The Board of Trustees is governed by these by-laws.
General Board meetings are at 6:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month in 2022, unless otherwise noted, at Red Hook Public Library. Committee meeting times will vary. All meetings are listed at the bottom of this page. All meetings are open to the public.
Four years of Board meeting minutes, reports, financial documents, and other related items are kept in notebooks in the main room of the library. For older years, just make a request at the desk. Agendas and minutes of previous years are linked below. Starting in 2023 you may access Board documents here.
Board of Trustees:
Joshua Bardfield, Treasurer
Gareth Davies, Trustee
Sarah DeVeer, Trustee
Sally Dwyer-McNulty, Vice President
Anna Greig, Trustee
Amy Husten, Secretary
Donal O’Shea, President, don.trustee@redhooklibrary.org
The Red Hook Public Library Board of Trustees works with and supports the library staff and director in developing long-range plans and goals for library services.
The trustees participate actively in a wide variety of activities in support of the Red Hook Public Library. The responsibilities include:
- Policy Development
- Strategic Planning
- Advocacy
- Finances and funds development
- Public relations
- Capital projects
Board Search:
The Board is always happy to interview prospective trustees. If you are interested in serving your community by joining the Board, please fill out this application and email it to: director@redhooklibrary.org. See below for more information about serving.
A trustee must be willing and able to devote the necessary time to carry out responsibilities as a board member. This includes preparation and attendance at monthly meetings, planning sessions, attendance at a Trustee Essential workshop provided by Mid-Hudson Library System, committee meetings, and other library and community events as required, as well as participating in ongoing advocacy efforts on behalf of the library.
Preferable skill sets to become a member include:
- Strong general level of awareness of the community the library serves.
- Familiarity with or willingness to learn about the opportunities and challenges faced by a public library and its funding and budget process.
- Appropriate communication skills and the willingness and ability to represent the library in the community.
- Readiness and ability to contribute and actively participate in Board initiatives.
- Ability to function in a collaborative environment with many key stakeholders and community partners.
- Commitment to ongoing personal growth and development as a Board member.
A potential trustee must be a resident of the Red Hook School District, have a background, education, or experience in any of the areas of responsibilities mentioned.
Searching for a new Board member may be done by word of mouth, articles or advertisements in the local newspaper, networking in person, or on the Internet. There is always an open invitation to sit in and observe Board meetings. Any potential candidate is encouraged to observe Board process prior to the appointment to gain a better understanding of how the library Board works.
The candidate will fill out a three-question application and attend a Board meeting. At the Board meeting the candidate will be interviewed by the entire current Board. An appointment to a vacancy is done by the Village of Red Hook Board of Trustees, based on a recommendation from the Red Hook Public Library Board of Trustees.
Once appointed, a trustee serves on the Board for a period of five years.
2023 Trustee Meeting Schedule:
*See corresponding folders here for documents under discussion.
January 10th – Board Development, 5 pm at the library.
January 17th – Financial Committee, 3pm at the library. Contact director@redhooklibrary.org for virtual access.
January 19th – General meeting – 6:30 pm at the library.
January 21st – Director search committee – 9:30 at Village Hall.
February 16th – General meeting – 6:30 pm at the library.
March 1 – Supplementary meeting – 8:30 pm at Bard College Barringer House
March 16th – General meeting – 6:30 pm at the library.
March 20th – Finance Committee – 6:15 pm at the library.
March 22nd – Personnel Committee – 7:30 pm at the library.
March 28th – Building Committee – 6:30 pm at the library.
March 30th – Policy Committee – 6:15 pm at the library.
April 4th – Supplementary meeting – 6:15 pm at the library.
April 20th – General meeting – 6:30 pm at the library.
April 29th – Supplementary meeting – 10 am at the library.
May 9th – Policy Committee – 6:00 pm at the library.
May 10th – Personnel Committee – 7:30 pm at the library.
May 17th – Finance Committee – 4:30 pm at the library.
May 18th – General meeting – 6:30 pm at the library.
June 15th – Policy Committee – 5:30 pm at the library.
June 15th – General meeting – 6:30 pm at the library.
July 20th – General meeting – 6:30 pm at the library.
August 17th – General meeting – 6:30 pm at the library.
September 21st – General meeting – 6:30 pm at the library.
October 19th – General meeting – 6:30 pm at the library.
November 16th – General meeting – 6:30 pm at the library.
December 21st – General meeting – 6:30 pm at the library.
2022 Trustee Meeting Schedule:
January 4th – Fundraising Committee – 6:15 pm , virtual.
January 13th – Financial Committee – 6:30 pm, virtual.
January 18th – Board Development – 6:30 pm, virtual.
January 20th – General meeting. View the meeting agenda here, and minutes here.
February 3rd – Board Development – 6:30 pm, virtual.
