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Friends.... in the Business of Fun
Jocelyn MacNiel, Friends of Canadian Libraries
This session includes ideas that
can be adapted for both large and small libraries to help enhance staff
morale and rally the library volunteers, either on staff committees, as
trustees or as Friends of the Library. It will describe fun events,
fun...draisers, and ways for the library to connect with the community.
A outline of Friends of Canadian Library - the national organization
will start the talk.
Friends of Canadian Libraries
Role of The Friends
Nourishing Volunteers
Connections
Volunteers
Recruiting Volunteers
Volunteer Recognition
Morale Boosters
Feel Good Events
Fun...Draising
Evaluation
Grants
Connecting With the Community
Friends’ Donation And Library’s Wish List
Summation
FRIENDS OF CANADIAN LIBRARIES
www.friendsoflibraries.ca
The Mission of FOCAL is to
provide national support and resource network to assist in the formation
and promotion of Friends of Libraries groups throughout the library
community in Canada. Friends of Libraries are volunteers acting
collectively and independently to preserve, promote and strengthen
library services in harmony with library management and policies.
Acting at arm’s length, Friends
are a powerful source in lobbying for libraries.
Approximately 88 Friend groups as
well as individuals belong to FOCAL, from BC to the Maritimes, Northwest
Territories, CLA and the Australian, British and American national
organizations.
There is a Members Only
“Question & Answer” section covering many topics relevant to Friends,
among them Board Liability Insurance at a reduced group rate from
Volunteer Canada, applying for Charitable Status in order to issue tax
receipts, books sales and fund raising
MEMBERSHIP ADVANTAGES
Leadership
FOCAL provides leadership and
guidance for the formation of library Friends groups nationally with the
provision of resource materials and active support.
Communication
Quarterly newsletter, national
teleconferences, and advance notices of workshops unite member groups
with relevant information and a national collective sense of belonging
to the Friends’ concept.
Starting a Friends Group
Have a purpose to enthuse the
library community: a one time capital campaign for a new building or
addition, creation of new programs, writers-in-residence.
ROLE OF THE FRIENDS
-
Advocate
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Increase public awareness of
the library and its services
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Raise fund, over and above
the library’s operating budget
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Sponsor programming
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Provide support for library
programs and special events
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Establish a good voluntary
base
Advocacy
Friends can be effective
advocates by offering support when the library requires people in your
community to highlight specific issues in a coordinated way.
The advent of the internet allows
almost instant communication, no matter how geographically isolated some
smaller, outlying communities may be, your Friends volunteers can garner
a great deal of support quickly and effectively.
An excellent example of a
Advocacy Campaign is that of Friends of the Ottawa Public Library. In
2007, after the amalgamation of municipalities in the Ottawa area and in
response to the City of Ottawa budget debates in which proposed cuts
would have meant the closure of ten libraries and reduction of services,
Friends of the Ottawa Public Library ran an amazing campaign called SOS:
Save our Services. Thousands of postcards were sent, hundreds of emails,
thousands of names on petitions, letters to editors, phone calls to
councillors, public debate and pleas to city hall with the result that
no branches were closed or hours of service reduced, nor a reduction in
the books or materials budget.
NOURISHING VOLUNTEERS
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Start-up support: funding for
brochures and posters
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Provide meeting space
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Operational support for fund
raisers such as book sales
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Recognizing Friends: library
should publicly recognize Friends
CONNECTIONS
No situation is fun if the right
hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing. So get everyone on the
same page.
Has your Library Director
recently been introduced to your Friends group?
Has your Library Director
recently attended an executive meeting to outline what the Friends
could do for the library in the coming year?
Do you have a library staff
liaison attending Friends’ executive meetings?
Does the Friends president attend
Trustee Meetings?
If your library has both a
Friends group and a Foundation, do they communicate?
VOLUNTEERS
“Never doubt that a small group
of committed people can change the world…indeed it is the only thing
that ever has.” Margaret Mead
Who are they?
Volunteers come from all walks of
life. They want to make a difference in the community by giving of
their free time and expertise.
They can be new Canadians gaining
language skills and looking for the opportunity to integrate into a new
community, youth wanting to act on their social awareness, or older
adults using their valuable skills to give back to the community, people
from the business community wanting to serve on the library board or
library foundation.
What do they do?
They can be involved in one-time
events, on-going commitments, out in the community or virtual volunteers
in the comfort of their home, hands-on or serve on a board.
RECRUITING VOLUNTEERS
Tips to attract volunteers:
Don’t beg!
Don’t diminish the job and don’t
apologize for asking.
