Declaration of Emergency Policy

Under emergency conditions, closing may be necessary. The library may need to close, reduce hours, declare stand-by alerts, reduce staff on site, and/or direct staff to work remotely. “Emergency conditions” and ensuing action shall be determined by the Director or, in the absence of the Director, by the Senior Person in Charge on duty. In the event of the latter, the Senior Person in Charge on duty shall make every effort to contact the Director before closing. If the Director is unavailable, the Senior Person in Charge on duty is authorized to close the library. The Board President shall be timely notified of the emergency actions taken by the Director (or person acting in their place).

If the Library closes because of extreme weather conditions or other emergency, employees that had been scheduled to work during that time will be credited with time as if worked, with the exception of those employees who had previous time off approved. Approved time off shall supersede any credited time provided as a result of an emergency closure.

If the Library is impacted by a community emergency situation forcing closure, reduced staffing, stand-by alerts, a shift to remote operations, or other significant change to library operations, the Director shall enact a contingency operations plan as soon as practicable, and in the best interests of safety and the library community. Consultation with appropriate local and state authorities and fellow community partners will be included, as deemed appropriate by the Director and Board President.

The Director and Board President shall maintain ongoing communication to monitor the best approach to address safety and operational concerns during states of emergency and shall timely involve the full Board of such communications.