A Board meeting of the Friends of the Brandywine Hundred Library was held at the Brandywine Hundred Library on Tuesday, May 9, 2006. President Ceci McCormick called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm.

Board Members present were Ceci McCormick, John Stevenson, Joyce Li, Marcia Dillon, Joy Naquin, Sally Kantzes, Ruth Forman, Eileen Lynch, Jackie Harris, Mary Bowler, Jack Yeatman, Carol Einhorn and Sandy Ebbott. Library Manager Tom Weaver was also present, along with school librarian Claire Kantar, attending as a guest.

The April minutes were approved as Emailed, with the following correction: "... a cookout or barbecue at Fat Rick's, ..." should be "... a cookout or barbecue to be put on by Fat Rick's, ..." On motion of Ruth, seconded by Mary, the minutes were approved with the one revision.

Treasurer's Report
Marcia reported that the $45 banking error was resolved in our favor.

Eileen handed out copies of the latest budget and Treasurer's report; a copy of this report is on file with the minutes. The audit has been completed by Phillip Spiegelman. Eileen has asked for a formal record of his findings. Eileen still needs estimates of hours/week from most board members. If she gets no response, she will record the board member's time as one hour per week. The 2001 tax return has not yet been located. This is needed in order to prepare the current year's return. If anyone knows where it might be, please get back to Eileen.

The credit card lease payment has been cancelled; the leasing fee has been restored to the previous level. We are still being charged the PNC merchant fee. Marcia thinks this may be cleared up by next month. Spending that is approved and not yet paid totals $3300, and includes the following:

• $2500 for DVD's
• $80 for movie tickets
• $30 for post cards
• $685 for wishlist books
• $35 for dues to the Delaware Library Association

There is a $500 building fund pledge that may not be collected, due to the donor's having financial difficulties. Eileen asked for board's approval to write off this amount. In the absence of any objections, the Board agreed with this proposal.

Tom Weaver stated that the $80 allocated for movie tickets should be removed from the list; the tickets were paid for and no receipts are available. The adult Give-A-Books have been ordered; Tom will check on the status of the juvenile books.

Updates:

Building Fund Status Report.
The final installment of last pledge has been received. Kathy will prepare a financial statement as of 5/31/06; the building fund account will be closed soon.

Banners to identify podiums:
Ceci passed around a mockup of the proposed design for review by the board members. The banners would be suspended from the ceiling; banners would be weighted at the bottom. The proposed designs were (1) the Friends' book logo and (2) a single leaf. Voting by show of hands, the board approved the leaf design (the vote was 8-4). On motion of John, seconded by Marcia, the board approved up to $200 for each banner.

Brick Order Timetable.
There are about twelve brick orders outstanding. The plan is to promote brick donations in the June and August newsletters and submit an order by September 15. The bricks could be installed by Thanksgiving.

Proposed special event for Friends Members.
There was further discussion about the possibility of a pig roast. Jack reported on the information received by Email from Fat Rick's. The "no frills" event would cost $12.95/person, for a minimum of 60 people. The menu would include roasted pig, burgers, hotdogs, two sides, rolls, watermelon, and condiments. Paper and plasticware would be provided. For an additional $1.50/person, there could be a choice of three desserts.

Although having a membership appreciation event was an idea that was well-received, some board members questioned the use of the Friends' treasury to finance this type of event. It is estimated that the up-front costs would be about $2000. After some discussion, Sally asked for the board to Email herself and Jack with suggestions, dates and ideas for a membership social event. We may also want to take a look at the non-profit calendar in selecting a date. Jack and Sally will continue to investigate and the Board will discuss this further at the next meeting.

Communications Committee.
Joyce's husband took a few pictures of the outside of the library, for posting on the web site. The plan is to have different pictures on different pages. The pictures will rotate randomly, with different pictures appearing at different times.

Ceci reported briefly on the articles for the coming newsletter--

• Volunteer profile on Ed Fielding
• Article on the membership drive, by Molly McMahon
• Article on wildcard searches will be included, if possible. If not, this article will be posted on the website.

The deadline for newsletter articles is May 18. Mailing is on June 5. Mary Bowler volunteered to serve as the "Dear Friends" author for the next newsletter.

Library Managers Report.
Tom handed out copies of the Library Manager's report, already Emailed. A Delaware Library Town Meeting is scheduled on June 7, 9am-2pm. Tom encouraged Friends and board members to participate. The meeting is to be held in Dover, at the Delaware Division of Libraries. Tom briefly reviewed the report highlights; a copy of the report is on file with the minutes, along with statistics on circulation.

Library Bill of Rights.
John proposed that the Friends endorse the principles of the bill of rights (John has previously Emailed the URL of the bill of rights). This document is widely known by Congress and various state and local governments and is endorsed by the American Library Association and many libraries, including the library at the University of Delaware. Thus far, New Castle County libraries do not link to the bill of rights on their websites. Our endorsement would encourage the county to follow the principles advocated by the bill of rights; i.e., we support, encourage and promote quality library services. The new county administration is increasingly supportive of the LARB group, and is moving toward having more policies and principles. Approved policies are very helpful to the library's staff when explaining the collection and other issues to the public. It would also help the Friends in responding to the media, should the need arise. On motion of Jackie, seconded by Mary, the Board agreed to endorse the bill of rights (there were three votes in opposition).

Luncheon for Library staff.
The luncheon is scheduled on May 24 (Wednesday) for the staff of 48 people. Plans are still coming together. Luncheon organizers Mary Bowler and Sandy Ebbott will provide more information by Email. On motion of Carol, seconded by Marcia, the board approved up to $500 for the staff luncheon.

Other Business

The conflict of interest signature sheet was circulated among the board members, for signature by those who were not at the last meeting. The completed signature sheet will be filed in the Friends office.

Ceci opened the floor to discussion about the landscaping project paid for by the Friends last fall. Some plants are dead and should be replaced. There is also a serious problem with weeds. The county does not have a contract for ongoing maintenance. The consensus of opinion was that the Friends should provide for maintenance of the landscaping. After some discussion, Ceci agreed to Email Henry Pautler about the following--

• Can the dead plants be replaced under warranty?
• Would it be feasible to plant a few annuals, to provide color until the longer-term plantings can get established?
• Any recommendations on who could handle ongoing maintenance, such as weeding and mulching?

Tom will ask for a meeting with the county landscaper to see what assistance could be provided by the county. It is not expected that the county will have a problem with the Friends funding the landscaping improvements.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:19 pm.

Respectfully submitted,
Joy A. Naquin
FBHL Secretary

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