Administrative Rules of Montana (ARM) 10.102.1158 (4) The board receives at least three hours of continuing education each year.

This standard states the board (all members or a quorum) should participate in continuing education.  With busy schedules, many responsibilities, and limited time to get it all done, here are a couple of suggestions for fitting continuing education in for library boards.

• Have a plan! At the beginning of the fiscal year create a continuing education plan. Include topics, who will do the training, how and when the training will occur.
• Adopt the plan as an agenda item at a regular meeting of the Board.
• Set aside 20 minutes at the beginning of each meeting. Keep it relevant to your current work and continuing education will be more meaningful.
• If your board meets each month, the 20-minute sessions quickly add up to the 3-hour requirement.
• Including continuing education sessions in your public meeting notice is an easy way to document achieving the standard.

Individual trustees can still participate in the voluntary MSL Certification program—and are encouraged to do so—but the standard applies to boards rather than individual trustees.