TO: Friends of the Library Executive Board



Friends of the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public LibraryMinutes of Regular Board MeetingSeptember 17, 2018Board Members Present: Brenda Brant, Past President; Jamie Claudio, Administrative Assistant (nonvoting); Amanda Favret, Secretary; Audrey Roecker, Vice President; Nancy Sowls, President (presiding); John Stoneberg, Member At-Large; Pamela Westby, Ex-Officio (nonvoting); Sarah Kocken, TreasurerBoard Members Absent: Lisa Eierman, Member At-Large; Maria Baroni, Director of Programming & DevelopmentCall to order at 6:58 p.m. in the Board room of the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library (Sowls).Motion to approve minutes from the July 16, 2018, meeting (Stoneberg); seconded (Sowls); approved. Call for additions to agenda and announcements (Sowls). Treasurer’s report (Kocken)Noteworthy Report Items: Debut of the new QuickBooks report formatAugust Book Sale revenue = $6517Books for Babies revenue (July = $2335) exceeded wishlist goal.Kocken raised concern about the cost of overseas postage. Favret and Stoneberg provided background and anecdotes about how online sales program deals with these orders.Kocken will include percent to budget on a quarterly, rather than monthly, basis.Brant would like the financial position and MoneyMarket account included on the new report format. Summary:Total Revenues: $4280 (July); $8218 (August); Total Expenses: $6382 (July); $4507 (August) Net Revenue: -$2102 (July); $3712 (August); $1610 (Fiscal Year)Board liaison report (Brant)Library director’s report (Westby)Meeting for the library planning studies (9/18 upcoming) to kick off in-depth study (Crescendo Consulting) to determine how much fundraising the community can handle; with an estimated $23 million cost for the project, the city has allocated $11.5 million from their budget, leaving $11.5 million needing to be met by fundraising. So far, the project has received one major donation and a few other inquiries regarding potential donations. Sign demonstration was attended by some FOTL members, Isa Small, and the library president.The Planning Commission will consider the application for approval this month, followed by the council in October. Installation is on track for December. FOTL plans to cut the check to help fund the sign when it is officially approved.The sign will only change slide every 60 seconds due to vehicular safety concerns.Program & Development Coordinator/Administrative Assistant’s reports (Claudio)General Updates Membership mailing is on track to go out by mid-October; DonorSnap is offering a free update which may help save money on postage.Oct. 21 – 27 is National Friends of the Library Week; FOTL has purchased candy and prizes to be handed out. Adopt-A-Shelf: All adult fiction shelves have been adopted (approximately 40 volunteers donate their time, usually 1 – 3 days per month), which is a huge improvement on past involvement with this initiative. 2019 Book Sale dates are currently in the process of being scheduled, in coordination with Youth Services.The FOTL newsletter is near completion and on track for publication, with only two writer contributions needed. Committee ReportsBook Sale (Sowls; Stoneberg)Sowls, as interim Book Sale Manager, reported on the massive learning curve in taking charge of the program and the integral contributions of volunteers (especially in independently solving issues/problems) to the success of the August sale. The program received one complaint concerning book scanners/professional sellers taking up too much space; “flergers” should be encouraged to request customers to move their bags to hallways.The mini-Book Sale (Rock Stars) made just $45 (mostly children’s books), but the enthusiasm of the children was obvious and appreciated.The Hogwarts Sale is scheduled for Friday, September 21; the takedown and money count will occur Monday morning.FOTL needs to create a sign or some other type of notice (online?) to inform donors that we will not accept vinyl records or other types of media. Removal of books not purchased at the sale continues to be an issue. Volunteers are researching and making contacts to determine whether more options exist for “re-donating” books instead of trashing them. Book Sale meetingsSorting Meeting (September 11)Volunteers should feel empowered to use their best judgment and throw away more bad materials; storage space is a major issue, especially with materials donated due to larger library culling and general population summer/spring cleaning; PCS will help create a sign listing materials we will not accept; also consider a press release outlining specific acceptable materials; communicate to library desk staff that they should clarify these materials to customers upon inquiry;Volunteers have determined categories of materials that are more likely to be out-dated and of less interest to customers; in the future, volunteers will not be de-stickifiying materials or cleaning books unless they’re visibly dirty, which will help with efficiency, space concernsAppraisal/Fulfillment Meeting (September 13)Volunteers decided to raise online book prices to $20 threshold and to continue with an “underselling” policy; The contentment of the small group of volunteers responsible for the Online Sales program is a major priority; their ownership of the program is crucial to its longevity. The Board discussed supply costs, sales data, and possible options for more database flexibility. Analysis of the types of items that sell and their discount percentage (compared to prices of similar Amazon/Abe items) may improve program efficiency and effectiveness. Book Sale Manager: Sowls reported difficulty in “selling” this role to volunteers, considering its time-intensiveness. Emphasize that the manager may delegate tasks to other volunteers; Co-chair the manager position so one person does not need to be present during the entirety of the sale;Narrow down the tasks on the Book Sale checklist to only those that are most necessary; assign tasks to multiple people;Encourage volunteer creativity and initiative;Rotate Book Sale Manager position every two years.Books for Babies (Claudio)The program delivered 585 books in the months of July, August, and September, which exceeded the delivery goal. Claudio reached out to Marshfield Medical Center, where the nurse manager and obstetrician are very excited by the program. September 12 was the first delivery to their facility. Spanish-language book interest: 18 books so far this year delivered to Mayo; 20 books delivered to Marshfield; Sacred Heart is not yet interested. 120 Spanish-language books are ordered for the future. Library president suggested “wellness” books as an option for inclusion in the program. Depeche (Madison) does public speaking on this topic and could be contacted to support regional efforts and convince Chippewa Valley doctors to support reading.Old business Claudio’s Vacation September 26 – October 8, Claudio will be travelling. Claudio will delay payroll so that no third-person training in that process is required. New Business (Sowls)Mity Lite Tables (Claudio)Custodial staff will set tables up for the November Book Sale, but in the future, FOTL volunteers will be responsible for this task. The carts used to store/transport tables will be retained. Board discussed replacing heavy tables with lighter Mity Lite tables. FOTL regularly uses 11 heavy tables for the Book Sales, but as the library proper has no use for them, they must be replaced. 2011 was the last year new tables were purchased. Summary of options and concerns regarding table replacements:Claudio contacted Mity Lite for a price quote on new tables, but they have not responded yet; tables that may meet FOTL need cost $139 - $300;Uline knock-off tables will support 200 lbs. and cost approx.. $1000 for 11 tables; board raised concern about knock-off table purchases resulting in more frequent need for replacement; investment in high quality tables may be more fiscally responsible;Purchasing 6 ft vs. 8 ft-length tables may reduce bowing effects and distribute weight more evenly; skinny tables may be pushed together to create larger set-up spaces. Final board decision regarding table replacements must be made by November meeting so that tables are available for the first 2019 sale.The next regular meeting is scheduled for Monday, October 15, 2018, at 7:00 p.m. in the Board room of the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library.Meeting adjourned at 8:17 p.m.Respectfully submitted,Amanda Favret, Secretary ................
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