Ask one-to-one, face-to-face
It’s the best method. If
possible, ask face-to-face. 80% of people volunteer because someone
they know asked them. 85% of people who don’t volunteer say it is
because no one asked them. Try the following approaches:
“I have an opportunity for
you....”
“I’ve heard so much about your
skills...”
“Join us. We can really use your
talents...”
Know the job to be done.
Have a one page job description
prepared. Outline the purpose of the job, its responsibilities and how
to get help. Don’t overwhelm.
Explain why you asked them.
The trend today is on focussed
recruitment. Match the right person with the right job. Don’t be
satisfied with “any warm body”
Be Honest
Remember to use the “no
surprises” method of volunteer management. Even if the individual says
no, you’ve told the story of your organization. This will establish the
groundwork for future involvement, or for a referral to others. Think
of recruitment as “friend raising”. Then, even a NO becomes a success
story.
An interesting statistic is that
an unhappy volunteer tells 9 people, a happy one tells 3.
VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION
Although most people are not
seeking recognition, it never hurts to let people know they are
appreciated. For Friends groups, it is important to spend some of the
money raised throughout the year to honour the volunteers.
Friends of Libraries
As well as volunteer recognition
at an AGM, an annual reception is a nice way for Friends to visit
socially while being recognized. It might be a morning coffee party,
afternoon tea, or a wine and cheese evening. Invite a speaker - library
director, library staff, author, mayor, editor of the newspaper book
section or other public dignitaries.
Besides a Christmas Coffee Party,
Friends of the VPL recognizes its volunteers at the AGM
2 Years Bookmark
3 - 4 Years Bookplate recognizing
the volunteer is placed by Cataloging in a new book purchased by
Acquisitions.
5/10/15 Years Pins
Honorary Life Membership
Certificate
The pins are designed and made by
a Vancouver silver jeweller. There may be artists in your community who
might design a recognition pin, card or bookmark.
Certificates can be bought at a
stationary store and personalized or created on the computer with
graphics of the library or organization.
Library Staff Year of Service
Recognition
1. The Vancouver Public Library
has a committee of staff members who organize an annual staff
recognition for years of service. ecards are sent out to announce the
annual recognition event and it is hosted by a master of ceremonies.
The cost of the awards is shared by union and management.
5 Years - 20 Years Pen, Mug, Knapsack, Umbrella with VPL logo
25 Years Book Ends
30 Years Picture Frame
35 Years Lunch with CEO and Union President
40 Years Gift Certificate
Library Staff Recognition of
Achievement and Excellence
If funds are available, the VPL
Recognition Committee is wanting to pilot a program to acknowledge staff
achievement and commitment to the values of the library. As a way to
develop peer-to-peer recognition, a website would be designed so that a
unit or branch would nominate on a monthly basis a staff person who
perhaps found a creative solution to a problem or implemented a special
project. The names to be put into a draw and prizes awarded to the
winners.
Community Involvement
VPL staff partner with the
United Way Campaign. Management donates a number of days off with pay
and all the staff making a donation to United Way are included in the
draw. The library becomes involved with community events whenever
possible.
Partnerships with other
organizations can beneficial by bringing awareness of the Friends or the
library to the community and creating new energy and ideas.
Partnerships can by made with cultural organizations, publishers,
booksellers, corporations, writers groups, media, other funding
organizations, Rotary or Chambers of Commerce.
MORALE BOOSTERS
Days can be long and busy for
all, but a little fun can help to boost morale.
The following can be held within
a library unit, a branch or a system.
Create a fund for monthly staff birthday parties
Run pools for the Oscars, hockey, American Idol, BC Book Prizes
A Brownie bake-off
Christmas cookie or secret gift exchanges
In smaller libraries, it might be possible for Friends to host a special
luncheon for library staff.
Meet and Mingle: invite a new staff member to a pot luck gathering or
out for lunch, welcoming them to his or her new work place.
A reception will give new Friends a chance to meet the Friends’ Board
and sign up to help out with committee and projects.
FEEL GOOD EVENTS
1. Tours
As a group it is possible to
arrange special tours of art galleries, museums, wineries or places of
historical interest or for a special showing of a movie. Years ago, for
its members, Friends of the VPL rented a small art house movie theatre
for a special showing of Charlie Chaplin’s 1936 movie classic Modern
Times. However, now with large screens and the availability of DVDs,
classics or made from a book, a movie nights can be held in any suitable
location.
2. Canada Reads
This book club really is national
– from coast to coast to coast.
