Library Trustee Training & Resources

The Saskatchewan Library Trustees’ Association (SLTA) was established in 1967. The organization was a voluntary association of library trustees from across the province who joined together in their dedication to help provide library services to meet the needs of Saskatchewan people.

SLTA made its first annual brief to the Minister in 1968, and was incorporated under provincial law in 1969. The organization dissolved in 2022.

SLTA represented 2,500 trustees who, in turn, represented libraries across Saskatchewan. When SLTA dissolved, SLA agreed to host many of the important documents and training resources for library trustees that SLTA had developed over the years. These are the documents available below.

Overview:

• In a Nutshell

Module 1: Orientation

• Module 1 – Orientation
• Orientation Discussion Guide
• Appendix A: Board Orientation Checklist
• Appendix B Part 1: How Libraries Are Financed
• Appendix B Part 2: Library Financial Management
• Appendix C: Brief History and Current Context for Saskatchewan’s Public Libraries

Module 2: Board Performance

• Module 2 – Board Performance (also available here in a slideshow presentation format)
• Board Performance Discussion Guide
• Exercise 1 – Policy Review
• Exercise 2 – Board Self Evaluation
• Parliamentary Procedure at a Glance

Module 3: Planning and Development

• Module 3 – Planning and Development
• Planning and Development Discussion Guide
• Appendix A: Community Needs Assessment
• Appendix B: Interview Questions for Community Leaders
• Appendix C: Tips for Writing Your Action Plan
• Appendix D: Sample Action Plan
• Appendix E Part 1: Prairie Lily Community Needs Assessment
• Appendix E Part 2: Prairie Lily Compiled Answers
• Appendix E Part 3: Prairie Lily Action Plan

Module 4: Advocacy and Public Trust

• Module 4 – Advocacy and Public Trust
• Advocacy Discussion Guide

Module 5: The Role of Libraries in Early Learning

• Module 5 – The Role of Libraries in Early Learning
• Early Learning Discussion Guide
• Early Learning Discussion Questions

Module 6: Aboriginal Engagement and Libraries

• Module 6 – Aboriginal Engagement and Libraries

Other Resources

• Library Trustee Training Manual (all the above library trustee training modules compiled into a single document)
• Governance of a Non-Profit Organization (presentation slides by Dawn Martin of Daybreak Consulting, presented at the 2023 Saskatchewan Libraries Conference)
• Conflict of Interest Policy
• Trustee Development Poster
• Example Code of Ethics and Conflict of Interest Policy (taken from Seaford Public Library)
• Cut to the Chase (an overview of Ontario public library governance)
• Public Library Structure and Governance in Saskatchewan (a video lesson created by Southeast Regional Library)

The Government of Saskatchewan provides a list of all library regions in the province, and maps of each region noting where each public library branch is located. Click here for that information.