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FRIENDS OF THE WASHINGTON PARISH LIBRARY

                                        MINUTES–February 28, 2008

 

            The FWPL held its February meeting at 6:00 p.m. at the Franklinton branch of the library.  Those present were Lorraine Bourn, Roselyn Cassanova, Judie Dauser, Carol Duke, Fern Grantham, Fran Harry, Jack Harry, Sylvia Ledet, Connie Miller, Mary Jo Poole, Judy Rabuffo, Terry Seal, Marianne Smith, Sally Thomas, and Jean Wales.

 

            President Jean Wales called the meeting to order and asked for a moment of silence.  She then asked for the reading of the minutes to the January 24, 2008 meeting.  Because Secretary Anne Tate could not attend the meeting, Carol Duke read the minutes, which were approved on a motion by Mary Jo Poole and seconded by Sally Thomas.  Next, Judy Rabuffo read the Treasurer’s report. Friends has an ending balance of $7,685.18, which includes $1,960.00 from donations, tickets, and sponsorships for the Cook‑Off.  The report was approved on a motion from Lorraine Bourn and seconded by Mary Jo Poole.

 

            After the approval of the treasurer’s report, Wales called for a report from the Cook‑Off committee.  Sponsor letters have been sent.  Nevers’ office printed the letters and donated the stamps for the mailing.  Letters to potential Cook‑Off teams were sent out on February 15, 2008 and have a due date of April 10, 2008.  Tickets, which were donated by Magee Finance, are available to all FWPL and are available to the public at various businesses in Franklinton and Bogalusa and the Franklinton branch library.  Those present discussed publicity and the purchase of yard signs.  We think that we can use signs from last year, but we will have to change the date.  Sponsor signs can also be reused, hopefully.

 

            For the ticket stub drawings, Fern Grantham has generously donated $150.00 worth of gasoline.  Jean Wales will make two baskets of homemade jellies and jams, and Sally Rosenblum has gotten a $25.00 gift certificate for gas from Gas‑N‑Shop #3 on Avenue F.  Food donations are coming in.  We should have available hot dogs, chili, baked beans, fried chicken, and Cokes in addition to the competition food.  For entertainment, the PaperTown band will perform from 4‑7 p.m.  A signup sheet was passed around the table.  We need enough volunteers so that no one has to work all three hours serving food.  The Cook‑Off Committee will meet again on March 10, 2008 for all those who are interested in attending the meeting.

 


            Washington Parish Tales is nearing completion.  No more submissions are being accepted and the completed manuscript should be sent to the publisher by mid‑May.  Terry Seal suggested that we have a tent near the stage setup for the presale of the book and a place for the contributing authors to stay and meet the public and read excerpts from their works from the stage.  She passed out sheets listing the book’s possible table of contents.  The book will contain both black and white and color plates.  She hopes that the book will be priced at no more than $40.00 per book.  Janice and James Goff, who will emcee from the stage, will need to know how many authors will read from their works.

 

            Following the discussion of the book, we had an open discussion.  Bobbie wants books on tape, which will have to have Joe Sbisa’s approval.  One thousand dollars from the three thousand that Temple‑Inland gave to the library is for the parish, and this money can be used to buy the tapes.  Connie Miller, who works for the library, passed out forms for us to purchase T‑shirts and book bags with the theme for the summer reading program on them.  Members were encouraged to purchase them.  During the open discussion, Donald Westmoreland stopped by to inform us that the floors in both the Bogalusa and Franklinton libraries will be cleaned and waxed.

 

            After the open discussion, the date for the next meeting was established.  We will meet on March 27, 2008 at the Bogalusa Branch library at 6:00 p.m.

 

            On motion of Terry Seal and seconded by Mary Jo Poole, the meeting was adjourned.

