FOCAL Point

Fall 2007

Volume 10. Issue 2

Contents

Friends of the Ajax Public Library - Winner – Random House of Canada Friend of the Year Award 2006 
How to Form Your Friends of the Library Group Manual
Website Updates -
FOCAL MEETS WITH DENVER FRIENDS
Friends’ Day at OLA 2008 – register now!
On the Internet . . .
Fall regional workshop in Port Hope
The Role of Friends – avoiding conflict of interest and micromanagement . . .
LET'S KEEP OUR LIBRARIES OPEN RALLY
Vancouver Public Library
FOCAL's Executive

Friends of the Ajax Public Library

Winner – Random House of Canada
Friend of the Year Award 2006

Judges were impressed by the following factors in the submission from Ajax, Ontario:

·          For a smaller community (80,000 people), this group organized a great variety of activities and fundraisers, including a film festival and also undertook advocacy efforts.

·          It seemed many volunteers were involved in the Friends activities, including high school students, and the number of Friends volunteers increased.

·          The Friends of the Ajax Public Library made book donations to Hurricane Katrina victims and to natives in the Canadian north.

·          They worked in partnership with the local Rotary Club.

·          The Friends supported literacy programs for their library, including the "Books for Babies" program.

·          The Ajax Friends raised a considerable amount of money for their library’s capital campaign for a new library.

·          The Friends opened a Book Store in 2006, with great publicity and fanfare.

·          The Friends of the Ajax Public Library funded talking books and CDs for print disabled people in the community.

·          The Ajax Friends hosted a regional FOCAL workshop to promote and support Friends of the Library groups in their area.

The Friends of the Ajax Public Library accomplished a great deal in their community during 2006.

MORE THAN A MILLION REASONS TO CELEBRATE -Final payment by the Friends of the $1 million campaign to help build the new main branch

CARP Magazine – (Canadian Association of Retired Persons) – feature article “Remembering the War years Through the Eyes of a Child”, part of the Friend’s programme to celebrate the Town of Ajax 50^th Anniversary.

 

“FRIENDLY BOOKSTORE OPENS” – Ajax Friend’s bookstore officially opened by the Mayor of Ajax, Steve Parish – A New Friends book bag was also launched.

“FRIENDLY FEAST” – Friends hosted a special luncheon for library staff

AJAX DAY AT THE WATERFRONT – Friends Giant Children’s book sale

AJAX FILM CIRCUIT – For the fifth consecutive year, Ajax Friends ran their film circuit in co-operation with the Toronto International Film Festival

FRIENDS OPENED A NEW “BOOK CASE” - In the lobby of the Library’s Main Branch

BOOK DONATIONS - Hurricane Katrina Relief;  James Bartleman, the Ontario Lieutenant Governor’s campaign for aboriginal communities; boy’s school in Haiti – working with the Rotary Club of Ajax.

BOOK SALES – Public sales and Dealer Sales amounted to $19,000, “Curl up and With a Book" lobby sale,  “We Love Our Library – Valentine lobby sale.

BRAILLE TITLES AND AUTHORS APPLIED TO TALKING BOOKS AND CD’S - Now persons with impaired sight can select their own titles independently without requesting staff help. This Friends initiative is the first project of this kind in public libraries.

BOOKS FOR BABIES – Joint promotion with the Oshawa Friends of the Library – 4^th year of operation, with the assistance of the Regional of Durham Health Department, a grant form the Ontario Provincial Government and sponsorship form Ontario Power Generation and local service clubs including 5 Rotary Clubs. Every library branch in the Region of Durham offers “Books for Babies”.

THE PLANT LOVERS – Friends water plants on a regular, rotating schedule in the Main branch of the Library. Friends planed 100 daffodils outside the Village Branch ready for a colourful spring.

PUBLICITY AND ADVOCACY – Our goal – to bring people into the library; make sure they are comfortable & enjoy all the services offered. Our programmes provide outreach to all neighbourhoods. Book sales, meetings, programmes, etc. are advertised every Wednesday in the Ajax Advertiser, plus other publications. Friends also publish a regular newsletter. A page in the library’s Bi-monthly newsletter, plus posters and advertising on the Library Receipt Printers. Flyers are handed out to local groups and the audiences at the Film Circuit.

PROGRAMMING – The Friends host: “Create Easter Treats”, “Irish Fling” , “How the library chooses books”,  “Music on a Sunday Afternoon” ,  Annual Potluck supper for Friends

The Random House Award was presented to the Friends of the Ajax Public Library Monday evening at the Municipal Council meeting.

