Board Assessment and Development

In British Columbia, there are 69 public library boards and at any time there may be well over 700 trustees across the province serving their communities through the governance and oversight of public libraries. Boards, like the public libraries they govern, function in a changing environment and are compelled to continuously evolve to strengthen their value and impact.

To do their work boards need to know where they are and where they are going. A board assessment and a development plan are key to board and organizational success and are the responsibility of the board.

This resource provides a look into the  “why”, “how”, and “what” of board assessment and includes a sample of board assessment statements and questions, a board development plan template, and a resource section.

This resource was developed with advisement and input from trustees, library directors, and federation directors who shared resources and tools and their experiences, hopes, and ideas. This work was made possible with funding from the Public Libraries Branch, Province of British Columbia.

BCLTA Board Assessment and Development Resource Guide   (January 2021)

Important!

Please note that this resource has not yet been updated for accessibility. Please contact BCLTA regarding any barriers to accessing BCLTA online resources.

In addition to an accessible format, this resource requires updating to better reflect the urgency and importance of an EDI (equity, diversity, and inclusion) lens on board work and a reconciliation and decolonization lens on board work.

Both the accessibility and content update work is planned for the 2023 / 2024.