Travel & Continuing Education

3.17 Travel & Continuing Education

All employees are required to attend continuing education opportunities including but not limited to workshops, seminars and conferences. The event must have relevance to the employee’s job. The department supervisor or library director will approve registration in advance and permission will be granted according to budget and schedule considerations.

Little Dixie Regional Libraries staff meetings will be held on a monthly basis as scheduled by the library director. During these meetings, library information is shared, training is conducted, and staff have an opportunity to ask questions. Staff meeting attendance is mandatory unless specifically excused by the Director. If attendance cannot be obtained, the employee must contact the Director as soon as possible. Employees must use sick leave, personal leave, or vacation to cover their lost time if they are not exempt from attendance.

The library director, at his or her discretion, may mandate some continuing education or training events.

For events held during normal working hours, release time will be given at the normal rate of pay. For one day events requiring travel outside of the normal working hours, employees will be paid or earn compensatory time for travel. Time will be counted from the employee’s library to the workshop site or from home to the workshop site, whichever is closer. For multi-day events, employees will be given release time equivalent to an 8-hour day for each day of the event. No overtime or compensatory time will be accrued.

Employees will use library vehicles whenever possible for work-related travel. If a personal vehicle is used when a library vehicle is available, no mileage will be paid. When personal vehicle use is unavoidable, a mileage record must be kept from the employee’s branch to the workshop site or from home to the workshop site, whichever is closer. The library board will set the mileage reimbursement rate annually. When driving a personal vehicle, director must approve mileage.

The library will reimburse travel, meals and incidental expenses such as taxi fare and tips. Expenses shall be controlled in order to produce the lowest practical cost to LDRL. Approved library staff may use the library credit card for travel-related expenses at the director’s discretion. Vehicle rental, taxi, or other transportation costs will be reimbursed to approved (by director) library functions.

Posted online September 7, 2021