FOCAL POINT
Fall 2004 Vol. 7 Issue 3
Winner – Random House of Canada
Oshawa’s Success - membership growth, hard work, generous support
Friends’ Day 2005 Ontario Library Association Superconference
Friends of the Library - U.S.A. – Mid-Winter Meeting
Greatest Canadian
I Love Regina’s Libraries – an Advocacy Campaign
Regional
Friends of the Library Meeting – Lindsay
Friends at CLA – making a difference
Prairies and Northwest Territories Annual Report 2003-2004
Teleconference opportunity - Re-Energizing Friends Groups
Our poster demonstrated how Friends of Libraries are a recognized
and valued partner in the library community, sharing the vision,
values and strategic directions of the library they serve
Friends of the Oshawa Public Library
Winner – Random House of Canada
Friend of the Year Award 2003
The Random House of Canada Friend of the Year Award 2003 is awarded to Friends of the Oshawa Public Library. Friends of Canadian Libraries President Jami van Haaften made the announcement at FOCAL’s annual meeting in June.
The work of dedicated Friends Board members and committed support of volunteers were praised in the submission made by Jim Osborne, President of the Friends of the Oshawa Public Library. “We are proud of our accomplishments, our mission of enhancing literacy in our community and our volunteers who support our projects and cause.”
The award is judged on criteria of community and membership involvement, creative involvement of people, impact on membership and services and innovation. The Calendar of Events scheduled by the Friends in Oshawa contains regular meetings, lectures, workshops, book sales, newsletters, book sale Christmas parties and cinefest productions.
Continued, page 2
Who will be our next winner?
Use
the enclosed nomination form to submit your entry by
Monday February Feb. 28th, 2005
- membership growth, hard work, generous support
Annual contributions to the library in 2003 totalled $16,945. Funds enhanced a children’s collection at one branch and introduced a DVD collection at another, purchased a Kurzweil reader and a collection of closed caption videos, and funded a series of author visits. Library CEO Ian Heckford praised the hard work and generous support of the Friends. He also congratulated the Friends who contributed to the overwhelming success of the Laura Ellis Memorial concert.
The Friends set a new goal to raise $20,000 by the end of 2004 to equip the “Laura Ellis Children’s Island”, a special area for
children in a library under construction in a new community recreation centre. The fund had grown to over $17,000 by the end of
2003, as a result of a special memorial concert and other donations. Other projects, Books for Babies, a gardening workshop and
the Giant Book Sale, also involved community agencies and enjoyed financial support from sponsors.
The annual Giant Book Sale had proceeds in excess of $12,700. A raffle scheduled at the same time had profits of $1,300. Over 100 volunteers are involved year-round in sorting, set-up, selling and cleanup. Selling concert tickets involved an army consisting of ten captains, each with a division of seven volunteers, recruiting leaders from the Library Board, the library staff, Friends and the community.
“Friends had a direct, positive impact on Council’s decision to include a library in the New Recreation Centre that will also house four ice pads,” noted Osborne. The Friends organized a lobbying campaign, distributing 2100 letters and library newsletters to the community to be served by the recreation centre. City Council heard their message “Exercising the mind is as important as exercising the body”.
Membership in the Friends has increased 20%, numbering over 200. The annual meeting was attended by 70 members. Five committees cover the functions of advocacy/marketing, booksale, cinefest, fundraising and volunteer/membership. Volunteers are thanked during an annual party, and awards are given for distinctive service in four categories.
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Invitation to afternoon tea - volunteer appreciation –
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Memorial concert program
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Annual report 2003
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Metro Toronto Convention Centre
A veteran CBC producer will talk about Canada Reads, one of the country’s premier literary events. Find out how your library can become involved in this program, and pick up tips from a professional journalist on additional ways to work with the media in your community. Most of the time will involve a question and answer session with the presenter.
Risky
business – you and your volunteers
Saturday
February 5th, 9 a.m.
