Spring 2002 Vol. 5 Issue 3

Chesley Area Friends of the Library issues a challenge to other Friends groups and libraries across Canada. The challenge centres around the CBC Radio's "Canada Reads" initiative. We would like all Friends groups and libraries to monitor how many of their patrons read 'In the Skin of a Lion', by Michael Ondaatje, the book to read for the Canada Reads initiative.

Send your mail to FOCAL (focal@accessola.com). Your first message tells us you are registering for the challenge, and your final message, due August 31st, 2002 lets us know the final number of readers you have recorded. We will keep a tally on our website.

We will display your final tally as a percentage of your population. When you register please provide population statistics. Chesley Friends have volunteered to handle this project, so mail will be forwarded to them.

The winning community will be featured by CBC Radio on Labour Day. Stay tuned as our summer reading season unfolds, and we find our winning challenger. Early challengers include County of Prince Edward, Chesley and Area Friends of the Library, Sexsmith Shannon Library and Coburg Public Library

Watch the website at: http://www.friendsoflibraries.ca/canadareads.htm and register soon.

Noon – 2 p.m.

• Luncheon – Guest Speaker Roch Carrier
• Random House of Canada Friends of the Year Award

2:00 - 3:15 PM

To preserve and publicize collections related to library history in Canada is one of the major objectives of Ex Libris.

Speaker: Janice Murray-Gill, River John Friends of the Library

The story of Community Economic Development the Public Library Way. A rural community of 1,200 led by the River John Friends of the Library took up the challenge of a $600,000 project to build, finance and own a new building in their community to house the River John Public Library & Innovation Centre.

1. Welcome
2. Approval of Agenda
3. Minutes of 2001 Annual General Meeting
4. Business Arising from the Minutes
5. President’s Report
6. Treasurer’s Report - Financial statement
7. Directors’ reports
8. 2002-2003 Executive - Confirmation and elections
9. By-law amendments
10. New Business

Planning for conference programs for Friends sessions at major library conferences is ongoing. Please offer FOCAL executive your ideas for topics of interest, or volunteer your expertise.

Ex Libris – New Website - T-Shirts

A unique gift idea for Friends or your favourite librarian is a T-shirt from the Ex Libris Association. T-Shirts are available in youth and adult sizes, and in four colours . They are priced at $10 (youth sizes) or $15 (adult sizes), including tax. Orders can be addressed to the Ex Libris Treasurer, c/o Dean’s Office, Faculty of Information Studies, University of Toronto, 140 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3T6.

They also have a new website and on online shop at http://exlibris.fis.utoronto.ca/.

Bank Balance at 1^st April 2001 ----- $2422.53

Memberships $ 2410.00
Govt. Grant
(Young Canada Works) $ 2847.07
Donations $ 3224.25
(Random House -$3000
Miss.Library $224.25)
Bank Interest $ 2.49

TOTAL REVENUE $8483.81

Student Salary $ 3975.72
Employment Expense $ 219.60
Govt. Fees $ 30.00
Membership Fees $ 45.00
Bank Charges $ 14.00
Training $ 65.00
OLA Feb 2001 $ 130.00
Newsletter $ 1274.11
Travel $ 529.00
Awards $ 41.86
Administration $ 85.00
CLA Winnipeg 2001 $ 442.75
OLA Toronto 2002 $ 773.93
Stationery/supplies $ 278.70
Postage $ 459.35

TOTAL EXPENSES $8364.02

BANK BALANCE AT APRIL 2002 $2542.32

Val Marshall, Treasurer

FRIENDS OF CANADIAN LIBRARIES
REVENUE:

Memberships $2500.00
Donations
Random House $2000.00

TOTAL REVENUE $4500.00

EXPENSE:

Newsletter $1500.00
Postage $ 700.00
Stationery/supplies $ 300.00
CLA Halifax $ 600.00
OLA Toronto $ 600.00
Travel $ 800.00
Legal $ 30.00
Misc. $ 200.00

TOTAL EXPENSE $5,000.00

Minutes of our 2001 Annual General Meeting have been posted on our website.
http://www.friendsoflibraries.ca/AGM-2001-reports.htm

Proposed amendments to FOCAL’s constitution and by-laws were posted on our website.

http://www.friendsoflibraries.ca/amendments.htm

Copies of both documents will be provided during the 2002 Annual General Meeting.

Our speakers from London and Oshawa provided a great program at the recent Ontario Library Association. By the end of the morning we had heard from everyone involved in the sessions, making it a highly interactive and successful Friends Day at OLA.

Hilary Bates Neary, President, Friends of the London Public Library began our day with her review of best practices in membership development and retention. We had a brief break, which gave us an opportunity to visit displays provided by Oshawa, London, FOCAL and others.

