Personnel Policy

B. Conditions of Work, Employee Benefits

1. Hours of Work
   Full-time members of the library staff work on a 40-hour per week schedule. Each staff member is allowed a relief period of 15 minutes of paid time for each continuous working schedule of 4 hours of more. A paid lunch period of 1/2 hour is allowed to every staff member working more than 4 hours on any day.
   If the library is closed for reasons other than a scheduled holiday during the hours an employee is scheduled to work, they will be paid for those hours.
2. Overtime
   Non-exempt employees who work full-time (40 hours per week) will be granted compensatory time (comp-time) off in lieu of monetary overtime compensation, at a rate of one and one half hours for each hour of overtime worked. Time worked over forty (40) hours must be authorized in advanced by the Library Director. Compensatory time must be taken within 6 months after it is granted. Employees may receive monetary compensation at time and a half pay for overtime worked by decision of the library director and board of trustees.
3. Vacations
   The director receives 20 days of vacation each calendar year. All other staff members are granted five days of vacation the first year, ten days of vacation the second year, and 15 days of vacation each year thereafter. Vacation may not be taken during the probationary period. Vacation time for any staff member working at least 20 hours a week but less than full-time will be prorated, based on the percentage of a full-time schedule actually worked. It is the director’s responsibility to schedule vacations so that there is always sufficient staff to conduct library business. As a consequence, vacations must have the approval of the director at least two weeks before they are scheduled to occur.
   Each employee is encouraged to take vacation in the year in which it was earned. Only 5 vacation days may be carried over to the next year.
   If severed from employment, the employee will be compensated for any accrued, unused vacation following their effective date of severance. During the first and last years of employment, vacation time shall be prorated on the basis of one-tenth of the stipulated time for each month of employment that calendar year.
4. Sick Days
   Full-time employees receive 12 sick days per calendar year which are granted at the beginning of the calendar year. Sick days may be accumulated to a total of 60 days. Sick leave days may not be added to vacation. Sick days for employees less than full-time shall be treated on the same prorated basis as vacation (see section Vacations above) Probationary employees will receive one sick day per month during the probationary period. Upon successful completion of their probationary period, the employee will be granted the prorated allotment of their sick time for the balance of that calendar year. Upon severance from the library employees are entitled to payment of one half day’s wages per unused sick day. If the employee’s employment ends during their probationary period, there will be no compensatory payment for unused sick days.
5. Personal Time
   Paid time off to conduct personal business will be available to full-time staff each year, beginning with two days a year and adding one day a year to a total of five in the fourth year of employment. The Director or the employee’s immediate supervisor must approve the use of personal time to ensure adequate staff is available at the time of the request.
   Personal leave days may not be added to vacation.
6. Bereavement Leave
   Up to three days funeral leave shall be provided per event in case of death in the immediate family (spouse, mother, father, child, sibling, grandparents, mother in law, or father in law). Employees may, with their supervisors’ approval, use other available paid leave for additional time off as necessary. Special circumstances will be considered.
7. Jury Duty
   Staff members will be excused for jury duty in accordance to local, state and federal law.
8. Leaves
   Unpaid leave will be granted by the Board of Trustees in accordance with the Family and Medical Leave Act. Medical insurance will be continued for employees who receive health coverage through the library, or employees will receive payments in lieu of coverage through the library.
   Unpaid leave for educational, travel, or other purposes may be granted by the Board of Trustees. Requests for leave are to be submitted in writing to the director, who in turn will forward them to the Board of Trustees for consideration. Each case will be considered on its individual merits.
9. Health Insurance
   Any employee whose regularly scheduled hours exceed 30 hours per week is immediately eligible for individual health insurance paid for by the library. Any employee requiring family coverage will be personally responsible for paying the difference in cost between individual and family coverage. This benefit is for health insurance coverage, and any employee not requiring the health insurance coverage is not eligible for additional wages in lieu of the coverage, except under the condition noted in Payments in Lieu of Health Insurance Coverage below.
   The Board of Trustees will also consider providing health insurance coverage on a case-by-case basis for permanent part-time employees with more than 5 years of service.
10. Payments in Lieu of Health Insurance Coverage
    An eligible employee, presenting evidence of other health insurance similar to that provided by the Kingston Library, may elect not to receive coverage under the Kingston Library insurance policy. In the event of such election, the employee shall receive a monthly payment in lieu of such coverage in an amount to be set by the Board of Trustees annually at its November meeting and subject to change each year. Such monthly payments shall continue so long as the employee’s employment, eligibility for coverage under the Kingston Library insurance policy and opting-out election shall continue. The employee shall make such election in writing within 30 days after the November board meeting at which the payment amount for the ensuing year is determined, or after the employee first becomes eligible for inclusion in the Kingston Library insurance policy. Employees will be given the opportunity each September to decide whether to continue to opt out or to join the library’s insurance policy. In the event of a loss of other insurance, an employee may at any time request resumption of coverage and the elimination of the payment in lieu of coverage.
11. Tax-Deferred Annuity
    All Kingston Library employees are eligible to participate in the library sponsored 403(b) plan. After two years of employment, a full-time employee becomes eligible for an employer match of an amount up to 4% of the employee’s salary into Kingston Library’s 403(b) plan. The employee may contribute more than 4% of their salary up to the amount allowed by law. In no event shall the employer’s contribution exceed 4% of the employee’s salary. Part-time employee’s participation can make employee-only contributions up to the amount allowed by law.
12. Paid Holidays
    All full-time employees are entitled to the paid holidays listed in section Holidays and Bad Weather Conditions of library policy. After 26 continuous weeks of employment, permanent part-time employees who work at least 20 hours but less than full-time will receive 7.5 paid holidays per year on a prorated basis.
    Dates of regular holidays will be determined by the Board of Trustees at the beginning of the year, and the Director will designate which ones are to be claimed.
13. Electronic Communications Policy Guidelines
    The Kingston Library provides e-mail accounts to library employees and possibly to other employees working for the Library in a capacity such as an Independent Contractor. Usage of the Library’s e-mail system indicates the user will abide by this policy. When the user’s position or employment relationship at the Library ends, the individual’s e-mail will be terminated.