Greg Kelner, Toronto Public Library
Derek Zulensky , Director of Client Services Education Safety Assoc. of Ontario
How do you develop your volunteer team so that their contribution is positive
and successful? The need for a volunteer management program is explored
together with samples of screening tools , interview techniques, job
descriptions and other resources that support their management and training.
Learning objectives:
- Risk management aspects of a volunteer management program
- Factors that contribute to a successful volunteer program
- Resource kit for volunteer screening
Mary Anderson , Friends of the Wiarton Branch of the Bruce County Library
Suzan Fawcett, Past Treasurer, Friends of the Chesley Library
CEO Marzio
Apolloni, Bruce County Public Library
Libraries in Bruce County recognize the potential of Friends groups. Friends can harness community support in a small community, through their fund-raising activities and volunteer labour. Find out how independent Friends groups have formed within one county library system in Ontario.
Learning objectives:
- Learn how a Friends group, even in a small library, can impact funding and service
- Gather new ideas for fund-raising and programming
- Discover successful tactics designed to solidify community support for the library
· Visit the OLA website for the online registration form http://www.accessola.com/
· Click on Superconference and follow the Online registration link
· Scroll down to the Friends of Canadian Libraries choice
· Use the pull down menu to select FOCAL – Saturday
· Complete the form and pay fee of $42.50
FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY - U.S.A. - MID-WINTER
MEETING,
Jan. 9, 2004, San Diego, CA
by Nicholas Spillios
FOLUSA conferences follow a standard format which has proven successful in the past - begin with a NUTS & BOLTS session, follow it up with an author brunch and awards ceremony and include an informative session on a general topic.
At the N&B session, an afternoon of roundtable discussions by Friends and trustees provided a range of information. About one hundred Friends were in attendance. Tables were organized around specific themes including strategic planning, fundraising, membership, advocacy and public relations. Advocacy initiatives included the documenting of specific and touching stories by library patrons and publishing them. Fundraising initiatives included campaigning for buying a book by the inch or shelf. Increasing membership projects mentioned included noting membership application on the back of notices for book sales; offering a 10% discount at sales and in the Library shop or co-operating book stores; and offering members first choice at the sale. Public relations covered a multitude of ideas included he establishment of a personal relationship with local columnists; and organizing a book festival with authors and panels.
Advocacy covered sending a library card to honorary members, writing letters to the editor; include items on decision makers/politicians; monitor local issues; know the message of the library - what, when, where supported by facts; and keeping well informed on literacy issues. The following items were covered under strategic planning - make a plan (review the library's mission, vision, carry out a board evaluation survey); gather information (assess previous experiences, successes and failures); conducting a planning process (what should be the mission, clarify the purpose, what fundraising will best support the mission); and how do you communicate to the library board.
A special presentation was made on the designation of a literary landmark. Here Friends apply for a literary Landmark for any special location in the community that is tied to a deceased literary figure, author or his/her work. FOLUSA can provide information on hosting a landmark event and in promoting the site by preparing a press release as well as in co-operation with other groups to establish the site. A charge of $500.00 is made to FOLUSA to cover expenses.
The conference program was balanced with an author brunch in honour of poet Nikki Giovanni and Lynn Cox, author of "Swimming to Antarctica". A special session, "Using Books To Inspire Young Readers" was also held under FOLUSA's sponsorship.
Think one of the Top 10 nominees
hails from your hometown? Start a campaign and rile up
support. Let CBC know about your campaign and their crew could come to your town
to cover your Greatest Canadian special event! Register to vote, win cool
prizes, and tune in to The Greatest Canadian, starting Sunday, October 17.
Frederick Banting Alexander Graham Bell
Don Cherry Tommy Douglas
Terry Fox Wayne Gretzky
Sir John A. Macdonald Lester B. Pearson
David Suzuki Pierre Trudeau
The work of a newly formed Friends of the Library in Regina can be reflected in media headlines In late 2003 the decision to close three branch libraries, an art gallery and a local history collection drew opposition. The tense and bitter campaign ranged from a petition which raised over 26,000 signatures in 85 days, two court cases, resignation of library board members, and formation of a citizen task force, among other actions. The Library Board faced accusations of political manipulation by City Council and lack of accountability.
