The Board of Trustees of the Shelter Island Public Library Society has amended the library’s bylaws to open the board to election by members of the Shelter Island Library Society and to increase the number of trustees to 13 from 11, it was announced recently by Board President Jo-Ann Robotti.

Four seats will go before the voters at the library’s annual meeting on January 14, followed by annual elections as the staggered terms of sitting board members expire. Those interested in seeking a trustee seat should submit a letter of intent to the Nominating Committee. A fact sheet, “How You Can Serve on the Library’s Board of Trustees,” is available at the library and on the library’s website, shelterislandpubliclibrary.org.

The move changes a 126-year practice of the library’s sitting board electing its own membership, opening it to the library’s members — with membership defined as “residents of Shelter Island Town who hold a valid Shelter Island Public Library card.”

Candidates must be 18 or older and be among the library’s more than 4,000 cardholders, who will vote to fill the new board seats. Terms of office remain unchanged at three years with a three-term limit.

“This change gives patrons more of a voice in the library’s governance and offers the library an opportunity to tap into the diverse talents, skills and experiences of our community,” said Ms. Robotti.

Members of the board are charged with the library’s governance, including setting policy, exercising fiduciary responsibility, overseeing practices, evaluating programs and services and maintaining the facility.  Because of the library’s small staff and tight operating budget, it is a working board that fills critical roles in executing the library’s operations, Ms. Robotti said. The trustees must be able to contribute needed skills, as they have throughout the library’s history, she added.