• • Proper Usage
    Material that is fraudulent, harassing, profane, obscene, intimidating, defamatory, or otherwise unlawful or inappropriate may not be sent by e-mail or other form of electronic communications. The Library reserves the right to revoke e-mail privileges from any individual violating these policies.
  • Privacy and Monitoring
    Employees of the Library can expect reasonable privacy of their e-mail accounts. However, the Library reserves the right to access, monitor and review an employee’s e-mail account pertaining to misuse, needed information for operating matters relating to the Library, for e-mails that are subpoenaed for litigation, and so forth.

C. Staff Development

The Kingston Library is committed to having a trained and educated workforce. An employee and his or her supervisor will develop an individualized training program based on the job requirements, experience, and educational needs of the particular position involved. Staff members are urged to become members of civic, educational, and professional organizations, and to improve their skills in librarianship, and, with the permission of the library director, to attend library conferences and other professional meetings.

The library will make every effort to arrange schedules to permit staff members wishing to take further study to continue working at the library. As time allows, staff members may be asked to attend continuing education workshops. For travel and personal expenses involved in attending such workshops, mileage reimbursements will be paid, and reimbursement for other expenses may be allowed. Mileage rates will be paid at the rate set annually by the Mid-Hudson Library System. Within the library, training or information programs for the staff may be initiated either by the library director or by interested staff members.

D. Employee Conduct

1. Punctuality is an essential requirement. Staff members who will be absent from their place of duty for a significant period of time should notify their supervisor or immediate co-workers.
2. Eating and drinking are to occur during break or lunch times, out of public view.
3. Conversation with either public or fellow staff members should be conducted quietly and kept within bounds of common courtesy.
4. Personal business may not be conducted from the library during library business hours except for emergencies.
5. Employees are expected to work with each other in an atmosphere free of verbal harassment.
6. The patron has a right to expect the staff to be familiar with the library collection and to keep informed about new additions to it. However, reading while on duty is limited to professional periodicals, book reviews, and the like, unless a staff member’s particular assignment requires the reading of other materials.