February 8th – Fundraising – 6:15 pm, virtual.
February 17th – General meeting – 6:30 pm at the library. View the meeting agenda here, and minutes here.
March 1st – Fundraising – 6:15 pm at the library.
March 14th – Policy Committee – 5 pm at the library.
March 17th – General meeting – 6:30 pm at the library. View the meeting agenda here, and minutes here.
April 7th – Policy Committee – 6:30pm at the Library. View the meeting minutes here.
April 21st – General meeting – 6:30 pm at the library. View the meeting agenda here, and minutes here.
May 19th – General meeting – 6:30 pm at the library. View the meeting agenda here, and minutes here.
May 25th – Fundraising Meeting – 6:30 pm at the library. View the meeting minutes here.
June 6th – Building Committee – 4:30 in the library.
June 13th – General meeting – 6:30 pm at the library. View the meeting agenda here, and minutes here.
July 11th – General meeting – 6:30 pm virtual. Please contact director@redhooklibrary.org for the link.
July 25th – Financial Committee – 6:30 pm virtual. Please contact director@redhooklibrary.org for the link. View the minutes here.
August 18th – General meeting – 6:30 pm at the library. Agenda here. Minutes here.
September 15th – General meeting – 6:30 pm at the library. Agenda here. Minutes here.
September 23 – Staffing meeting – 5:30 RHPL. Minutes here.
September 28 – Staffing meeting – 6 pm Bard Berringer Hall. Minutes here.
October 6th – Board workshop – 6:30 pm location RHPL. Minutes here.
October 11th – Policy Committee – 6:30 RHPL – canceled
October 18th – Fundraising Committee – 4:30 pm RHPL Minutes here
October 20th – General meeting – 6:30 pm RHPL Agenda here. Minutes here.
November 1st – Budget workshop – 6 pm RHPL. Minutes here.
November 9th – Fundraising Committee – 4:15 pm RHPL – CANCELED
November 15th – Fundraising Committee – 6:30 pm RHPL
November 17th – General meeting – 6:00pm, Village Hall. Agenda here. Minutes here.
December 7th, 6:30 pm, RHPL – Policy Committee
December 15th – General meeting – 6:30 pm RHPL. Agenda here. Minutes here.
December 20th – Finance Committee – 5:45 pm RHPL
2021 Trustee Meeting Dates, Agendas & Minutes:
January 7th – Financial Committee – Virtual at 7pm.
January 21st – General meeting – Virtual at 7pm. View the meeting agenda here, and minutes here.
January 28th – Financial Planning – Virtual at 7pm.
February 9th – Policy Committee – Virtual at 5pm.
February 18th – General meeting – Virtual at 7pm. View the meeting agenda here, and minutes here.
March 9th – Policy Committee – Virtual at 5pm.
March 18th – General meeting – Virtual at 7pm. View the meeting agenda here, and minutes here.
March 23rd – Fundraising Committee – Virtual at 7:30pm.
April 7th – Board Development Committee – Virtual at 7pm.
April 13th – Policy Committee – Virtual at 5pm.
April 15th – Fundraising Committee – Virtual at 6pm.
April 15th – General meeting – Virtual at 7pm. View the meeting agenda here, and minutes here.
April 22nd – Fundraising Committee – Virtual at 7pm.
May 11th – Fundraising Committee – Virtual at 7:30pm. Cancelled.
May 18 – Fundraising Committee – 7:30pm at RHPL.
May 20th – General meeting – Virtual at 7pm. View the meeting agenda here, and minutes here.
June 8th – Policy Committee – Virtual at 5pm.
June 17th – General meeting – Virtual at 7 pm. View the meeting agenda here, and minutes here.
June 29th – Policy Committee – At Library at 5pm.
July 15th – Fundraising Committee – At Library at 6pm.
July 29th – General meeting – At Library at 7pm (later than usual due to vacations). View the meeting agenda here, and minutes here.
August 17th – Board Development Committee – At Library at 5:30pm
August 19th – General meeting – At Library at 7pm. View the meeting agenda here, and minutes here.
September 7th – Policy Committee – At Library at 5pm.
September 17th – Financial Committee – Virtual at 6pm.
September 23rd – General meeting – At Library at 7pm. View the meeting agenda here, and minutes here.
October 7th – Policy meeting – Virtual at 5pm.
October 21st – General meeting – At Library at 7pm. View the meeting agenda here, and minutes here.
November 4th – Fundraising Committee – 7pm at RHPL
November 18th – General meeting – At Library at 7pm. View the meeting agenda here, and minutes here.
December 15th – Board Development Committee – Virtual at 7:15pm.
December 16th – Financial workshop – Virtual at 5:30pm.
December 16th – General meeting – Virtual at 7pm. View the meeting agenda here, and minutes here.