 

                   FRIENDS OF THE WASHINGTON PARISH LIBRARY

                                        MINUTES– January 24, 2008

 

 

The FWPL held its January meeting at 6:00 p.m. at the Bogalusa branch of the library.  Present were: Lorraine Bourn, Carol Duke, Janice Goff, Frances Harry, Jack Harry, Sylvia Johnson, Mary Jo Poole, Judy Rabuffo, Gayle Rester, Sally Rosenblum, Terry Seal, Marianne Smith, Jean Wales and Anne Tate.

The meeting was called to order by Lorraine Bourn and began with a moment of silence.  The minutes of the November 29, 2007 meeting were read by Judy Rabuffo, who took the minutes in the absence of the secretary, Carol Duke.  Sylvia Johnson offered one correction, noting additional persons working on the Tales of Washington Parish book.  The minutes were approved, as corrected, on motion of Carol Duke, seconded by Marianne Smith.

The Treasurer’s report was presented by Lorraine Bourn.  It reflected a balance as of January 24, 2008 of $7,690.13.  Discussion of the generosity of Temple Inland in building this balance followed. Donations from Temple Inland businesses have donated $3,000, part from the box plant and part from the mill.  Temple Inland is also a member of FWPL at the corporate level and has also committed to being a sponsor of this year’s cook-off.  A copy of the report showing all disbursements and deposits is attached.  On motion duly seconded, the report was approved.

Mary Jo Poole presented a report on the disbursements of funds from the 2007 cook-off as follows: 

Net funds raised                                                              $13,088.29

Set aside for publishing

     Tales of Washington Parish                         2,000.00

Purchases

      Weather Alert Radios                                     306.56

       Battery Back-Up for Server                  593.37

       Book Drop for Thomas Branch         2,113.00

                 Language Tapes (Bogalusa Br.)           253.03

       Rugs (Franklinton Br.)                         229.96

       Classical Tapes (Bogalusa Br.)             211.23

       Portable building (storage for

system)                                                   4,971.00

      DVD collection                                                                                  2,977.33

      -567.46


The goal of spending the cook-off proceeds has been accomplished, with the negative balance met by funds in the treasury from membership dues and other donations. 

Discussion followed concerning the need to coordinate with the library’s board of control and the librarians to develop a plan for improvement of the library system and determine the areas of need. 

Carol Duke next reported on the plans for the 2008 Cook-Off.  The committee met on January 17 and will meet next on Wednesday, January 30 at 11:00 at the Golden Pear.  Interested persons are welcome to attend the committee meeting.  Carol passed around a sheet for members to volunteer their participation in this event prior to the meeting and asked for all to consider how they can help.  Chairs for the various subcommittees were identified as follows:             

Sponsors: Chair–Marianne Smith; Co-chair–Anne Tate

Tickets: Chair–Lorraine Bourn; Co-chair Judy Rabuffo

Entertainment: Chair–Betty Rose Hunt

Food: Chair–Jean Wales; Co-chair–Gayle Rester

Grounds: Chair–Doug Kemp; Co-chair–Ethel and Derl Burr

Publicity: Chair–Sylvia Johnson; Co-chair–Marianne Smith

Teams: Chair–Fran Harry; Co-chair–Carol Duke

Carol also reported that PaperTown band has agreed to play for the event and has reduced its usual charge to $500. 

Sally Rosenblum suggested a raffle of 100 gallons of gas be included in the event.  The suggestion was favorably received and Sally agreed to pursue a donor for the gas.

Sylvia Johnson and Terry Seal next reported on Washington Parish Tales.  The deadline for submissions to the book has passed and there are nearly 80 submissions from 60 persons.  The committee plans to have the contents at the printer by mid-April.  The printing cost is $20 per book of 200 pages and it is anticipated that the  book may exceed 200 pages.

On motion of Sally Rosenblum, seconded by Janice Goff,  Friends decided to establish a retail price for the book and conduct a pre-sale with a reduced price. 

The price of the book will be determined when more is known about its size and the actual publication costs.  Members also discussed the possibility of having a celebration when the books arrive and allowing purchasers to pick them up there (thereby saving postage costs).

