The Board of Trustees of the GreatFallsPublicLibrary oversees library policies and operations, including collection policy and service to the City, the County and the Pathfinder Federation of Libraries.
Created — the library by Ordinance 341 in 1910; the Board of Trustees appointed under MCA 22-1-308. On May 3, 2016 the CityCommission adopted Ordinance 3140, creating Title 2 Chapter 49 of the OfficialCode and repealing Ordinance 341. Trustees are appointed under OCCGF 2.18.050.
Membership — five members appointed by the City Commission. Trustees must be residents of CascadeCounty, with at least three qualified electors and residents of the City. Five-year terms, no more than two full terms in succession, under MCA 22-1-308(4).
Meets the fourth Tuesday of each month at 4:30 pm in the Montana Room of the library. Special meetings are called as needed; the board held one in May 2026 to hear from applicants for the vacancy.
In March 2024 the Board approved a new job descripiton describing itself as existing "to provide governance for the Great Falls Public Library and to advise, recommend, and advocate for the library in the City of Great Falls and within Cascade County, Montana."
The 2026 vacancy is a good illustration of the process: the incumbent's five-year term ran to June 30, 2026 and she did not seek another; staff advertised under Resolution 10524 and four applications came in; the Board heard the applicants at a special meeting on May 21 and recommended one on May 26; one applicant withdrew in support of another; the Commission interviewed the candidates at SpecialWorkSession2026-06-16 and made the appointment 5-0 at CityCommission2026-06-16, with one Commissioner stating on the record that another applicant had been his first choice.
Library board: https://greatfallsmt.gov/448/Library
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