Pickering Public Library Board

Email Pickering Public Library Board 

The Board normally holds its regular public meetings on the fourth Thursday of each month at 7:00 pm. For 2020 no meeting will be held in August, and in December an alternative date is scheduled. All meetings are held at the Central Library except where indicated.

Please note, due to the current COVID-19 impacts and restrictions, the Pickering Public Library Board meetings will be facilitated online.

Members of the public are welcome to virtually attend the meeting but must register in advance. This step is to provide security for the meeting. The information collected will not be retained and will only be used in case of a meeting disruption.

The next Board meeting is taking place on Thursday, November 26. Register in advance for November's meeting here.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. When you log into the meeting you will be placed in a waiting room until the public portion of the meeting begins. Please be patient as it may be a few minutes before you can join the meeting. Your microphone will be muted but you will be able to watch and listen to the meeting.

For questions regarding the online Pickering Public Library Board meetings, please contact us at help@pickeringlibrary.ca.

2020 Meeting Schedule:

2019 Meeting Schedule:

Current Library Board

Sarah Jeffrey Sheehy (Board Chair)

Sarah Jeffrey Sheehy has extensive non-profit management experience and spent over 15 years building affordable housing with both Habitat for Humanity and Options for Homes here and abroad. Sarah joined the Board in 2016 as she believes that the library is a vital resource for the residents of Pickering. As Board Chair, Sarah looks forward to mobilizing the community to build the Next Generation Library.

Councillor Maurice Brenner (Board Vice Chair)

Councillor Maurice Brenner has been elected 9 terms representing Ward 1. He is a graduate of Ryerson in Social Services and is a recipient of the Queens Diamond Jubilee Award recognizing his contributions and leadership in Human Rights, Diversity and Community Engagement.

Mary K. Anderson

Mary K. Anderson, a returning Library Board member, has been a resident of Pickering for over 25 years. Mary K. is a strong believer in volunteerism and community service. During her 35 years as an educator she strived to impart this philosophy to her students. Mary K’s main focus in community service has centered around the Canadian women’s organization IODE.

Dianne Barham

Dianne Barham has been a Pickering resident for over 17 years. She has over twenty years of Human Resources experience including training, recruitment, and policy development. She continues to be an active community volunteer with various non-profit organizations for over 20 years.

Shawn Byron Beckett

Shawn has been a Pickering resident his entire life and a Pickering Public Library member for nearly as long! He looks forward to helping the library meet the evolving needs of the community during this exciting period of growth. Shawn graduated with distinction from Trinity College, University of Toronto, and is currently completing dual JD/MBA degrees from Osgoode Hall Law School and the Schulich School of Business.

Ruvette Coelho

Ruvette Coelho has served as Chair and Vice Chair of the PPL Board as well as a member of the Library’s Teen Advisory Group. She is a healthcare professional within Durham Region and is passionate about education, health, social causes, public service, travelling, reading, arts, culture, and racquet sports.

Councillor Ian Cumming

Councillor Ian Cumming was first elected as City Councillor, Ward 2 in 2014. His personal passion for community health and safety, the environment, and renewable energies inspired him to be a voice for Pickering residents. Ian's 40-year business background in the technology and commercial banking sectors fuels his drive to enhance business retention and promote economic development in Pickering.

Mahjabeen Fatema

As a socially responsible and active member of the community for over ten years, Mahjabeen Fatema (Fatema) is currently involved with the Pickering Islamic Centre as an Educational Professional and the President of the Sister's Committee. Fatema is honoured and excited to be a part of the Pickering Public Library Board that involves helping people navigate, select, and analyze a perpetually growing body of information.

Akeem Maginley

Akeem Maginley and his family have been Pickering residents in Ward 3 for more than five years. As a career public servant, he is committed to service values, integrity and ethics and believes in the continued development of an adaptive, inclusive, and vibrant library for Pickering’s future. Akeem is a graduate of the University of Toronto [Hon. Bachelor of Arts] and York University [Masters Degree in Public Policy, Administration and Law].

Doodnauth Sharma

Doodnauth is a licensed Professional Engineer (P. Eng.) with the Province of Ontario, and holds a Masters of Engineering Degree and a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute. He believes in giving back to the community by volunteering and contributes to many community organizations. Doodnauth sees the library as an important community resource that needs to be explored and utilized to its fullest potential.

Becoming a Member of the Library Board

Library Board members are appointed by Council either after an election or when a Board seat becomes vacated. Advertisements of such vacancies are posted on the Library and City web sites and are posted in the News Advertiser. Interested citizens must submit their applications through the City of Pickering website to the City Clerk, when available. To determine suitability for the role, candidates are encouraged to read the Board's policies, which include a Board Job description, and Cut to the Chase (a quick reference guide for Ontario Public Library Board members).

Library Board Governance Policies

The Pickering Public Library formally adopted the Policy Governance (c) model in September 2001. A current listing of the policies and the accompanying monitoring schedule can be found below: 

Global Ends Policy

Executive Limitations Policies

EL 01 General Executive Constraint Policy

EL 02 Treatment of Clients Policy

EL 03 Staff Treatment Policy

EL 04 Staff Conduct Policy

EL 05 Financial Planning Policy

EL 06 Financial Conditions & Activities Policy

EL 07 Emergency Executive Succession Policy

EL 08 Asset Protection Policy

EL 09 Compensation & Benefits

EL 10 Communication & Counsel to Board

Governance Process Policies

GP 01 Global Governance Commitment Policy

GP 02 Governing Style Policy

GP 03 Board Job Description Policy

GP 04 Board Members' Code of Conduct Policy

GP 05 Chair's Role Policy

GP 06 Board Committee Principles Policy

GP 07 Board Committee Structure Policy

GP 08 Annual Planning Policy

GP 09 Governance Investment Policy

GP 10 Principles and Guidelines for Board Members

Board-CEO Delegation Policies

BCD 01 Global Board-CEO Delegation Policy

BCD 02 Unity of Control Policy

BCD 03 Accountability of the CEO Policy

BCD 04 Delegation to the CEO Policy

BCD 05 Monitoring Executive Performance Policy