From left to right - Geof Nie, Library CEO, Lahring Tribe, Random House, Val Marshall, Friends of the Ajax Public Library, Steve Parrish, Mayor of Ajax and Lois Magahay, representing Friends of Canadian Libraries.

How to Form Your Friends of the Library Group Manual

Our new manual meets the needs of those forming a new group, or looking for additional information, resources and sample documents to support their ongoing development. FOCAL executive members Dorothy Macnaughton and Jami van Haaften have compiled this loose-leaf manual, drawing from the experience of Friends of Library groups across Canada.  

Highlights from our new manual

Our manual comes complete with sample forms, brochures, recommended reading, and links to helpful resources from the Internet. It is full of helpful advice from FOCAL's former President Jami van Haaften, and our current Vice President Dorothy Macnaughton, both experienced in the development of their  local Friends groups, and keen observers of what has been happening in Canada over the past decade or more.

Free updates for a year -

This is a dynamic document, meaning we will update content based on feedback from our members and readers, and as new information becomes available. Updated chapters will be sent electronically to those who have purchased copies during the year, in order to ensure you have the current content in your binder. The purchase price includes 12 months of free electronic updates.

Who is this manual for?

Everyone involved in forming such a group, including library staff and administrators, Library Board Trustees, library patrons, volunteers, and other interested people in your community, will find valuable information and resources to help develop a Friends of the Library group. 

Contents:          Who is this manual for?    

   Friends of Canadian Libraries
               Friends support their library
               Friendly relations
               Forming your Friends group
               Planning your first event
               Organizing Your board
               Governing documents
               Legal entities
               Volunteers
               Memberships
               What comes next?
               Resources
               FOCAL forms
               Your Documents

Cost:          FOCAL Member:        $45.00 *Includes $18.00 Shipping & Handling
                   Non Member:              $65.00 *Includes $18.00 Shipping & Handling

To order: http://www.accessola.com/focal/Forming-Manual/Forming-Friends-Group-Manual.htm

  

Website Updates -

The “Members Only” section of our website is now activated. Members can go there to find the most recent newsletter, Friends Forum, documents from our Annual General Meetings. Find out how you can contribute to our Friends’ Forum and contribute to other interactive features of  our website.

Contact focal@accessola.com to find out how you, as a current member, may access this section. Our Vice President Dorothy Macnaughton will answer your email and provide the user ID and password.

The FOCLAL Point Archive has been updated  to make sure each for the newsletters or supplements has both a Word version and an html version. This means the Word version is available for those seeking a file they can save or print. FOCAL members are encouraged to print or copy our newsletters for their members, Library Board and Library CEO. The html version means the contents of the newsletter can be searched by search engines such as Google.

Another new feature, in the “Members’ Only” section is “Papers”. The section makes it easily to find any paper, presentation, poster or notes and resources from regional meetings. One of FOCAL’s key roles is to offer conference programming, at regional, provincial and national library conferences. Links are also made to other resources of interest to Friends. For the first time these materials are conveniently listed, providing title, author and subject access.

FOCAL MEETS WITH DENVER FRIENDS

by Nicholas Spillios, President

Denver is more than a sandwich, particularly where Friends are concerned. It is a city born out of the Gold Rush with the Rocky Mountains in full view, reminding one of Calgary and its view and vicinity to the Canadian Rockies.

The Denver Public Library is located within the hub of the Denver Museum Triangle directly across from the Denver Art Museum. It is an imposing building spanning  a city block in what is known in Denver as the Golden Triangle Museum District. Boasting  47 miles of bookshelves with access to a complex of adjoining beautiful parks. It includes 22 branch libraries and a Bookmobile.  It boasts an impressive children’s library, 450 computer terminals, as well as an extensive collection of historic art and memorabilia chronicling the American West -  a must for history buffs.

On a recent trip to Denver I took advantage of the visit and arranged a  meeting with Melinda Lloyd, Director of the Friends Foundation. Officially incorporated in 1940, the Friends became a Foundation several years ago. Prior to that time, the Friends functioned primarily as a direct-service group with members mostly women and with the major activity volunteering and helping with children’s programs, in some cases similar to many of our Canadian groups.  I found that we had much pertinent information to exchange.

The Friends Foundation was involved in a number of activities which Friends everywhere generally undertake - namely fund-raising and advocacy. The Booklover’s Ball is an annual event which this year centred on support to services and materials for students, environmental education and sustainability. The Book Sale raises $100,000 annually.

