The Four Year Board Cycle
Upcoming Events
10 Things to Know
Explore Webinars and Podcasts
Frequently Asked Questions
The Four Year Board Cycle
The Governance HUB is organized around a 4-year life cycle for public library boards, aligned with Ontario’s 4-year board and council terms. Below you will see the theme and some sample topics for each of the 4 years.
By no means prescriptive, the 4-year cycle is designed to offer boards suggestions for developing a work plan. A balanced work plan should consider the board’s education needs as well as the scheduling of tasks to meet the intended goals of the board.
You can access the resources by clicking on any one of the Year Boxes below.
Resources to assist with board orientation are part of Year 1 and include suggestions for successfully orienting new board members.
Upcoming Events

Board Assembly Meetings
- Tuesday, April 18 4-6 pm ET / 3-5 pm CT
- Wednesday, April 19 4-6 pm ET / 3-5 pm CT
- Thursday, April 20 4-6 pm ET / 3-5 pm CT

Governance 101:
Library Board Training
Governance 101: Library Board Training is open to all new and returning library board members. The OLS Team leads learners through their roles and responsibilities as board members, the Ontario public library context, and the importance of stakeholder relationships.
10 Things to Know About Being a Library Board Member
These 10 statements constitute an overview of the most important aspects of library board governance in the province of Ontario. Each of the statements represents an important governance concept or an environmental factor that is crucial for board members to understand. Collectively, the statements are important because they contribute to effective library boards and successful libraries.
Frequently Asked Questions
About Us
The Governance Hub is an online portal for Ontario's public library board members. The Governance Hub is your first place to look for information and resources related to your duties as a public library board member. The Governance Hub is managed by the Ontario Library Service, with input from the Ontario Library Boards' Association and the Federation of Ontario Public Libraries.

The Ontario Library Service was established in 2021 and is mandated to deliver programs and services on behalf of the Ontario Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport by:
- Increase cooperation and coordination among Public Library boards and other information providers in order to promote the provision of library services to the public
- Assist Public Library boards and First Nations public libraries by providing them with services and programs that meet their needs including consulting, training and development services.

The Ontario Library Association (OLA) is the oldest continually-operating non-profit library association in Canada, with over 5,000 members comprised of library staff and supporters from the public, school, academic, and special libraries.

The Ontario Library Boards' Association (OLBA) is a division of OLA that represents public library board members (trustees) on issues relating to their areas of responsibility. The work of the OLBA is primarily to build a professional development (training) program that is responsive to common issues of common concern

The Federation of Ontario Public Libraries (FOPL) represents 246 public library systems in Ontario, including 45 First Nations public libraries, in communities throughout the Province