Friends of the Library - San Lorenzo Area
Meeting of the Board
November 24, 2008
Minutes
Directors present: Beckman, Dias, Kent, Webb
Directors absent: Boulton
Others present: Karen Cancilla, Ed Gomes, Mike Ratto
The meeting was called to order by vice-president Beckman at 6:05 p.m. in the library.
Announcements:
(1) The Friends Christmas tree decorating party will be Dec. 8 4 - 6 p.m.
(2) Ann Lore submitted her resignation as historian as of Nov. 12.
Approval of Minutes:
m/s/unanimous to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of August 25 and special
meeting of Nov. 10.
Librarian's Report: Anthony dos Santos was not at the meeting. The board agreed to ask him for
a short written report when he is not able to attend a meeting.
Treasurer's Report: Webb distributed monthly accounting of expenses for Jan. - Nov. These
reports will be formally accepted at the next meeting, giving everyone an opportunity to review
them in advance.
We now have two checking accounts for book sales. One account receives income from the
ongoing sale in the library lobby and has been used to pay for certain types of expenses. The
other receives income from the quarterly book sale and is used for general expenses. Webb
proposed that we combine the two while continuing to account separately for income from the
two types of book sales.
m/s/unanimous to combine the two accounts into a single account.
Beckman suggested that we have a treasurer's report quarterly; the board desires to have a
monthly report for the time being. He said we need to establish a policy on when expenditures
have to be approved by the board as well as a petty cash use policy. There was informal
agreement that the board should know in advance how its contributions to library operations are
being used.
Newsletter: It was agreed that the next newsletter should go out in early December, in advance
of the letter going to members about the annual membership meeting in January. The purpose is
to give members early notice about the election and invite candidates for board vacancies.
Dues: Kent proposed increasing dues. Beckman believes dues should be kept very low to allow
the largest number of people to become members and should not be viewed as a significant source
of revenue. The board agreed informally to revisit the question in six months.
Fundraising Committee:
m/s/unanimous to create a permanent non-capital fundraising committee.
A separate committee would be formed to work on capital fundraising if the board decides to
establish a capital fund for a new library.
Post Office Box: We have used the library's address for decades as our principal mailing address.
In addition, various documents are mailed to individuals at their homes. Webb proposed that we
have our own POB to distinguish the organization from the library as well as for efficiency and
security.
m/s/unanimous to rent a box at the San Lorenzo PO and authorize Webb and Kent to have access.
Acceptance of New Members:
m/s/unanimous to accept the eight new members listed in the attachment to the minutes.
Open Forum: Comments were made (1) questioning the wisdom of investing in the existing
building until a new library is built and (2) urging vigilance on any change in use of the county's
utility user tax, which since its inception has been used to supplement police and library services.
Adjournment: Meeting adjourned at 7:38 p.m. to December 15, 6:00 p.m. The meeting will
focus on the upcoming annual meeting and the 2009 budget, including the question whether to
establish a capital fund for a new library
As of the next meeting we will begin audio recording of meetings and recruit someone to
summarize meetings from the recordings.
(Minutes recorded by Natalie Kent and reported by Howard Beckman)
Approved by the board on December 15, 2008
Certified: _______________________________