Ms. Lloyd reinforced the observation that many Friends groups are facing currently - restructuring and change. The Children’s Library is a popular site, covering a full floor of the building. But from the exchange in Ms. Lloyd’s office, the Foundation and role of Friends is being reviewed and a restructuring will be taking place shortly.

Ms. Lloyd and FOCAL promised to keep in touch as I bade farewell and was directed to the Library Art Gallery housing original Denver works, as well as the Western History Genealogy section and its collection of the trans-Mississippi West.

Friends’ Day at OLA 2008 – register now!

Superconference 2008

Dates:  January 30 - February 2, 2008
Location: Metro Toronto Convention Centre

How to Start a Friends of the Library Group

Saturday Feb. 2^nd, 2008

Speaker: Dorothy Macnaughton, FOCAL Vice President, Friends of the Sault Ste.
Marie Public Library President. Learn how any library can start a  Friends of the Library group.  Receive the tools needed to plan  and promote an organizing meeting,  study sample governing documents  and hear ideas for planning  the first event.
 

What Does It Take to Sustain a Friends Group?
Saturday Feb. 2^nd, 2008

Lois Magahay, Friends of the Lindsay  Public Library; Val Marshall, Friends of
the Ajax Public Library; Sheila Durand,  CEO, North Perth Public Library.
Discover creative and practical  ideas for existing Friends groups.  Learn from Friends groups that  have increased their membership  and volunteer base and have  raised additional funds for their
libraries

 

Gala Luncheon- Friends have tables reserved – join us for good food, entertainment and the Superconference closing ceremonies

How to register – Friends Program and Gala Lunch is only $63.60.

Visit the website of the Ontario Library Association Superconference website to register - http://www.accessola.com

At the British Columbia Library Association conference in April, FOCAL President Nicholas Spillios contributed to a panel discussion on a vision of what the future library will be like and how the Friends can help make it happen.

·         Who are friends?

·         How can you tell a friend when you see one?

·         What have we done?

·         How do friends see trustees?

·         How do trustees see friends?

·         How do friends see CEO/staff?

·         What future partnerships can be established?

Visit our archive of conference proceedings to read the text of Nicholas’ presentation:

http://www.accessola.com/focal/Confe.html  > British Columbia > 2007

On the Internet . . .

Interactive websites you can contribute to:

LISNews is a collaborative weblog [aka blog] devoted to current events and news in the world of Library and Information Science. A dedicated team of international bloggers scour the World Wide Web to find stories they find interesting. You'll find links to news stories and Web sites, along with original writing, interviews and reviews. LISNews is updated frequently, usually 7 days a week. We are a non-commercial site, supported by our users. http://www.lisnews.com/

If you take the time to submit a story, feature, editorial, or any other work you personally took the time to write, it remains in every way yours. LISNews retains no control over any work submitted for posting. You may have it removed from the site at anytime for any reason. The comments you see left on stories are not normally edited or removed.

Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki - http://www.libsuccess.org

The section on selling your library includes these topics:              Each topic contains these sections:

Branding                                                                                             Success Stories
Demonstrating Impact, Value and ROI                                             Tips
Fundraising                                                                                         Blogs/Websites to Watch
Marketing                                                                                            Specific Blog Posts/Articles/Books
Promotions
Annual Reports

The Library Thing - http://www.librarything.com/

Join the world’s largest book club and catalogue your home collection.  LibraryThing is an online service to help people catalogue their private home libraries easily. Because everyone catalogues together, LibraryThing also connects people with the same books, comes up with suggestions for what to read next, and so forth.

You can look at other people's libraries, see who has the most similar library to yours, swap reading suggestions and so forth. A free account allows you to catalogue up to 200 books. A paid account allows you to catalogue any number of books. Paid personal accounts cost $10 for a year or $25 for a lifetime.

Fall regional workshop in Port Hope

A regional meeting of Friends took place on Port Hope this fall. Those in attendance were form Ajax, Lindsay, Oshawa, Madoc, and Port Hope.

Donna Wootton, Past Chair FOL Port Hop led a discussion of fundraising successes.

