FOCAL POINT

2006 OLA Supplement 2

Friends Showcase: Sharing Successes and Challenges – summary

Nurturing Friends in Sault Ste. Marie

We learned components of successful Friends of the Library relationship. To view their presentation, please visit our website (http://www.accessola.com/focal/Conferences/OLA-2006/OLA-2006.htm)

Wilhelm Eisenbichler, Director of Public Libraries, Sault Ste. Marie Public Library

Invest in Your Friends

• Provide human and financial support

• Be prepared to devote time to the
Friends

• Be flexible –Friends’ needs will change
depending on the skills sets of their
members

• Provide meeting room space

• Provide space in the library for Friends’
operation

Communication

• Good Communication

• Fewer scheduling conflicts or misunderstandings

Maximizing Volunteer Retention

• Allocate sufficient resources to support
volunteers

• Provide a culture that is welcoming to
volunteers

Recognition

• Annual Volunteer Reception

• Recognition Awards

• Newsletter

• Christmas Card

• Library Staff and Board kept informed

• News releases

• Value volunteers and their contribution

Dorothy Macnaughton, President, Friends of the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library

Communication

• Library Liaison Position

• Regular meetings

• Board Chairperson attends Friends AGM
and vice versa

Co-operation

• Cooperation between Board and the Friends - high level of support from each when needed

• Cooperation from Library staff -visible support of activities of the Friends important

• Importance of regular contact on part of Library Director, staff and Library Board

• Cooperation from Library staff -visible support of activities of the Friends important

Practical Support - By the Friends for the Library

• When Friends feel supported and valued, they will give of their time and energy to
the Library in many ways

• Friends love their library and demonstrate the importance of the Library whenever
they are carrying out Friends activities

• Primary support is through fundraising, including project specific funding. Raise
   Significant Funds by Working Together - approximately $30,000 per year and
   approximately an additional $60,000 per year in donations for the Library’s
   collection

• Public relations support – increasing the profile of the Library in the community

• Advocacy and lobbying when the Library Board requires it

Practical Support - By the Library for the Friends

• Use of space in Library’s newsletter, free photocopying

• Physical space for the book store, bins, storage space and space to sort and price books

Friends Showcase: Sharing Successes and Challenges – summary

Lindsay Friends

Successes

- Sell book bags

- Hold author nights; $5 per person; $3 for Friends; don't pay authors; authors sell books

- Sponsor art project for kids - mural that hangs in the Library

- Do a mall display for Family Literacy Day at the mall

- Take part in Chesley Challenge

- Donate funds to the Library for books; donate funds for the archives

Challenges

- Difficulty recruiting volunteers

- Difficult to find sorters

Bethany

Successes

- Sell books by donation

- Sell books by the bag for $5 per bag

Toronto

Successes

- Friends at two branches - North Branch - raise $60,000 per year, South Branch - raise $44,000 per year; 250 - 300 Friends members

Challenges

- Recognition

- Lack of volunteers; lack of members

- Volunteers need specific training

Ajax

Successes

- Involved in advocacy

- Raised $1 million for a new Library

- Have charitable status

- Used flyers - Why the Library was needed

- Did a door to door campaign

- Undertook a corporate campaign

- Have a donor wall

London

Successes

- Hold a 3-day book sale

- Have a book store

- Did an advocacy campaign 4 years ago

- Were told budget cuts were coming with $25,000 to be cut from Library's budget- Friends got funding reinstated; Friends e-mailed Council members, mayor, Board of Control and Senior staff and made follow-up phone calls

- Library has a Volunteer Coordinator

- Advocacy - write to Minister and Deputy Minister of Culture

Oshawa

Success

- Provide $20,000 for Children's Literacy programs and $50,000 for a Children's Library

Playing Politics in Haliburton

Michael Fay

Friends of the Haliburton County Public Library

Michael Fay's session outlined how Friends can advocate for support of local libraries. In Haliburton the Friends of the Library analyzed community assets and challenges, studied the local political budgeting process, built up a lobby group, picked their issues and developed partnerships with other community organizations and established good relationship with local media

They made presentations to the Library Board and developed an advocacy paper, which was presented it to the County and Township at time of budget deliberations, as well as publishing in the local media. Their advocacy strategy is in conjunction with Library's Strategic Plan. Their letters to Council, which must be read out at Council meetings, lead to motions

The following outlines their process, phases, issues and victories:

ABC’s of Playing Politics
Analyze Community Assets and Challenges

Build a membership base, indicating strength
Choose Issues that you can WIN
Immediate
Specific
Realizable
Develop partnerships with groups in the cultural,
health, social, economic sectors
Enhance relationships with local media

Strategy – Phase One

Analyzed assets and challenges in the specific context & timetable – focused on planning and budgeting
Membership drive, recruited members from each Township
Established partnerships to enhance credibility
Built media support through innovative story/photo opportunities
Forged alliance with Library Board, especially citizen members

Strategy – Phase Two

Cooperated with Library Board’s Strategic Planning, with a view towards County and Township budgets
Encouraged attendance at key informant meetings with SOLS consultant
Prepared Advocacy Paper, based on Strategic Plan, to identify “winnable” issues
Submitted Advocacy Paper to County and Township Budget process

Winnable Benchmarks

Advocacy Paper: Haliburton vs. Provincial Benchmarks

Average Building Size

Haliburton. 6952 sq ft Benchmark 17,500 -60%

Collection Size

Haliburton. 27,664 Benchmark 50,240 -45%

Open Hours

Haliburton. 111.5 Benchmark 142 -21%

** Benchmarks taken from in The Golden Report, prepared for the Haliburton County Public Library Board by Ms. Helene Golden of the Southern Ontario Library Service.

Winnable Timetable

Advocacy Paper: Recommend Reasonable Timetable to reach All Benchmarks by 2010

County Increase Budget for Staff, Holdings,
Program to $20 per capita
Townships Prepare Capital Plans to improve branches & create Citizen Committees to help
Target Negotiation with Townships in rotation

Victories

Profile of Library enhanced with politicians
Community support brings grants to Friends for new programming, including promotion
and Writers-in-Residence
Holdings increased from 27,664 to 33,000, up 19.3%
Negotiations underway to increase size of one of the major branches

Playing Politics in Ontario

Advocacy focused on “level playing field” for rural/urban libraries
Letters in Toronto Star, Globe & Mail, and local papers on rural/urban theme
Letters to Minister of Culture, Premier
Articles in local papers stir interest from MPP, MP
Ministry “adjusts” cut-backs

Documents related to this topic:
Ontario Public Library Guidelines, 3d edition
Guidelines Checklist: A Self Assessment Tool (from Ontario Public Library Guidelines)
Guidelines for Rural/Urban Public Library Systems 2005. (supplementary to the Ontario Public Library Guidelines (Third Edition)
Ontario Provincial Benchmarks from 2002 Ontario Public Library Statistics

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