91´«Ã½

On Oct. 18, 2010, the Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations (ALTAFF) will launch its Trustee Academy, a series of online courses to help Trustees become exceptionally proficient in their roles on behalf of their libraries.



“I’m very excited that our organization can offer this tremendous learning opportunity to Trustees across the country,” said ALTAFF Executive Director Sally Reed. “The curriculum is comprehensive and the presenters are outstanding.”



Taught by professionals in the field, the courses are available for individual registration or as a full curriculum with discounted pricing per course. In addition, a board of Trustees can sign up for further discounts. All courses will be recorded webcasts to allow Trustees flexibility in completing the courses, which can be viewed on an individual basis or in a group setting.



In addition to the recorded webcast, Trustees will be provided with discussion questions and access to a list of questions and answers to further enhance their learning outcome. Certificates of completion will be available for each course.



“Trustee Basics, Part I” will cover the role of the Trustee in the community, who speaks for the Trustees, governing vs. advisory boards, holding effective board meetings (getting consensus, open meeting laws, parliamentary procedure, etc.) and board self-assessment. This course will be led by Lynn Stainbrook, director of the Brown

County Library in Green Bay, Wis.



“Trustee Basics, Part II” will cover understanding and setting policy, understanding and supporting intellectual freedom and patron privacy, meeting state standards, Trustee liability and fiduciary responsibilities, considering D&O insurance and Trustee ethics. This course will also be led by Stainbrook.



“Working Effectively with the Library Director” will cover understanding and respecting the different roles, evaluating a library director’s performance and hiring a new library director. This course will be led by Peggy Danhof, ALTAFF past president and president of the Board of Trustees of the Fountaindale Public Library in Bolingbrook, Ill, and Vicky Trupiano, director of the Fountaindale Public Library.



“The Library’s Budget” will cover learning and understanding how your library is funded, understanding how spending decisions are made and who is authorized to make them, understanding the library’s financial reports, making powerful budget presentations and developing auxiliary funding sources. This course will be led by Christine Lind Hage, Public Library Association (PLA) past president and director of the Rochester Hills Public Library in the greater Detroit area.



“Advocating for Your Library” will cover sowing the ground with excellent public awareness and great service, how to design an advocacy campaign, collaborating with stakeholders such as Friends and patrons and implementing the campaign. This course will be led by Carol Brey-Casiano, 91´«Ã½ past president and director of the El Paso Public Library System.



Cost per course:

• $30 per person for ALTAFF members and affiliates.
• $40 per person for non-members.
• $100 per board for ALTAFF members and affiliates.
• $125 per board for non-members.

Cost for the series of five courses:

• $115 per person for ALTAFF members and affiliates.
• $150 per person for non-members.
• $225 per board for ALTAFF members and affiliates.
• $300 per board for non-members.

More information, including registration, is available on the ALTAFF website at .

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ALTAFF is a division of the 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½) with approximately 5,000 Friends of the Library, Trustee, Foundation and individual members and affiliates representing hundreds of thousands of library supporters. Begun in early 2009, the new division brings together Trustees, Friends, and Foundation members into a partnership that unites the voices of citizens for libraries to create a powerful force for libraries in the 21st century. For more information about ALTAFF, please contact Beth Nawalinski at (312) 280-2161 or bnawalinski@ala.org.