On motion of Mary Jo Poole, seconded by Carol Duke, the following nominations of new officers were accepted:

President–Jean Wales

Vice-President–Marianne Smith


Secretary–Anne Tate

Treasurer–Judy Rabuffo.  There being no further nominations from the floor, these persons were elected by acclamation.  Vacancies in the Board of Directors were noted and Jack Harry and Lorraine Bourn agreed to serves as Directors and were also elected by acclamation.

Discussion followed concerning the possibility of having some of the authors of Washington Parish Tales read their stories at the Cook-Off.  Lorraine Bourn advised the membership that a person is needed to keep up the website. 

The next meeting of Friends was scheduled for Thursday, February 28 at 6:00 p.m. at the Franklinton Library.

On motion of Sally Rosenblum seconded by Lorraine Bourn, the meeting was adjourned.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

 

_________________________

Anne Tate, Secretary 

 

Nov. 29th Meeting The meeting was called to order by Mrs. Lorraine Bourn at the Washington Parish Library in Franklinton. There were seven members present: Mrs. Lorraine Bourn, Mrs. Jean Wales, Mrs. Sylvia Johnson, Mr. Jack Harry, Mrs. Fran Harry, Ms. MaryJo Poole and Ms. Judy Rabuffo. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and there was one correction noted ( the time of the history workshop at the YWCA). A motion was made by Ms. MaryJo Poole that the minutes as corrected be approved, seconded by Mrs. Jean Wales and unanimously approved. The Treasurer’s report was given by Mrs. Lorraine Bourn. We had expenditures of $253.30 for Language Tapes for the Bogalusa Library, $211.23 for Classical CDs for the Bogalusa Library, $245.39 for rugs for the Franklinton Library and for an autographed Yusef book for the Celebrity Auction, and $4.95 to Pay Pal for our web site. We had deposits of $150 in membership dues, bringing our balance to $13,192.12. Future expenditures include a DVD collection, shelves for the Thomas Library, and the cost of the Tales of Washington Parish. Ms. MaryJo Poole made a motion to accept the report as read. It was seconded by Ms. Judy Rabuffo and approved by those present. Mrs. Bourn brought up the question of a storage building for the Franklinton Library. They currently have a rented storage unit that cost $65 per month. The lease for this unit is up this month so a decision needs to be made tonight. Mrs. Bourn had gotten two estimates for a 12x20 insulated building with a steel door. Better Built Portable Building of Bogalusa provided an itemized estimate. Mrs. Bourn responded to a question regarding the contents of the rented storage unit and said that donated boxes of books for the summer reading program, unused furniture, and seasonal decorations are stored there. A question was asked by Mr. Harry concerning the flooring of the building. Mrs. Bourn will check on that item. If the flooring is built with treated 2x6 joists with exterior grade plywood flooring, then the motion was made to buy the storage building from Better Built Portable Building in Bogalusa and approved by those present. The next order of business concerned the business opportunities that had been discussed at the October meeting. A motion was made and approved by all to not accept these opportunities. Mrs. Sylvia Johnson reported that she and Gloria Lupo continue to work on the Tales of Washington Parish. They have 50 stories so far. The deadline for admission of these stories has been extended. It was announced that Ms. Marianne Smith will be doing our newsletter. After a discussion of our plans for the future, a motion was made by Mrs. Fran Harry that we have one major fund raiser a year and work in close contact with the director and staffs of the libraries in Washington Parish to meet their needs. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Jean Wales and approved unanimously. Mrs. Bourn told us that the nominating committee is having a problem getting anyone interested in running for office. They have recommended Ms. Marianne Smith as Vice-President and Ms. Ann Tate as Secretary. She encouraged those present to volunteer and Mrs. Jean Wales was nominated for President and Ms. Judy Rabuffo was nominated for Treasurer. A motion was made and passed that this will be our slate for the next year. Mrs. Carol Duke has volunteered to be chairman of the Cook-Off this year. Mrs. Harry requested information on the cook-off teams so that she can begin work on the flyers as soon as possible. Mrs. Bourn reported that there is good news regarding circulation at our major libraries: Thomas had 3887 transactions, Franklinton had 19,834, and Bogalusa had 21,230. She also asked those present to consider investing our funds in a long range plan to supply permanent funds for the libraries that could be accessed for salaries or other needs. There was no further business. A motion to adjourn was made by Ms. MaryJo Poole, seconded by Mrs. Fran Harry and unanimously passed.


