Northville District Library

Absent: Alex Sheremeta, Laura Lockhart

A. Call to Order
The Chair introduced and welcomed Linda Bolam who is joining the Friends Board of Directors. She will be serving as Corresponding Secretary.

B. Approval of September 20, 2012 Meeting Minutes
Minutes were APPROVED as submitted. The Chair announced that Laura Lockhart, Recording Secretary, notified her that she will not be seeking re-election at the end of this term (March 1, 2013).

C. President's Report - Carol Oldenburg

1. "Sundaes on Sunday", National Friends of the Library Week - Oct 21, 2012
The Chair asked for additional volunteers to work the event and also encouraged all Board members to attend the event to circulate and welcome visitors and raise awareness of the Friends organization.

2. Friends records

The archivist is progressing on the Friends archives. He has found that there is documentation missing for the periods July, 2002-December, 2007 and May, 2010-August, 2011. Board members were asked to review the records they have at home and please forward to the Chair for inclusion in the archives.

D. Library Director's Report, Julie Herrin
Statistics:

• Circulation was up 3.6%
• Downloads 2,552 up 156% since last year
• Database usage up 160% (802 people 9,960 searches)

• Award for 4th of July Parade-Geek the Library theme Victorian Parade
• Library participating in Northville Halloween Night
• We have sent out a press release and a letter to the editor for Friends week

Community Reads-Picking Cotton

• Program on the Innocence Project went very well-60 people
• Book Discussion Oct 22
• Author visit at Novi-full-200

• Library Newsletter is going out December. Deadline is October 25, 2012
• Food for Fines beginning December 1
• Battle of the Books - March 20
• Puppets Washing- would like volunteers

• Facilities
  • Lights by stairway- contracted replacement
  • Carpeting on stairway- contracting replacement
  • Carpeting in work areas- contracting replacement

E.  Treasurer's Report - Denise Stacer

Treasurers Report was APPROVED as submitted. The Friends Finance Committee met to discuss the financial requests received from the library. Finance Committee discussion and recommendations were shared with the Board:

1. Library requested funding of annual digitization update, estimated cost: $500.00.

The Finance Committee noted that in January, 2012, when the initial digitization request of $36,000 was requested, library administration was asked how the annual updates would be handled financially. At that time the Library Director noted that those charges would be covered by the library (see Friends Board minutes of January 19, 2012). The Board questioned what changed from the initial plan and their request for Friends to now fund. The Library Director noted if the Friends funded, that money would not need to be taken from the Collections budget. The Friends Board recommended that this item be placed on the libraries annual "Wish List" submitted to the Friends at the beginning of the year.

2. Library requests funding of Endowment Brochure (1,000) printing. Inventory is totally depleted. Friends paid for last printing with acknowledgment to Friends on back of brochure. Design to remain the same, delete MI tax information. Estimated cost: $500.00.

It was noted that the Friends budget $1,000/year for the Endowment Fund mailing. It was further noted that the annual fund mailing is being delayed from November, 2012 to May, 2013. The Finance Committee recommended the Library use the 2012 budget allotment for the printing of the brochures since there will be no 2012 mailing.

F. Friends Committees:

1. Gift Store: As we have done in the past, we held a sale the weekend of Oct 12-14 to coincide with the Handcrafters Sales at the Community Center, which was very successful. It is important to have the sign out and visible during the sale because of the foot traffic.

Members Shopping Days will be Friday Nov. 16th-Sunday Nov. 18th. During this semi-annual event, members of the Fiends receive a 25% discount on all of their purchases.

Our buyer, Berclay Ruschak, always looks for book and storytelling related merchandise, such as sleep shirts for women, Notable Novelists card game, and award winning Fairytale Spinner Game.

Please "friend" us on Facebook.. The store is also listed on Yelp.

2. Gift Store Finance:
September revenue $723, loss of $350 for the month
YTD sales: $7808, profit of $2575

Many bills till to pay in October for the holiday buying season.
3. Gift Book Program:
8 gifts-$197

4. Membership Committee - Ellison Franklin
The Chair noted that the Corresponding Secretary role will be expanded to assist this committee with generating of membership letters and other correspondence as needed.

234 members; 65 members did not renew; of that 5 have moved and 2 are deceased leaving 58 members last year who did not renew.

5. Newsletter:
Newsletter to be mailed out November 7th

6. Programs:
November 8th, at 6pm, Pick and Sticks
December 4th, at 7pm, the accapella 12th Night Singers at the Northville Community Center

7. Read to Me Program:
The Read to Me, gift bag program is going very well. So far we have given away 91 gift bags. Each month I have tried to improve my presentation by telling how important it is to become a member of the Friends. I have been very surprised to learn that people do not know we even have a Friends group. I think we need to try to find a way to make the group more active. Example, call members to volunteer with our activities, forms a PR committee; pass out membership forms with new card holders. We need to get our members active, not just take their money.

Back to the gift program, I have 1 box of books left (32) so we will need more books by 2013. I will not be here next month for the Story Time or the meeting.

8. Used Books - Joe Thomas
Joe notified the Board that he will not be seeking reappointment to his Used Book duties at the end of his term (March 1, 2013). He noted it is time to move on.

It was reported that there is a possibility that Mission Based Books may want to renegotiate our contract with them. Paul and Joe are meeting with them to discuss. The Chair requested that no commitments be made to MBB and their findings should be brought back to the Board for review and discussion. It was also reported that MBB is still behind in their payments to the Friends.

Friends are now shipping four cases of non-saleable books to Wayne County Jail monthly

Used Book Sale: November 1st to 4th.

9. Other Reports:
Bylaws Committee Review - TABLED

G. Old Business

1. Sign for Used Book Cellar- TABLED until new Director of Used Book Cellar found.

H. New Business

The Chair noted the need to recruit additional Board members to expand membership as well as fill key vacant positions. It was recommended that volunteers be solicited via sign-up sheets be provided at the "Sundaes on Sunday" event, Friends Newsletter, etc.

Respectfully submitted
Acting Recording Secretary
Judy DeFrancesco