CBC Canada Reads takes place in
March. Perhaps a Book Club could be formed by either Friends or the
library, with the five books read before March so the discussions being
held on the radio would be of greater interest.
3. Christmas Reading
A December event might be a
Christmas Reading at a venue with a warm atmosphere and hot apple cider
served in a restaurant, coffee shop, or cozy corner of the library.
4. Game
Nights
MorganHill Library in California
hosts Family Game Nights once a month to have fun playing games of skill
and logic. Spelling games include Scrabble, Boggle and Bananagrams
along with other games suitable for children age 8 to adult.
FUN...DRAISING
1. Raffles
February might be the time to
raffle a “Love and Romance” themed basket filled with items such a
romance novel, a gift certificate to a hotel or bed and breakfast,
romantic CDs, all items donated. Silent Auctions can be held for the
same items, either at an event or over a period of time, with less work
than a raffle.
Don’t forget to apply for a
raffle license. A class D license requires $5,000 or less in gross
revenue, the maximum permitted ticket price is $2 each and maximum prize
value is $500.
The fee is $10. The application
is made on-line and processing takes up to 3 days.
2. Film Festival
The Ajax Friends have connected
with the Toronto International Film Festival. A bank sponsored the
evening which showed Cider House Rules, the manager bringing along his
staff and threw in popcorn. The evening proceeds were around $800.
3. A Night in the Library - The
Library Comes Alive
This could be geared to any age
but the one described here is for younger school-age children. Have
stations with different performers such as Star Wars characters, a
puppeteer, a magician, or a bug expert. The children rotate to the
stations. A snack or pizza might be served. There could be a charge
making it a fund raiser or it might be a way of attracting children not
yet introduced to the library. mhlf.org
For adults it could be a Mystery
Night in the Library, a Photo Scavenger Hunt where guests hunt down the
clues, snap a photo on digital camera or cell phone, and race to the
finish.
4. Quiz Night
I think a Quiz Night would be a
good fundraiser, and also a good theme for a staff social.
Friends of the Coquitlam Library
7th Annual Quiz Night
The evening starts 7.30 pm with
two question periods being an hour each, with a half hour refreshment
break.
A team consists of up to 8
people per table. A team can buy a table or singles, doubles and trios
can make up a table and act as a team. To promote the fund raiser
invite businesses or other organizations to buy a table and send a
team.
A stack of 10 quiz sheets (one
per round) are handed out when the event starts, along with a schedule
for the evening. The MC reads the questions, the teams or singles hand
in the answer sheets, and while the checkers are scoring the papers,
door prizes are drawn. The scores are posted, so people can keep track
on how their team stands. By round 9 and 10, the tension mounts.
A stack of 10 blank quiz sheets,
one per round, are on the tables when the event starts. Once all the
teams have chosen names, the Quiz Master starts reading the
questions. When each round is finished, the teams hand in their
sheets to the scorers, door prizes are drawn, and the scores recorded so
the teams can track how they stand.
50 questions were developed by
the library staff - 5 per page x 10 rounds. The topics included
Science, Sports, Geography, History, BC, Literature, Entertainment,
Canadiana, Trivia and Current Affairs. The trick is to have the
questions challenging enough, but not too many that are impossible.
17 tables x 8 per table x $20 =
$2,700 from ticket sales. Expenses might include the rental of tables.
5. Puzzle Day
Friends of the Morgan Hill
Library which holds the Family Games Nights, also has an annual Puzzle
Day fund raiser. Workshops are held on Sat. for all levels and ages of
puzzle lovers. Sunday is Tournament Day and includes adult crosswords,
adult and youth sudoku, killer sudoku and a cryptic crossword bonus
round. They are scored similarly to the Quiz Night, but have 3 rounds
with time and errors recorded.
There is no set charge to
register, but a suggested donation to the Morgan Hill Library Foundation
of $20 for adults (16+) and $10 for youth is encouraged. Weekend
attracts 200 participants. svpuzzle.org
Quiz Night and Puzzle Day have
grown into successful fund raisers, but they can be adapted to any
number, big or small, fund raiser or social evening. As long as it is
fun.
EVALUATION
Make sure the planned event is
the right fit for the library, and there are enough staff or volunteers
to make it work without a major case of burn-out.
Often the event is well planned
but the advertising is too little or too late and thus the attendance is
poor r
Debriefing
Recognition
A phone call or thank you note to
will acknowledge a person’s contribution
Evaluation
Be honest, if the event wasn’t a
total success, don’t be afraid to admit it - even it was your idea! If
it was worth the effort, be sure to say what made it a success.