April 2004, judging by news reports, was the most hectic month. At the end of the month the libraries got a “reprieve” as the city used reserve funds to keep branches open during 2005. Posters prepared by the Friends for the April City Council budget meeting contained text such as:
· POWER,POLICY,PROCESS,PEOPLE – WHICH WILL PREVAIL?
· Lords of the Library::Return of the Budget
· THE HOT POTATO IS NOW BACK WITH THE RPL.
· Bookalicious Library Lovefest
The city’s “I Love Regina” Day became an opportunity for the Friends to produce their own buttons. “A sight increasingly common in the city are buttons with the phrase "I Love Regina Libraries" sported by people fighting the planned closure of three public library branches and its art gallery,” reported the Regina Leader-Post. The newspaper also reported unionized library staff held their own "We Love Regina Libraries Day" in conjunction with the "I Love Regina" event.
The Friends website (www.friendsofrpl.ca) provides details of their campaign. We hope to feature the Friends of the Regina Public Library in our Friends Day program during the Canadian Library Association annual conference in Calgary, June 2005.
SAT. 2ND OCTOBER 2004
Friends of the Library converged on Lindsay Branch Public Library on Saturday, 2nd October 2004, for the very first regional friends meeting in the area. Friends of the Lindsay Branch, City of Kawartha Lakes Public Library hosted the meeting. Lois Magahay chaired the proceedings, and welcomed the 28 delegates.
Representatives came from Ajax, Beaverton, Bethany, Cannington, Kinmount, Oshawa, Peterborough, and Lindsay bringing their scrapbooks and newsletters.
See the website for a full report.
Challenges and problems shared during the workshop -
LINDSAY - $60,000 cut by the City in this year’s book budget. Friends are encouraged to write to their Ward Representatives as deliberation commences to strike a budget for 2005.
AJAX – Need to get more friends involved at a leadership level.
BEAVERTON – A cut in their book budget. They are losing friends members.
BETHANY – Friends buy what they think the library would like but don’t know what the library wants. They will be having a Writing Contest on “Devils Elbow”.
BROCK – amalgamation – 3 Friends Groups – not a clear voice.
PETERBOROUGH – Library has a position for friends on the Library Board. Need leaders. Waiting for the flood problem to clear up.
OSHAWA – Again leadership. Needs the Board and the staff to participate. Suggestion was “find a buddy and split the job”, apprentice them.
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Friends at CLA – making a difference
Our poster presentation in the exhibits at CLA was a gathering place to meet old and new Friends. Volunteers at the booth included Peggy Hiscock (Director - Atlantic Canada), Jocelyn MacNiel (Director-British Columbia) and from the Friends of the Victoria Public Library Victor Allen and Gareth Sherman.
A copy of
our poster, in the form of a slide presentation has been placed on the web –
poster
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Jocelyn and Peggy are pictured at our poster, in the gazebo on a warm and sunny day in Victoria. In addition to the poster, we had a table on which to offer our brochure, current newsletters and buttons. |
PRAIRIES AND NORTHWEST TERRITORIES ANNUAL REPORT 2003-2004
by Nicholas Spillios, FOCAL Director
Activities in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba by Friends groups continued along several fronts.
In Alberta, the St. Albert Friends were excited with the progress made in reinvigorating the group. Among the activities resulting in this progress included book sales; participating in the 20th Anniversary celebration of the Public Library; fundraising; and hosting a "Just Desserts" social event in which 33 individuals/groups provided desserts. Activities resulted in a donation of $10,000 to the French language collections.