OLA President Stephen Abram brought us back to our seats to offer a welcome to Friends’ Day delegates and to thank us for the contributions made by Friends to the library community. Additional conference delegates settled in for the second session, and Marjorie Hodges continued the "best practices" theme relating to fundraising.

It almost seemed as though Hilary warmed up the audience, and Marjorie capitalized on it by getting the high level of interaction. Marjorie, a retired school teacher, brought her professional skills to the task, and called upon us by name when asking questions and looking for a response.

Highlights of both sessions are contained in this newsletter. Some conference photos and the full text of Hilary’s speech may be found on our website: http://www.friendsoflibraries.ca/OLA-2002.htm

Special thanks to Random House of Canada Our Conference Sponsor and sponsor of Random House of Canada’s Friend of the Year Award

The success of the fundraising workshop was due in part to Marjorie’s coverage of the topic, support she received from fellow members of the Oshawa Friends, and also the expertise she was able to draw upon from the delegates. We were all scrambling to take notes, and record the collective wisdom.

Margaret Aldsworth taught us all about book sales, and how Oshawa raised $12,000 last year from their three-day sale. Have you heard of the five "P"’s?

Product – lots of books

People – volunteers

Preparation – sorting all year

Promotion/marketing

Public – get them in

Profit

Party – at the end, to celebrate

They have a book sale manual which lists volunteer duties, and plan for their book sale all year. They learned from a previous OLA speaker to use standardized cartons and clear labels. Books are loaded in boxes in a single layer. These boxes can be used in a sale for display.

A penny raffle which takes place at the same time as the Oshawa book sale raised $1,300. There were 20 items in the raffle, and tickers were sold at $2 for 25. It was noted a lottery license is needed, and a separate bank account was used for the proceeds.

Oshawa Friends displayed their lawn signs used to promote the book sale, and described their experience in obtaining municipal permission to use lawn signs. They spent $1000 for 100 signs, and are allowed to have then up for a week. The first year they put up 100 signs and retrieved 72. The next year they used 72 signs and retrieved 55.

The profit from a book sale is not only measured in dollars and cents but in increased traffic in the library. Their sale takes place from Thursday to Sunday, Monday through Thursday are clean-up days, and Friday is their party and opportunity to evaluate what worked, what didn’t and what to change.

Books are colour coded and priced accordingly in categories such as new, nearly new or new/large. Grocery bags are sold for $1 or $2 and used for paperback sales. Paperbacks or Readers’ Digest Condensed books can be tied with ribbon and sold in the branches between Friends’ book sales.

The word "discarded" has a negative connotation – others ideas include "released from collections" , "withdrawn" or "recycled". Idea for dealing with leftover books after a sale include giving to schools, culling, storing for next sale or heating fuel(!). Readers Digest condensed books can be burned (for fuel), or donated to hospital waiting rooms or nursing homes.

One publicity tactic suggested by Ajax was to have the date of the next book sale printed on the automatic receipts printed for every book loan.

Friends in North York use a "pick and pay" table, which is outside their book store when the store is closed. A donation box receives donations for items such as National Geographic magazines, worn paperback books and Readers’ Digest Condensed books. A similar idea based on the honour system is selling books from a book truck with an attached donation box.

In addition to book sales, other fundraising success stories were shared.

Lois Magahay reports the Lindsay Friends sell Hasti notes with the floral emblems of Canada’s provinces and territories. They are sold year-round and tourist sales are significant.

Leona Hendry described Belleville’s "Last Dinner on the Titanic" where quests attend in period costume, and there is a local author. The dinner menu is taken from recipes contained in a book about the Titanic. Tickets are $100 per couple, and corporate sponsorship is sought to pay for the food. Proceeds were $6,000.

Meaford had a "Guess Who is Coming to Dinner" event, with local wine donated. At $40 a ticket it was felt they didn’t charge enough for the ticket.

One Friend noted they have an author afternoon, which helps for awareness but does not offer much profit, Friends in Durham and Ajax run a Cinèfest, which judged to be both profitable and providing a cultural service. Marjorie calls that FUNdraising, with the emphasis on FUN.

Friends in Windsor took over the library’s café 14 months ago and raised $8,500. Twelve Friends have developed a solid reputation and now contract their food services out for breakfast meetings.

Jamie Swift reported Kingston’s fundraising and promotional projects such as a children’s art contest, hasti notes, bags, and a silent art auction of limited edition prints.

Mary Desaulnier described the efforts of nine members in Atikokan to offer a May book sale, run seasonal raffles and have a tag day.