Minutes from Sept. 6, 2007 meeting

Present: Lorraine Bourn, Millicent Canter, Carol Duke, Sylvia Ledet, Brad Orman, Mary Jo Poole, Judy Rabuffo, Gayle Rester, Mary Katherine Thomas, Rebekah Thomas, Sally Thomas.



Lorraine Bourn began the meeting by calling for a moment of silence. She then asked for the minutes of the last disbursement meeting to be read. Carol Duke read the minutes, and Mary Jo Poole made the motion that the minutes be accepted as read. Judy Rabuffo seconded her motion. Ms. Bourn then gave the treasurer's report. Excluding expenditures, FWPL has a balance of $15,414.39. Mary Jo Poole made the motion that the treasurer's report be accepted, and Gayle Rester seconded her motion.

Following the treasurer's report, Lorraine Bourn addressed the proposed amendments to the constitution requested by the IRS. Ms. Bourn presented the amended constitution to members. Sylvia Ledet made the motion to add the requested amendments and Gayle Rester seconded her motion. Bourn requested everyone sign the amendment sheet and the amended constitution.

After everyone signed both sheets, Lorraine Bourn introduced Brad Orman who will be the moderator in Franklinton for Friends' political forum, which will feature those candidates running for Parish President and Sheriff of Washington Parish. The forum will take place on October 9 and 11 at the library branches in Franklinton and Bogalusa. The moderator for Bogalusa has not been chosen yet. Orman suggested that no questions be accepted from the audience. For this reason, questions can be e-mailed to Friends, mailed to Friends at the main branch in Franklinton, or they can be placed in collection boxes, which will be placed in both the Franklinton and Bogalusa branches of the library. Lorraine Bourn suggested that the questions be given to the candidates prior to the forum. Orman stated that the candidates' seating for the forum be random. After a brief discussion, every one agreed that the forum begin at 6:30 PM and extend to 8:00 PM. Tuesday, October 9, 2007 will feature the Parish President candidates in Franklinton and the Sheriff candidates in Bogalusa. Then on Thursday, October ll, 2007, Sheriff candidates will be in Franklinton and Parish President candidates will be in Bogalusa. Orman suggested that we get in contact with Tim Augustine of the local television channel to have the forums recorded. Sheriff Jones will supply officers to each library for the forum. Lorraine Bourn will write the news release for the forum.

The disbursement committee was the next item on the agenda. So far, Friends has purchased weather alert radios and battery backup for the computer server. Additionally, $2,000.00 has been reserved for Tales of Washington Parish. Items that Friends needs to purchase include a book drop for Thomas ($2,000.00), a DVD collection ($3,000.00), and shelving for Thomas ($1,000.00). Gayle Rester made the motion that we purchase all of the items on the agenda, and Mary Jo Poole seconded her motion.

During the open discussion period of the meeting, Lorraine Bourn mentioned that the Franklinton branch needs helpers to help keep the shelved books in order. She suggested that members of Friends volunteer to help check that all books are shelved correctly. Additionally, she gave an update to her letter to Mr. Hunter at Ace Hardware regarding the mildew problem on the new paint at the Thomas branch. Mr. Hunter has inspected the problem and will have a representative from Ace Hardware examine the mildew at the Thomas branch.

After this discussion, Lorraine Bourn called for adjournment. Judy Rabuffo made the motion to adjourn, and Millicent Canter seconded her motion.

Respectfully submitted,

Carol Duke, Secretary



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Friends of the Washington Parish Library
c/o Library Headquarters
825 Free Street
Franklinton, LA 70438