RED FEATHER MOUNTAIN LIBRARY DISTRICT
SUCCESSION PLAN
Revised and approved by the Red Feather Mountain Library District Board of
Trustees on October 24, 2023
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this succession plan is to equip The Red Feather Mountain Library
District Board of Trustees with appropriate organization and guidance in the event
of a departure of a Library Director or other staff of the Red Feather Lakes
Community Library.
PART I: EMERGENCY SUCCESSION
This part provides structure and direction to The Board of Trustees and library staff
in the event of an emergency that affects library operations. Regardless of the
circumstances, succession will always be a collaborative discussion between
library staff and the Board of Trustees to address the needs and operations of the
library.
To handle circumstances in the event of an emergency, the current Library Director
shall designate an Acting Library Director from current staff. This Acting Library
Director must understand basic concepts of the Library Director position to ensure
proper, smooth operations of the library until The Board of Trustees goes through
the appropriate process, based off the circumstances, for a permanent full-time
Library Director. The Library Director shall designate from current staff of a
proper internal succession plan for this Acting Library Director role as well.
The Board of Trustees must be understanding as a whole of their role in the
operations of the library in emergency situations. In the event of an emergency
affecting multiple staff members, The Board of Trustees must be prepared to take
on roles in relation to the management of the library to ensure continued
operations.
Succession plan. Approved by the Board of Trustees October 24, 2023 page 2
The succession plan of designation of roles for the Board of Trustees is as follows:
President
Vice-President
Treasurer
Secretary
Board Members (3 – in order based on tenure on the Board)
PART II: HIRING A LIBRARY DIRECTOR
Recruiting & Hiring a Rural Public Library Director
(https://www.clicweb.org/colleague-on-call/recruiting-hiring-public-library-
director/)
The above link provides guidelines from CLiC which will assist the Board of
Trustees with direction on recruiting and hiring a Public Library Director
particularly for a rural area like The Red Feather Mountain Library District. CLiC
is always available to support and assist the Board of Trustees
(https://www.clicweb.org/colleague-on-call/contact/). This Succession Plan
recommends contacting CLiC immediately when beginning the process of hiring a
Public Library Director to gain their connection and insight.
During the hiring process, the library staff and The Board of Trustees shall follow
the order from Part I of succession in the event of an emergency.
Guidelines to hiring a Library Director will not be provided here in this plan but
the Board of Trustees should be understanding of the needs of hiring both a
Library Director and the community of The Red Feather Mountain Library
District. Factors such as the growing economic constraints and living
circumstances should be considered in recruiting a Library Director to the area. It
is important that the Board of Trustees ensures that the Library Director fulfills
current mission and vision statements as well as the guidelines and principles of
the Library Director job position.
PART III: EXPECTATIONS OF LIBRARY DIRECTOR RELATED TO
SUCCESSION
The current Library Director must ensure all policies are available, up-to-date, and
accessible to staff and The Board of Trustees.
The Library Director should designate an appropriate in-staff succession plan as
detailed in Part 1. The Library Director should conduct periodic training for staff
that reflects policies, updates, and is relevant to ensure staff are prepared on a day-
to-day basis as well as in the event of an emergency.
PART IV: EXPECTATIONS OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES RELATED
TO SUCCESSION
The Red Feather Mountain Library District services a small, mountain community
and, as a result, is composed of a small group of devoted staff and volunteers. The
Board of Trustees volunteer their time to ensure effective operations overall and, as
such, should have on-site knowledge of the library no different than any other
volunteer.
The Library Director should conduct at least annual training with The Board of
Trustees members so that they have an understanding of the operations of the
library in the event of an emergency or if the succession plan were needed to be
implemented to the degree that Board of Trustees members would need to be
involved.
Version history:
Originally written July 10, 2022
Reviewed and revised by the Red Feather Mountain Library District Board of
Trustees October 24, 2023.