Georgina described a car raffle so successful that the winner donated the car back to the Friends and they will raffle again! They also organize silent auctions. Three was general agreement silent auctions can make a lot of money, and one group does one at their Annual General Meeting.

Doreen Pratt related Ajax’s Christmas market that takes place in conjunction with their Christmas book sale, where area crafts and sold and there is a silent auction.

House tours, garden tours, concerts and teas were other fundraising ideas offered by delegates.

Dorothy Macnaughton, president of the Friends of the Sault Ste Marie Public Library organized an April workshop for regional Friends groups. Marjatta Asu of OLS-North and Branda Lailey, former Executive Director of Alzheimer’s Association of Sault Ste. Marie were guest speakers. Delegates exchanged ideas and networked on topics relating to challenges, membership growth, and volunteer recruitment and involvement.

This meeting following a regional meeting held in Sudbury, organized by Macnaughton and Jami van Haaften, Chair of the Friends of the Greater Sudbury Public Library, and FOCAL President. Attendees supported the need for this type of regional communication and networking, and agreed to meet May 2003 as part of the OLS-North Conference in Sudbury.

Answers were offered in a brainstorming session at the Northern Ontario/Northern Michigan Friends of the Library Workshop, held in Sault Ste. Marie April 20^th.

• I care.
• I use libraries.
• I want to give back.
• I felt coerced (but then stayed of my own free will!).
• I have time/more time.
• I love books.
• I want to make a difference.
• There is job to be done.
• Decreased funding for something valuable.
• I was raised with the library. It is part of my life.
• I am committed.
• I was asked to join because of a need.
• I like being a team player.
• I have a skill to contribute.
• I believe in the cause.

Canadian Living April 2002

Canadian Living received letters from across the country in response to a call for success stories exemplifying the role of libraries as integral parts of Canadian communities. The April issue of Canadian Living contains the full article, in the Family & Relationships section.

Ten letters were chosen, and of those two made special mention of their Friends groups. In "A Mississauga Fairy Tale" the Mississauga Library System describes their Friends and Junior Friends groups are non-profit citizen volunteer groups that help promote literacy and the library within the community. Funding from the Friends, in partnership with Laidlaw, provides subsidies for bus rides for all Mississauga classes, Grade 4 and 8, to visit their local library.

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From the West Kootenay region of British Columbia "The Library Family " is described at The Castlegar and District Public Library. Forty-five volunteers help library staff form a strong network of "library family" throughout the area. The article described an annual fundraising event, Chocolate Jazz, now in its seventh year, an elegant affair, combining luscious chocolate creations by local chefs and chocolateers

with cool jazz played as background to silent auction tables. A team of library "Friends" decorates the rooms to create an exciting ambiance for the evening.

Barry Callaghan, York University English Professor speaking to graduates at University of Guelph’s winter convocation, 2002.

Guest speaker at the Northern Ontario/Northern Michigan Friends Workshop,
Branda Lailey, provided this poem, author unknown:

Why be a Volunteer

It’s not
for the money

It’s not
for the fame

It’s not
for any personal gain.

It’s just for love
of fellow man.

It’s just to lend
a helping hand.

It’s just to give
a tithe of self.

That’s something
you can’t buy with wealth.

It’s not models won
with pride.

It’s for that feeling
deep inside.

It’s that reward
down in your heart.

It’s feeling that
you’ve been a part.

Of helping others
far and near.

That makes you
be a volunteer.

Plan a fundraising promotion this fall and sell copies of the popular Book Lover’s calendars. Friends groups may order the calendars at wholesale prices from Whitehots. Whitehots is accepting orders now.

(www.whitehots.com/html/indexcontact.html)

Let Kidbits manage a Software Fest at your library, and receive a 20% share of the revenue. The mission of Kidbits Sofware is to provide high quality educational and entertaining computer software for children.

Contact
Kidbits Software
204 Chelwood Drive, Thornhill, Ontario L4J 7C2
Phone (905) 660-3666 / Fax (905) 660-8971

E-mail: kbsoftware@rogers.com

E-Mail message to Friends,

Help Aid Ltd is a charity organisation currently in the process of sending books to a town called El-Tarf in Algeria (North Africa). Part of the books will go to schools, Colleges and to the local institute of Agriculture and Veterinary studies. he remaining will go to a public library, which is desperately looking for reading books in, French or English for Kids. We would highly appreciate your donations in terms of used books or magazines.

Thank you,

Yours sincerely,

P.P Monia Denine, 25 Writtle House, Aerodrome Road, Colindale, London NW9 5HA

England Tel: 07949509292 E-mail: md307@mdx.ac.uk

** As with many overseas book donations, if you donate books, you pay the shipping costs.

Telephone: 705-523-3415
E-mail focal@accessola.com