SLV Poetry Reading - 2011 (click to enlarge)

Meeting Minutes April 2011

FLF STEERING COMMITTEE Minutes
Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Attending: Nancy Gerdt, Paul Machlis, Beth Benjamin, Michele Mosher, Donna Ziel, Frank Adamson, Phyllis Taylor, Anita Lande.

FLF website: Voted to hire web consultant to assist with migration from Dreamweaver-based site to a more accessible Blogger or Wordpress site. Reviewed purposes of site: available for public searches on Felton and SC library issues, hub for information during political action, information about Felton Library events, provides contact info and donation info. Suggested features: comment area, search box, FAQ, calendar, links to JPB, FSCPL, other sites.

JPB report: need for continued action to preserve and improve SLV library services.

FSCPL report: discussion of how Friends money (from fundraising, book sales, etc.) is spent, how expenditures are decided and reviewed.

Summer programs: FLF is sponsoring five children’s programs in addition to the two offered by FSCPL on Tuesdays 1:30-2:30 6/14-7/30. FLF will participate in New Leaf Community Day to raise approximately $1000 to finance these programs, and New Leaf will be listed as a sponsor of the programs.

FLF meetings: The May FLF meeting will occur Monday evening, May 23 in order to include more people in the discussion of next steps for FLF.

A Ten-Branch System!

On Monday, April 4, the Library Joint Powers Board approved a library service model that preserves all ten branches, with a minimum of 30 hours per week at each branch, and with no branch dependent on volunteers to open its doors.

The Santa Cruz Sentinel provides a report on the meeting as well as an editorial on the decision.

FLF members will next work together on how we can support structural changes to the Joint Powers Authority Agreement that will protect the three small branches in the unincorporated areas of the County from future threats of closure.

Many, many Felton Library Friends created this victory for community branch libraries: those who contacted Board members and political representatives; those who attended and/or spoke at Board meetings, City Council meetings, and hearings; and those who wrote to the Sentinel and the Press Banner. Your voices made a huge difference.

In the six years since the Felton branch was first threatened with closure, the past months have surely been the most challenging. FLF is proud of the connections we have nurtured over the years -- with our Supervisor, with reporters and editors in the media, with civic leaders -- all of which helped result in a plan for the library system that honors the intent and promises of Measures B and R (sales tax measures).

Felton Library Friends will continue to promote excellent public library services for Felton and surrounding areas and work towards a new Felton branch library.