RAILS Board of Directors Portal

RAILS Board Member Requirements

• Board Member Job Description
• RAILS Bylaws (see Article 5: Governance)
• Illinois State Library rules under the Illinois Library System Act, 23 Ill. Admin. Code Section 3030.250, "Board of Directors Requirements"

Travel Reimbursement

• RAILS Board/Committee Expense Reimbursement Request Form (Excel)

Laws and Policies

• Open Meetings Act (OMA)
• Meeting Policies: Public Comment, Meeting Via Electronic Means
• Conflict of Interest Form

Executive Director (Reports to the Board)

• Executive Director Job Description
• Executive Director's Fiscal Year Goals (coming soon)

Presentation Slides

From presentations made at the July 2019 RAILS Board meeting.

• RAILS Board Orientation (PDF)

Frequently Asked Questions

Welcome to the RAILS Board! We are so happy to have you as a board member and thank you for your service. The following are some common questions we receive from new board members.

All duties, responsibilities, and requirements are spelled out in the RAILS Board Member Job Description, available in the board section of the RAILS website. All new board members are required to read the job description and to indicate that they will be able to meet all of the responsibilities/requirements before they begin their service on the board.

The RAILS Board meets every month except December. Meetings are generally held on the fourth Friday of every month, at 1 p.m. Meetings are sometimes scheduled at a different time to accommodate holidays and attendance at library conferences. A list of board meetings for each fiscal year can be found on the RAILS website.

The RAILS fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30.

Board members are encouraged to attend board meetings in person at the scheduled location or at an available RAILS videoconference location. The scheduled meeting location will be listed on the RAILS website.

The RAILS Executive Assistant will contact board members each month to ask where they wish to attend the upcoming meeting. Board members are reimbursed for all travel expenses and will be supplied with a travel expense form at each meeting (as necessary).

All new board members will be asked to attend a half-day orientation session at the RAILS Burr Ridge service center. The session will provide an overview of RAILS and what it means to be a board member. RAILS will pay all travel expenses (mileage, hotel room if necessary, etc.) connected with this orientation session. The RAILS Executive Assistant will contact new board members to schedule.

New board members can also contact the following with questions about their board service:

Deidre Brennan, Executive Director deirdre.brennan@railslibraries.info 630.734.5146 Emily Fister, Executive Assistant emily.fister@railslibraries.info 630.734.5145