Friends of the Amesbury Public Library Meeting Minutes

FRIENDS OF THE AMESBURY PUBLIC LIBRARY MEETING MINUTES February 1, 2016 at the Amesbury Public Library Local History Room 7:00PM - 1 of 3

APL Friends Board and Book Shop: Nicole Harry, Janet Geanoulis, Christine Conant, Alison Kelley, Kate Currie, Crystal MacKay Library Personnel: Kim Butler Additional Friends and Community Attendance: Barbara Bell, Billie Porter, Erica Puorro, Kristin ten Bensel

Library Requests $1,079.91 in total expenses approved, including the following: - $443.89 for Kim Butler’s requests for Raised on Songs and Stories ($300.00), Preserving History through Photography ($100.00), Coloring Club ($40.53), and Adult Winter Reading ($3.36). - $125 for Margie Walker’s request for You have your DNA, Now What? - $511.02 for Clare Dombrowski’s requests for Summer Reading programs (336.02) and 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten ($175.00).

Library Director’s Report to the Friends: (document dated February 2016) Highlights include: - The new After School programs geared towards seventh and eighth graders have begun. - Adult Coloring Club in January 11 was successful with 17 attendees. - The library is focused on bringing in many new science and math programs for children. - The new air conditioning units have been approved. - The archivist is working with the city to repair and restore paintings.

Treasurer’s Report: (document dated January 01, 2016 – January 31, 2016) Janet presented the Treasurer’s Report, highlights included: - Provident Bank balance 1/31 = $2,970.30 - Newburyport 5 Savings Bank balance 1/31 = $9,120.28 - Earmarked $3,560.21 from closed (additional) Newburyport 5 Saving Bank for expenses to be determined - Earmarked $995.00 for: Children’s Room ($275.00), Children’s programming ($220.00), genealogy book ($50.00) - Appropriated $1,100.00 for Holiday Program

Secretary’s Report: (document dated January 4, 2016) Minutes from the January meeting were approved contingent upon an update to the date listed on the membership report.

Book Shop Report: Chris Conant presented the Book Shop Report, highlights included: - January Book Shop sales were $1,056.50

Membership Report: (document dated January 2016) Kate Currie presented the Membership Report, highlights included: - The Google database contains 189 contacts. - There were 2 renewals and 1 new membership received in January. FRIENDS OF THE AMESBURY PUBLIC LIBRARY MEETING MINUTES February 1, 2016 at the Amesbury Public Library Local History Room 7:00PM - 2 of 3 FRIENDS OF THE AMESBURY PUBLIC LIBRARY MEETING MINUTES February 1, 2016 at the Amesbury Public Library Local History Room 7:00PM - 3 of 3

Marketing Report: Erica Puorro presented the Marketing update, highlights included: - There were 12 additional likes on the Friends’ Facebook page bringing the total to 363. - Erica continues to work with Theo on updates to the Friends web page. The platform of the website will be updated in the next 3-6 months, which will allow for more flexibility with content and design.

Old Business Goal Planning for 2016: The Friends decided to move forward with ordering both bags and stickers with the new logo. The Friends would like to offer interested local businesses a corporate sponsor level membership, including a featured logo on the website. Donation Box: The board approved the purchase of a donation box to be placed on display during sponsored events.

New Business Nevertheless Writers:

Elizabeth Atkinson from the “Nevertheless Writers” approached the Nicole Harry to host a Valentine’s Day event. The theme of the event is Love and Chocolates, and the authors will perform brief readings followed by an author Q&A panel. The event is scheduled for Thursday, February 11, 2016 and is being promoted by both the friends and the writer’s group through social media, press release, and the local Chamber of Commerce.

PayPal Account Crystal MacKay will coordinate the creation and setup of a PayPal account to accept online and credit card donations and membership payments.

Library News: The Friends have requested that the “Library News” brochure be distributed to the Friends when it is made available.

Membership Month: Membership month events ideas discussed included: - Silent Auction - Flatbread Community Night - Wine and/or beer tasting - Bake Sales - Free book Day - General promotion of the Friends to create awareness

Adjourn: The next Friends of the Amesbury Public Library meeting is March 7, 2016 at 7:00 PM.