Become a Board Member

Eligibility

To be on a public library board in Ontario you must be:

• at least 18 years of age
• a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
• residents of the City of Kawartha Lakes
• not be employed by the Kawartha Lakes Public Library or City of Kawartha Lakes

These eligibility requirements come from the Public Libraries Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P.44.

Time Commitment

By law, the Library Board holds 8 regular meetings a year. There may be additional meetings as required. The time commitment includes: preparation time to read and consider reports and other information in the meeting package, and the meeting time of approximately 2 hours. As well, Board sub-committees may be struck for specific purposes which will require additional time commitment.

At the start of each term, new members will receive a Board orientation.

On occasion, Board members are also required to participate in public participation meetings designed to seek public input on key library matters and special library events.

Board members are encouraged to represent the library on committees such as the Ontario Library Boards’ Association (OLA), Ontario Library Service (OLS), and the Federation of Ontario Public Libraries (FOPL).  Time commitments vary according to the committee.

Additional Information

For further information on being a potential Library Board member, please see the following documents:

• Library Board Trustee Position Description will give you more detail on the position
• Our 2019-2022 Legacy document outlines what the current Library Board has accomplished and the challenges that they see ahead for the next Board
• The Board and the City operate with the following Memorandum of Understanding
• More information on the Library Board's governance policies can be found on the Policies page

Application Process

The Board term is concurrent with the City council term of four years. If during the current Board term a vacancy should occur, a call for applicants will appear here and on the City's Join a Board or Committee webpage.