In Edmonton, the Friends co-sponsored two special evenings - an evening of tributes to the late Monica Hughes, local science fiction writer, and "Harmony In Words" dedicated to reminiscences by Edmontonians on the occasion of the Edmonton Centennial. They also sponsored the holding of a casino which should result in acquiring close to $75,000 for library collections. No Friends group is organized within the Calgary Public Library . In Lethbridge, the Annual Book Sale raised approximately $12,000.The Special Antiquarian Book Sale raised as much as the two book sales combined and continues to be a popular event. The Banff Mountain Festival sponsored by the Friends garnered a sell-out crowd. In Red Deer, the Annual Book Sale raised $10,000. $9,000 was donated by the Friends to the Children's Library.
The Regina Public Library Friends were active in petitioning the City and the Province to prevent the closing of three public branch libraries. City Council is now reconsidering this action. The Friends are now lobbying the Province to amend library laws to make trustees elected officials rather than appointees. This group is unique in the three provinces as the group is independent and works apart from the Board and the administration.
In Winnipeg, programs of the Friends included the establishment of book reading groups; a writers' event was held to give an opportunity to Manitoba authors to share their personal experiences with local authors; planning the operation of a Gift Shop in the Public Library; and the sale of book bags. The reestablishment of the group's contribution to the Writer-In-Residence position will be pursued.
Friends gathered with local dignitaries and the grandson of library philanthropist Andrew Carnegie to mark the 100th anniversary of the opening of Lindsay’s Carnegie Library. The library, which opened June 28, 1904, is now the boys and girls section of the Lindsay Branch of the City of Kawartha Lakes Library. (Lindsay Daily Post, Jun 28, 2004). See archival photo - http://www.uoguelph.ca/~lbruce/photos/Lindsay.htm
The Friends of the Cornwall Public Library helped celebrate the library’s heritage during the city’s Doors Open Ontario event in September. The library is housed in a building that was constructed in 1953 to serve as the post office. In 1997 the building received a heritage designation from the city.
Friends were involved in planning and preparing displays. Guided tours of the library included areas not normally open to the public. The article in the Standards-Freeholder (Sept. 9, 2004) also noted the Friends in Cornwall were celebrating 10 years of honoured association with the library. A photo of the building can be found in the library’s website at http://www.city.cornwall.on.ca/library/
The executive committee of the Friends of the Port Hope Public Library put out a call for new members in August. The group has 100 members, and helped to raise $14,000 as well as providing over 500 hours of volunteer service. (Evening Guide, Aug 3, 2004)
Friends in Bonfield hosted a quilt show. Over 100 people exhibited at the “From the Heart” Quilt Show. The admission fee of $5 was collected by the Friends to raise money for library shelving. (North Bay Nugget, July 10, 2004.)
A new volunteer organization has formed Friends of the Library in Grand Valley. The local newspaper noted membership allows special privileges and offers high school students a chance to do some volunteer hours. (Midweek Banner, Aug 17, 2004) Visit the library website at http://grandvalley.org/whatsnew.htm to see how the new group is being promoted.
The Friends of the Library in Pembroke Ontario received $1,000 from a local minor sports association to purchase books. (Pembroke Observer, Aug 13, 2004).
Friends of the Library in Orangeville organized a Battle of the Books competition where 50 students from seven elementary schools participated. Students and teacher-librarians worked during the academic year to prepare for the event, and students were praised for being “awesome ambassadors for their schools”. (Midweek Banner, Jun 1, 2004)
An annual event in Englehart is a yard sale organized by the Friends of the Library. A bake sale table emptied quickly, and all items in the yard sale were donated by the community. (Northern Daily News, May 3, 2004)
The Books for Babies program in the region of Durham is administered by a committee which includes Friends of the Ajax Public Library, Friends of the Oshawa Public Library, Oshawa Library, Pickering Library, Whitby Library and Early Years. Partners include public health nurses who visit with all new mothers in the region, and sponsors Ontario Power Generation and five Rotary Clubs in the region, IODE and Pickering Lions Club.
