Friends of the Library - San Lorenzo Area

Meeting of the Board

December 15, 2008

Minutes

Directors present: Beckman, Dias, Kent, Webb

Directors absent: Boulton

Others present: D. Yanagi, I. Beamish

The meeting was called to order by vice-president Beckman at 6:10 p.m. in the library.

Approval of Minutes:

m/s/unanimous to approve the minutes of the meeting of November 24.

Librarian's Report: Anthony dos Santos reported on the library renovation. The library is expected to be closed between July and October 2009. He distributed a "budget estimate" and project timeline that had been handed out at the recent San Lorenzo Library Advisory Committee meeting (see attached). He said that shelf space is expected to be less than what it is now.

Dos Santos plans to host speakers that will address home mortgage and foreclosure issues, as well as provide direct assistance to patrons on resume writing. He said that, in collaboration with Supervisor Lai-Bitker "health initiative", some "wellness" programs would be conducted in the library. Beckman questioned the suitability and practicality of services that compete with the library's core functions and that divert library staff away from those functions.

Treasurer's Report: At the previous meeting Webb had distributed monthly expense reports for Jan. - Nov. 2008.

m/s/unanimous to accept the monthly expense reports for Jan. - Nov. 2008.

Webb discussed with Bank of the West changes in designation of persons authorized to sign our checks. He reported there should be no problems combining accounts, as authorized at our Nov. 24 meeting. The board discussed changes in check-signing authority but postponed action to the January meeting.

The budget for 2009 was discussed but action was postponed to the January meeting. In particular, the board discussed Webb's proposal to transfer income from book sales into a capital fund for a new library; the amount for scholarships, continued membership, subscription, or donations to certain organizations; printing; and postage costs.

Acceptance of New Members: None.

Annual Meeting: The board set the annual membership meeting for Jan. 26 in conjunction with our regular board meeting, and agreed to spend up to $100 on refreshments.

San Lorenzo Library Advisory Committee: Beckman reported that this committee, created by the county board of supervisors in 2002 to advise on construction of a new library, has two seats reserved for our organization. Betty Moose has been one appointee since the creation of the committee. Our other seat is vacant, as are the two alternate positions. He said we should think about appointees and take action soon, as the county librarian is treating the committee as the exclusive "voice of the community" in all matters concerning the library.

Open Forum: No comments offered.

Adjournment: Meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m. to January 26, 6:00 p.m.

(Minutes recorded by Marilyne Dias and reported by Howard Beckman)

Approved by the board on January 26, 2009

Certified: _______________________________