you! Board member training will be made available to you.
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FAQs:
How much of a commitment do I have to make?
The Library Board meets once a month on the third Tuesday at 7:00pm. There are also various subcommittees of the board including personnel, finance, advocacy, and policy. Each member of the board is a member of at least one committee
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What opportunities for training and wider participation are available to board members?
We provide a welcome package and board orientation for every new board member. In addition, Board members are encouraged to attend training workshops, library conferences and access the online supports that are provided by:
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Parkland Regional Library
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The Public Library Services Board
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Alberta Library Trustees Association
Board Meetings
Library board meetings are open to the public and occur on the third Monday of each month, 7:00 PM. We do a hybrid meeting so you can join by zoom or by visiting the library. For the zoom link and meeting package please email carstairs@prl.ab.ca.
The Board has three major roles and works together with the library manager to ensure our library is meeting community needs.
To Plan
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Creates a Strategic Plan of Service that guides the operations of the library and assists in planning programs and activities prepared by library staff
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Measures the results of the plan and reports on those results
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Responsibilities include participating in strategic planning workshops and evaluating strategic plans on a regular basis
To Govern
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Ensures that the library is managed but does not manage the library
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Demonstrates accountability to the funding Councils
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Hires and evaluates a library manager.
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Responsibilities include preparing annual budget for town council approval and participating in presentations to local and provincial elected officials
To Advocate
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Acts as a bridge between the community and the library
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Promotes the library to the community and encourages everyone to use its collections, programs and services
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Responsibilities include library functions and participating in advertising campaigns to further the library profile in the community
