July Board Minutes

Corrections at August meeting: Patti was present. Library bags are NOT canvas, are polypro. Outreach: we need to contact the Sand in the City people about selling the notecards. Date of meeting should be 14th, not 16th. Update names. Corrections shown below in italics.

Taken July 14 by Elaine Nelson, Secretary

Present: Mary Belz, Beth Dubey, Marijo Loftis, Gayle Newsom, Mary Applen, Irene Osborn, Jean Finely, Winnifred Olsen, Cheryl Heywood, Elaine Nelson

Guests: Mark Derricott, Dorothy Laugharn, Eileen Ackerman, Gudrun Aurand

Call to order: 12:05

June minutes: Beth moves to accept, Gayle seconds.

Treasurer’s report: current information about the same as report, have written a couple of checks, but also got a deposit. $600/month on the permanent book sale shelves. Has the notecards ready for sale, sent around a sample. Thanks to Mark, Irene, Beth, and Cheryl for their hard work. Discussion of whether the cards were paid for. Irene will investigate. Books are also sold via Amazon and Once Sold Tales in Seattle. Books that are donated go to the library first, looked over for whether they can be used, about 2000 titles a year, esp new fiction. The rest are given to the friends to sell. Library budget: 16% for materials down to 14% for next year.

New/Old Business

• Nomination of Lila Sjodin to the Board, will be working on volunteering. Jean nominates, Mary A seconds. All aye.
• Page Turners books: friends have been purchasing books for kid discussion books for several years. kids keep the copies – paperbacks. has been getting more difficult to get enough books for adult groups. not seniors, they use a kit from service center. select books that we know are available in paperback. 7 titles, 5 copies each in paper/trade paper. instead of readers keeping them, they’d go back to the collection, to sell or for book group kits. Beth suggests trying it for a year with books coming back. Jean will coordinate, including a sign-in sheet. Wanda already has the list of books and is taking copies out of donations. Gayle proposes, ??? moves [missed the name], Patti seconds.
• Note cards: sample passed around. Sold some at event on Saturday? Gayle asks if they’re being made available at local shops. Questions raised: Who will be responsible for the products? Will bookstore get a cut? Gayle thinks not. Mark said that this needs to be thinking towards the future, how to manage, scale and efficiency. Eileen asked about the Chamber office. Jean asks how we currently sell bookbags. Beth said no inventory control currently. Could they be sold online? Elaine thinks so. Irene suggests [missed this] Cheryl thinks that we’re not ready to do the bookstore thing, if we had a volunteer at a table for a couple of hours on Monday & Saturday could do really well. Jean mentions membership tables at events. Put in newsletter that we need volunteers for that. More discussion of the online option, shipping, Patti would prefer not. Mark asked how they show up on the balance sheet: as inventory? Beth says not, since we don’t know how much money is going to what, shows as donations now. If we want to keep track of them, we can’t sell them on the shelves. Will be doing notecards, bookbags, and puzzles. These new items will be sold by volunteers at library events and by a volunteer on Monday & Saturday. Where to keep them? There’s still a bit of space in the sorting room. Who will be responsible for tracking and organize volunteers? Patti will be responsible for inventory; Beth will make up tally sheets. Marijo will organize volunteers for events; Lila will organize for regular days. Cheryl thinks every Mon/Sat might be too much, maybe first? Will also be able to sign up for memberships. Lila will keep Cheryl in the loop. Need a poster for the public. Cheryl’s staff really needs consistency; need to write down expectations for volunteers. Money management? Background checks? Need to start doing that. It’s free. Discussion of which days. Decided on 1st monday & 3rd Saturday. Lila will write up a procedure.
• Puzzles: Mark submitted proposals to a bunch of online companies, doesn’t have any info yet. Should be able to get to everyone by email, probably by the next communications meeting on August 13, then if additional board feedback needed will bring to board meeting.
• How will we be honoring Mimi Williams? Attach to another library program? None between week after next & September. Cheryl will come back with a recommendation next month. In the meantime, Mary can send thank-you note & card packet.
• Library bags: district is getting together an order right now for all friends groups. Setup charge at $75, $1.75/bag. Canvas bags. Missed some of the details from Cheryl. Beth would like to see samples. Mark can “run interference” with board’s approval. Moved that Mark researches bag options and consults with Beth and Mary to decide whether to participate in this purchase.

Library manager’s report: Otters in the atrium: question raised at previous meeting, are in current location because of fire code. Copy of letter for report. Financial request: all way out in the future. $2475, late request to partner with B&N, schools, sci/fi fantasy YA author $500 now on Oct 14. Can make up with “book fair” sale to benefit friends, vouchers for people to bring in. Irene moves that we authorize the $500, Jean seconds. Beth abstains. Discovered that $500 was included in $2475! Elaine moves, Irene & Patti second approving all. All ayes.

Outreach committee: Marijo has list of events on the board, incl Sand in the City 8/22. Emails others if spots fill up. Will be helping to staff the library’s booth. Can be selling notecards, will be worked out after meeting.

Discussion about reception being held to recognize Procession for award from Reader’s Digest.

Book sale committee: Irene needs more volunteers, including for the art sales. Mary will get something to Emmett for the newsletter. Lila will contact her. Next book sale Oct 3-4.

Meeting adjourned 1:14 p.m.