Friends of the Library - San Lorenzo Area
Meeting of the Board
February 23, 2009
Minutes
Directors present: H. Beckman, K. Cancilla, M. Dias, N. Kent, D. Yanagi
Directors absent: C. Webb (excused)
Others present: Librarian Anthony dos Santos, Eb Lemcke
The meeting was called to order by vice-president Beckman at 6:05 p.m. in the library.
Announcements:
(1) Beckman said he will take the initiative to produce the next newsletter, which he thought should go out in early March. He said we have to find someone who can lay out the newsletter on a computer.
(2) Beckman reported that Betty Moose has still not turned over any official or historical documents belonging to Friends. Unless someone can come up with a better approach, he intends to send a certified letter giving her a definite time to hand over documents.
Approval of Minutes: No minutes of the January meeting were presented.
Librarian's Report: Anthony dos Santos reported that citizenship classes will be held in the library soon; classes are being funded by a foundation grant. He has no information yet on the county library administration's budget for the new fiscal year. Kent asked if children might take copies of the "East Bay Express" newspaper, which she said is "racy". Answer: not a problem and haven't had complaints. Beckman said he thought the paper was a valuable source of news not reported elsewhere and would be concerned about removal as censorship.
Appointments: Beckman described the various vacancies we have.
(1) We are required by state law to have three officers (president, treasurer, and secretary); their duties are summarized in our bylaws. These officers do not have to be directors.
(2) We also have one director vacancy due to reported resignation of Jean Boulton; although we have not had a written resignation, Boulton has indicated she is resigning, and she hasn't attended a meeting since last summer.
(3) We are entitled to two appointees to the county-created San Lorenzo Library Advisory Committee. Presently Betty Moose is one, and the other seat is vacant. We also can appoint two alternates. Beckman reported that he has asked Richard Hancocks, of Fairmont Terrace, if he would accept an appointment; Hancocks is already on the committee as the appointee of his neighborhood association but willing to be our appointee if his association can find another representative.
Beckman asked the board to think about all of these appointments and be prepared at the next meeting to decide how we should proceed to select appointments.
Future Meetings: Beckman asked the board to consider whether we want different meeting times or a different place to meet, since we have very limited time in the library if we meet in the evening. Kent said she would contact the San Lorenzo Village Homes Assn. about using its hall.
Beckman said that Webb has suggested the board meet less often and that we hold "general meetings" primarily for members a few times a year.
Permanent Committees: Beckman asked the board to think about our committee structure. We have created several permanent committees (membership, fundraising, newsletter). How much autonomy do we give committees; do chairpersons have to be board members. We need to come up with guidelines.
Capital Fund Drive: The board discussed what it would take to start a drive to raise money for a new library. Kent suggested that we test community support for the idea. Should we go after pledges (versus cash)? We would need a special committee to manage the drive. How directly should all directors be involved? Beckman said we must have specific goals and be able to evaluate progress. Lemcke proposed that Friends set a goal of raising $4 - $5 million for land on which to build a library. Beckman said we need to look at the legal pitfalls of a nonprofit corporation raising capital funds for a county project; we would probably need some kind of agreement with the county. Lemcke emphasized that Friends should remain in control of funds raised, as that gives us a substantial say in planning for a new library.
Adjournment: Meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m. to March 23, 6:00 p.m.
(Minutes submitted by Howard Beckman based on notes by Marilyne Dias)
Approved by the board on March 23, 2009
Certified: _______________________________