Contents

Friends Day at CLA - June 1998
From the Editor
Friends News - Ottawa
Friends News Forum
Name that store

Friends Day at CLA - June 1998

Thanks to the generosity of CLA and sponsors Salem Press and Grolier Limited, Friends from across Canada enjoyed a special program of sessions at the CLA Convention in lovely Victoria

60 Friends were on hand for the inaugural meeting of the National Friends Association on Saturday, 20th June. Chaired by Val Ethier, Friends of the Greater Victoria Public Library, Tom Foulkes gave background information on the formation of FOCAL, Gary Archibald introduced the Constitution, Karen Harrison explained the bylaws and Val Marshall introduced the new executive. Sylvia Teasdale moderated the round table discussions on the "Role of a National Organization". Gary led the way speaking from a Trustee's point of view, Karen as a Professional Librarian, Val as a Friend and Tom from the Steering Committee's viewpoint.

The energetic, enthusiastic and sometimes controversial round-table discussions advised the new executive to concentrate on three areas, MEMBERSHIP, COMMUNICATIONS/NETWORKING, and ADVOCACY.

Congratulations to all those who participated in Victoria and a special thank you to Gabriele Schreiber of Random House of Canada who presented each participant with a book entitled "History of Reading" - a very special thank you for being Friends volunteers.

From the Editor

The CLA Convention in Victoria was a great Friends experience. The bright red "Canadian Friends" buttons announced the presence of our new organization. The venue was delightful, the weather superb and the welcome from the Friends of the Greater Victoria Public Library was enthusiastic. The Saturday Friends Day attracted over 60 participants and it was great working with Friends from all across Canada.

Our membership is growing steadily. However, to be an effective national body, we need to keep on growing. Not only will this newsletter go out to over 90 members, but it will be mailed to any and all organizations that will want to sign up. You can help. Please copy your newsletter, distribute it to your Friends Group and any other prospective members. Not that we are being forgotten. The Southern Ontario Library Service has a great article on FOCAL in their latest publication of Signal. Look for an article in Quill and Quire in their next edition.

To enhance our position, application has been made for Federal Charitable Status. Vice-President Jami is working on our own web page...We now have our own simple letterhead and envelopes and we're working hard to bring together Friends at both the Ontario Library Association Conference in January of 1999 and the Canadian Library Association Conference next June. Many thanks to all presenters who are giving so enthusiastically of their time and talents. Both these events are in Toronto. However, we are hoping to support any other Provincial Conference. Please let us know if you require any help. I am constantly amazed at the ingenuity and resourcefulness of Friends across Canada. This newsletter highlights some fantastic ideas.

- Val Marshall, President.

Friends News:

FRIENDS OF THE ARGYLE/PUBNICO LIBRARY hoisted their sails on the south shore of Nova Scotia in November 1997. Over $600 was raised with Christmas raffles. Still gung-ho in February 1998, eleven friends participated in a marathon pie "make and bake" resulting in 140 pies which netter $500. With this money, plus a community donation of $1,000, the Friends purchased two proper library tables with chairs and put $250 into the "Adopt-a-Book" program in their library. Experience is teaching us that companies will contribute product donations, while the Lion's Club willingly allows rent-free use of their hall, which cuts down on costs. Projects are presently being discussed for the remainder of the year. Judy Ferron, President, Friends of the Library, Argyle/Pubnico, Box 22, Pubnico, NS. B0W 2W0

OTTAWA FRIENDS EMBARK UPON EXCITING PROJECT! The Friends' Executive has set itself three demanding goals to achieve by the time 2001 rolls in. A new millenium project, the brainchild of Paul Devlin, FOPLA Secretary, will combine all our talents and preserverance and put them to work on the Association's behalf.

"Friends 2001" is a three-pronged initiative. The goals are to expand the membership of the Friends to 600 from 300; to raise our fundraising to $100,000 annually from $50,000; and to increase the capital of our Trust Fund to $250,000 from it's present $60,000. We feel strongly about doing everything we can to provide the Ottawa Public Library with materials and services otherwise not within it's budget. So onward and upward! Futher information about "Friends 2001" is available from Paul Devlin at 613-733-2168. Nancy Goodman-Friends of the Ottawa Public Library.

Friends News Forum by Jami Van Haaften

The Friends of the Brampton Public Library are putting their fundraising efforts towards the purchase of 20 CD-ROM workstations. They have raised over $13,000. The Friends sell cloth bags at all four library branches as well as through the gift kiosk at the Brampton City Hall. Attractive mugs have been produced and are also on sale at the Branches. They are also developing a line of souvenir items. http://www.library.on.ca/~brampton/friends.html. Brockville:Caledon If you leave your name and phone number at the Friends' Corner in the Library in Brockville and Caledon, a Friend will call you to book an appointment for your "Get Acquainted with the Library" personal tour. They also offer evenings of entertainment based on local oral history, produce floral arrangements for the reading room and organize outings to the theatre and other places of interest. http://www.eagle.ca/cpl/friends.htm. Friends in Huntsville sponsor the purchase of books, videos, and various other materials; a children's "Read to Succeed" program and speecial holiday programs. Money to support these projects is raised in their Friends Boutique which sells used books no longer required by the library, as well as through generous donations from the community. Nevada tickets are sold at their kiosk located in the Huntsville Place Mall. http://www.town.huntsville.on.ca/friends.html. The Friends of the Peterborough Public Library formed in 1986 and meet every second month for a noon-hour business meeting and brown bag lunch. Their book sale group, co-ordinated by Past-President Jo Gibbon meets every Tuesday morning to sort books for their popular annual sale. At their pot-luck dinner meeting in June, members decide how to disperse the funds raised in the current year. Recent Friends donated $1,000 to purchase CD-ROMS for the newly installed CD-ROM station in the Children's Library and $10,000 for various books and tapes for the adult and children's sections. http://www.peterborough-library.com/MainFriends.html. Friends in Espanola were thanked for making possible the web page and all hardware and software needed to complete the Library Automation Project. The Friends donated nearly $12,000 and additional grants of $10,000 from the Weston Foundation were donated in 1995 and 1997. http://etown.net/Library/espanola.htm. Next on the agenda of the Friends in Hamilton is moving the Wishing Well to other branch locations around the system; to officially launch their Web Site; to conduct a membership drive in September; to investigate the feasibility of designing and selling Friends Mugs and to key sales of "library-related" items such as cookbooks, book bags and possibly mugs to annual occasions such as Valentines Day, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas and hold these sales at as many branches as possible. (Very Ambitious!) Check out their lit of "Friendly Facts" at http://www.hpl.hamilton.on.ca/framefol.htm. FOLUSA - You can join the e-mail discussion group of Friends of the Libraries U.S.A. Address your message to listproc@listserv.folusa.com. In the body of your message type: Subscribe folusa-L firstname lastname. (eg. folusa-L Jane Doe). You should receive a welcome. E-mail is then sent automatically that contains information about the listserv and how to participate.

Name that Store?

Wondering what to name your bookstore? In a recent exchange among members in an Ontario Libray Association Discussion Group, a list of 30 names was provided by Helen Oram, Webpage http://www.book-sales-in-america.com. "Best Friends Books", "Book Nook", "Book-Go-Round", "Secondhand Prose Bookstore", "Twice Sold Tales", and "Twice Told Tales" are some of the ingenious titles... Let us have your suggestions?