A pamphlet provided by the public health nurses explains the program, and parents who take their child to the library receive a Books for Babies Kit that contains a book, information on early literacy, and a night light. The child and their family can sign up for a library card, and library programs such as reading groups are also promoted. (Toronto Star, Apr 14, 2004)
The Cactus Festival Book Sale run by the Friends of the Dundas Public Library resulted in the purchase of new sets of tables and chairs for the library. (Dundas Star News, Jan 23, 2004)
Both Haileybury and New Liskeard have a Friends group, part of the new City of Temiskaming Shores Library. Haileybury’s group decided to form in December 2003. (Northern Daily News, Dec 9, 2003)
The Friends in Haileybury, together with the IODE, hosted a book launch in August. Author Marilyn Greenwald’s book “The Secret of the Hardy Boys”, a book about Leslie McFarlane was featured Their website is http://www.nt.net/nlpl/Friends%20of%20NLPL.html.
Teleconference opportunity - Re-Energizing Friends Groups
Speaker: Sally G. Reed,
Executive Director, Friends of Libraries U.S.A.
Friends groups can raise funds and become outspoken advocates for the library. The challenge most often is to keep membership and motivation high. Join this session and hear about techniques that work!
WHEN
January 26, 2005
or
May 25, 2005
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Eastern time 7:00 pm -
8:00 pm Eastern time
TELECONFERENCE
TELECONFERENCE
BENEFITS OF THE PROGRAM
KEY TOPICS EXPLORED DURING THE SESSION
Member: $48.00 + GST
Non-Member $68.00 + GST
Fees include telephone connection, all long-distance charges and allows for
multiple people to participate in one location.
Speaker Biography
Sally G. Reed is the Executive Director of Friends of Libraries U.S.A. (FOLUSA),
a national membership organization of more than 2,000 Friends groups, libraries,
and individuals representing hundreds of thousand of library supporters.
Prior to joining FOLUSA in 2001, Reed served as the Director of Libraries for
the Norfolk Public Library in Norfolk, VA, where she worked closely with the
Friends and Trustees to increase library funding and coordinate a strategic plan
to build a new central library and two anchor branch libraries. Reed has also
served as the Director of Libraries in Ames, IA, Middlebury, VT, and
Northampton, NH.
Reed received her Bachelor of Arts in English from Colorado State University,
her Masters of Arts in Library Science from Northern Illinois University, and
completed the Senior Executive Institute at the University of Virginia¹s Darden
School of Business.
She has written numerous articles and books for the field of librarianship, the
most recent of which include 101+ Great Ideas for Libraries and Friends
(Neal-Schuman, 2004), Making the Case for Your Library (Neal-Schuman,
2000) and the second edition of her book Small Libraries: A Handbook for
Successful Management (McFarland, 2002).
Visit the website of the Ontario Library Association www.accessola.com > Education Institute > Audio connections/teleconference sessions to register online or call 416-363-3388 or 1-866-873-9867
Individuals
Harry Campbell
Maria Zelinska
Alberta
Friends of the Taber Library Society
British Columbia
Friends of the Salmo Public Library
New Westminster Public Library
Friends of the Trail Public Library
Friends of the Cranbrook Public Library
Friends of the Greater Victoria Public Library
Powell River Municipal Library Friends of the Library
Manitoba
Friends of the Winnipeg Public Library
Nova Scotia
Friends of the Weymouth Public Library
Friends of the Clark's Harbour Public Library
Friends of the Barrington Public Library
Friends of the Pubnico Group
Friends of the Shelburne Public Library
Friends of the Westport Public Library
Friends of the Lockeport Public Library
Ontario
Friends of the Port Hope Library
Friends of the Huntsville Library
Friends of the Wiarton Library
Friends of Atikokan Public Library
Friends of the Oakville Public Library
Chesley Area Friends of the Library
Friends of the Paris Library
Friends of the St. Mary’s Public Library
Friends of the New Liskeard Public Library
Friends of the Manitouwadge Public Library
Friends of the Madoc Public Library
Friends of the National Library of Canada
Friends of the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library
Friends of the Hamilton Public Library
Friends of the Kapuskasing Public Library
