Boulder Library District
Mountain landscape looking west

Boulder Library District (approved by voters in 2022)

Applications Now Open for Library District Board of Trustees Positions

The Boulder City Council and the Board of County Commissioners for Boulder County invite you to apply to serve on the Boulder Public Library District Board of Trustees. The Selection Committee for the Boulder Public Library District initial board of trustees is seeking applicants with a strong background in the services provided by the Boulder Public Library (BPL). This is a new and important opportunity to shape the direction of this new form of library governance and funding.

Desirable qualifications for candidates include an understanding of financial matters, and experience with real and personal property acquisition and disposition. Library district trustees will be expected to be committed to the long-term financial and programmatic success of the library district. Library district trustees must be at least 18 years of age and a resident within the legal service area of the library district.

The initial library district board of trustees will represent the library district in negotiating an intergovernmental agreement addressing the transfer to the library district of the assets and liabilities held by the City of Boulder for the benefit of BPL, including all real and personal property; transitional costs and cost reimbursement; the provision of support and technology services during the transition; the transfer of BPL employees to the library district; and the other rights and responsibilities of the parties. The intergovernmental agreement may include other aspects of governance.

The library district board of trustees serve without pay but will be reimbursed for necessary travel and expenses directly related to service. A total of seven trustees will be selected: one trustee for a one-year term, one for a two-year term, one for a three-year term, two trustees for four-year terms, and two trustees for five-year terms.

The library district board of trustees will adopt bylaws, rules and regulations for its own guidance, and policies for the governance of the library district. The trustees employ a director and other employees at the director’s recommendation as necessary. A full list of the powers and duties of the library district board of trustees can found on the county’s website. The Colorado Public Library Board & Trustee Handbook has additional information and resources for a library district board of trustees, and can be found on the Colorado Department of Education website.

It is anticipated that the initial library district board of trustees will meet twice per month, generally during the day or early evening starting early May 2023, for one to three hours per meeting. There will likely be additional work outside regularly scheduled board meetings. The initial library district board of trustees will be selected by the Selection Committee which is made up of two Boulder City Council members and two Commissioners of the Board of County Commissioners for Boulder County. The trustees must be ratified by a two-thirds majority of the Boulder City Council and a two-thirds majority of the Board of County Commissioners for Boulder County

Please submit all application materials through the website no later than 5pm on Wednesday, March 29, 2023. Prior to the Board of Trustees appointment, Boulder County Commissioners’ Chief of Staff Clay Fong can be reached by email cfong@bouldercounty.org or phone at 720-564-2840 to help address questions about the district.

Complete the Board of Trustees application form.

2022 Ballot Measure

In 2022, a proposal for a Boulder Library District was submitted to the Boulder County Board of Commissioners and Boulder City Council by a group of residents who circulated a petition (pursuant to Colorado Library Law, C.R.S. 24-90-107) and obtained the required number of at least 100 signatures. By state law, it was the Board of County Commissioners’ (BOCC) duty to place the question on the ballot on behalf of the Library District that was requesting to be formed and funded.

Read the resolutions below for the full text of the ballot measure, including recitals that provide background information:

RESOLUTION NO. 2022-058
RESOLUTION NO. 2022-059


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Commissioners’ Office

303-441-3500
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Commissioners’ Office
Boulder County Courthouse
Third Floor
1325 Pearl Street
Boulder, CO 80302
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Hours: 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. M-F

Mailing Address

PO Box 471
Boulder, CO 80306