Letter Writing Campaign - $9,000 is raised every year by the Friends of the Port Hope Public Library

Book Sales

a) Permanent store fronts 

b) Outdoor location by water front for Children's Book Sales

c) In-library shelves

d) Monthly book sales

e) Giant Book Sale

f) Partnerships

Other Ongoing Fundraising:

• Raffles – mail out tickets
• Music in the Afternoon – ongoing, dates set, musicians paid nominal amount
• Share-A-Book Program – name plate inside donated bookmark      
• Product Sales – i.e. Stuffed bears – donated
• Book Bags – canvas
• Grocery tapes
• Nevada tickets

One Off Fundraisers:

• Quilt – hanging in library, pay to have name sewn on patches
• Plaque – mounted in library, pay to have name engraved

Other topics covered during this meeting included:  

• Advertising – marketing and press  coverage
• AGM – a short discussion on how to attract members
• How to Spend Money Raised
• Executive make-up and Membership

Following the meeting Barbara Stephenson, CEO & Chief Librarian of Port Hope Public Library, spoke about the library and conducted a tour of its facilities.

Thanks to Donna Wootton for notes provided form this meeting. Her full report may be found on our website.

From FOLUSA’s listserv . . .

Members on the FOLUSA listserv exchange advice on where to find library humour. One recommended website is http://www.librarybliss.com/Jokes.html. Here's an example:

A blonde stormed up to the front desk of the library and said, "I have a complaint!"

"Yes, Ma'am?"
"I borrowed a book last week and it was horrible!"

"What was wrong with it?"
"It had way too many characters and there was no plot whatsoever!"

The librarian nodded and said,

"Ahh. So you must be the person who took our phone book."

Q. Do you know how many librarians it takes to screw in a light bulb?

A. No, but I know where you can look it up!

The Role of Friends – avoiding conflict of interest and micromanagement . . .

Should a Library Board Trustee also serve as the Friend’s President? This question was posed recently on the FOLUSA listserv.

FOLUSA’s Fact Sheet #10  The Role of the Friends Board, FOLUSA notes “Friends may be future Trustees, and Trustees future Friends; however, there should be no overlapping boards.”

The Friends role is not to set library policy, and a member should not have more power and authority than his or her peers on either board. A conflict of interest could arise if a member of the Library Board setting policy is also a member of the Friend’s Board in apposition to influence decisions about funding. In addition, according to the FOLUSA fact sheet, the Library Board may implement a policy that may not be in the best interest of the Friends.

Sally Reed, FOLUSA’s Executive Director, discussed this topic in the August 2005 issue of FOLUSA Newsupdate.

“The most highly functional organizations

have a very clear sense of the different

roles of the key players - Trustees,

librarian, Friends’ board members - and

will ensure that they do not overlap in

terms of decision making and authority”, she wrote.

Reed also describes the risk of micromanagement,  where an individual may cross the line between governance and not management of the library  “Both boards are (and should be) evolving with new members coming on and others leaving,” says Reed.

Refer to the Fact Sheets on the FOLUSA website www.folusa.org.

LET'S KEEP OUR LIBRARIES OPEN RALLY

Library supporters in Toronto were invited by  citizen members of the Toronto Public Library Board and the Writers Union of Canada to come out and show support for Toronto's library system! The rally took place Sunday, October 21 outside the closed front doors of the Toronto Reference Library on Yonge Street

“Toronto's fabulous library system is a key ingredient in the life of he city, but the library is under pressure to cut hours and collections. We

need to keep the doors open and the collections growing,” reported the emailed invitation. The rally was for  open libraries and stocked shelves.

The writers Union of Canada, in a press release, said: “Toronto City Council must reverse its funding cuts to the Toronto Public Library to stop an “alarming decline” in service that threatens to reduce library services to “that of a second-rate rural book depository.”

Vancouver Public Library

October was also an important month for users of the Vancouver Public Library. Libraries, closed since July 26^th, began to reopen Wednesday October 24^th. Library workers were the last of 5,000 municipal workers in Vancouver to return to work following an 88 day strike.

FOCAL's Executive

PRESIDENT –

Nicholas Spillios
Friends of the Edmonton Public Library
E-mail nikos@telusplanet.net

VICE-PRESIDENT  -
Dorothy Macnaughton
Friends of the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library

rmacnaug@sympatico.ca or focal@accessola.com

TREASURER – Lois Magahay

Friends of the Lindsay Public Library

SECRETARY –  vacant

EX OFFICIO – Val Marshall, Founding President

DIRECTORS

BRITISH COLUMBIA –  Jocelyn MacNiel

Friends of the Vancouver Public Library

Lorraine Dorion

Friends of the Smithers Public Library

PRAIRIES/TERRITORIES  - Letty Last
Friends of the Winnipeg Public Library

CENTRAL CANADA 

Jami van Haaften
jvanhaaften@saympatico.ca

ATLANTIC CANADA  - vacant