Wrap-up Report
With a good report including size
of the committee, finances and recommendations, the event can be
improved upon and more importantly the file can be handed to the next
chair of the event!
GRANTS
One of the key means of tracking
funding sources in a community is to network with local politicians and
community-based funding. Have coffee with you local municipality,
provincial and federal representatives. Find out what they know about
possible funding sources. How many Friends or trustees have had coffee
with your City Councillor, MLA or MP - recently? ever?
CONNECTING WITH THE COMMUNITY
BookCrossing
BookCrossing is called the
world’s biggest book club of “catch and release” used books.
It was started in the US 7 years
ago and now has 847,000 members in 120 countries. A book to be given
away is registered on the website and given a tracking number. A
handmade sticker or one ordered on line stating “I am Free” encourages
people to pick up the book in a determined place and registered so it
can be fast tracked. ww.bookcrossing.com
Using this theme, Friends of the
Medicine Hat Public Library use BookCrossing to promote reading, to
encourage people to use their library and to let people know more about
Friends. They include information about the library in each of the used
books released in the downtown area.
Literary Landmarks
This project can be a partnership
of Friends and/or the library and the community.
Literary Landmarks recognize
authors and their contribution to the literary world.
As Canada is a young country, it
is important we recognize the significance of connecting to writers who
are contributing to Canadian Literature. Landmarks create a destination
for school classes and tourists.
The following is to give you some
past US Literary Landmark dedications that might bring to mind an author
or a story locale that could be recognized and preserved in your
community.
Casa Genotta, Sea Island,
Virginia, where Eugene O’Neill, playwrite and Nobel Laureate of
Literature, lived with his wife from 1931 – 36 during which time he
completed two plays. This dedication was in partnership with the St.
Simons Island Public Library. I mention this dedication as O’Neill did
not live in this house for long, only six years, but it was important to
the community to recognize the time he spent there writing.
Robert McCloskey set his 1942
Caldecott Medal book, Make Way for Ducklings in the Boston Public
Garden. The classic children’s book characters Mr. and Mrs. Mallard and
their brood resided in the garden pond. The partners in the dedication
of the gardens were Citywide Friends of the Boston Public Library, Books
for Kids Foundation, and the Historic Neighbourhoods Foundation.
Partnerships are important as
there are costs involved – mainly in purchasing the plaques. An inside
plaque can range from $250 to $350. An outside bronze plaque would be
$600 – $700, depending on the on the wording. Other expenses might
include the promotion of the dedication and a reception.
There are three existing Literary
Landmarks in the Vancouver area:
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Malcolm Lowry Walk in North
Vancouver
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Pauline Johnson’s Cairn in
Stanley Park
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Joy Kogawa’s childhood home
in Vancouver
Following the models of the
writer-in-residence programs at the Berton House Writers’ Retreat in
Dawson City, Yukon, and the Roderick Haig-Brown House in Campbell River,
the Historic Joy Kogawa House writer-in-residence program brings
well-regarded professional writers in touch with the local community of
established writers, emerging writers, editors, publishers, booksellers,
librarians and readers. Funding is provided by Canada Council, other
agencies, and donations from the general public.
But these are big projects. It
can be done on a smaller scale and in the library. A local author can
be recognized in the library with a reception to unveil the plaque.
Prepare a budget, seek
cooperation from the community such as the mayor’s office, Arts Council,
Historical Society and contact potential sponsors for financial
support.
FRIENDS’ DONATION AND LIBRARY’S WISH LIST
It has been a good year, the
morale of the staff is upbeat because they have been recognized by their
peers and have had several fun get-togethers; the Friends have supported
their library by volunteering at library events, its advocacy campaign
saved the library budget from being cut and raised money through fund
raising events; the trustees have worked hard to keep the library
operating within budget.
Now the library is asked to
create a wish list which will be in line with the amount of the Friends’
annual donation.
There several options as to how
the Friends’ donate to the library, among them:
The money is given to the library
and goes through the library’s accounting.
Friends buy the items on the wish
list and donate them or pay directly for programs such as author
readings.
Besides enhancing the collections
and supporting literacy programs, other requests from staff for which
Friends of the VPL have raised money are:
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Book Anthology: Youth
Services and Programming
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Digital cameras: for
Branches
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Branch birthday celebrations
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Emerging Writers’ program
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First Nations Writers’
program
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Teen Bookmark Contest
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Summer Story Times for
Families
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The Canadian Book Club
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Braille labeling for
Outreach
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New book display units
SUMMATION
I hope that I have given you some
new ideas you can think about and implement in your library and you are
more aware of how Friends of the Library can support and help the
library to be “fun”a place.
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