FOL Annual Meeting for January 14, 2023

President Sarah Reed opened the meeting at 1:00 PM and thanked RT Jones for hosting the meeting.

Attendance
Those in attendance were Executive Board members Dianna Gunter, Susan Stanton, Tom Hill, Judi Smith, Bill Guion, Gerry Slaughter, Tammy Lynn, Pat Bull, Jay Cadwell, and Sarah Reed, along with about 30 others.

Susan White Award Presentation
The first order of business was the presentation of the Susan White Award. Susan Stanton thanked Penny Westbrook and Martha Pierce for their assistance on the committee. This year's recipient was Vicki Gazaway. Vicki was a long-time employee at RT Jones and has been active in FOL for many years.

Director’s Report (Angela Cortellino)
Angela Cortellino, Regional Director, opened her remarks with a word of thanks to the FOL for their continuing support. The grants, donations, and time given have helped the libraries continue to provide new programming and materials to the communities. Other points made were:

• The Hickory Flat expansion and renovation is underway and is expected to last about twelve months.
• This year, the library had the highest circulation in 11 years.
• Rose Creek Public Library has a new digitization program that will be available in February.
• Sequoyah Con will be at RT Jones on March 4 and Woodstock Public Library on March 18.

Guest Speaker
Sarah Reed introduced our speaker, Christopher Swann. Dr. Swann is a high school English teacher and Georgia Writer of the Year. He gave a very interesting and entertaining talk about various authors that inspired him to write. He has several published works.

Approval of Minutes
Joan Hill presented the minutes of the 2022 Annual Meeting for approval. The minutes were approved as read.

Treasurer’s Report (Tom Hill)
Tom Hill gave the treasurer’s report. We have had the best year yet. Our total income for the year was $40,417.99, coming from the following sources:

• Bookstore Income: $14,580.12
• Grants: $4,500.00
• Book Sales: $6,958.06
• Donations: $3,500.00 plus a 200% match, which became grants of $7,000.

Tom completed registration with the Secretary of State for FOL and filed a 1099 N tax form. He recommended a distribution of $7,000.00 to the libraries. This was unanimously approved by the board.

Grants Report (Dianna Gunter)
Dianna Gunter gave the grants report. We have received $4,500 in grants for this year.

• Amicalola EMC gave $1,500 for book bags and Clip-on Book Supports.
• Cobb EMC gave grants for Juvenile books and for the Digitization program at Rose Creek Library.

Audit Report
Dianna Gunter gave the audit report. She and Bill Guion met with Tom Hill, treasurer, asked questions, and reviewed his paperwork. There were no discrepancies.

Membership Report (Bill Guion)
Bill Guion gave the membership report. We currently have 156 members. He sent out 58 renewal notices last week and has had 11 renewals thus far.

Nominating Committee Report (Joan Hill)
Joan Hill gave the nominating committee report. The following were nominated for 2023:

• Chairman: Sarah Reed
• Co-Chairman: (vacant)
• Treasurer: Tom Hill
• Secretary: Joan Hill
• Membership: Bill Guion
• Webmaster: Jason (Jay) Cadwell
• Liaison to the Library Board of Trustees: Tom Hill

Liaisons to the branches:

• Ball Ground: Linda Portman
• RT Jones: Susan Stanton
• Hickory Flat: Gerry Slaughter
• Woodstock Public Library: Judi Smith
• Rose Creek: Tammy Lynn

New Business
Creation of Two New Volunteer Positions
Creation of two new volunteer positions: Print Media Director and Activities Coordinator. A discussion of the job description of each of these positions took place. At this time, no action was taken.

Book Sale Update – RT Jones

• Donation Days:
  • March 17: 3:00 – 6:00 PM
  • March 18: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM (followed by book sale setup)
• Book Sale Setup: March 20 – March 22
• Friends Preview Sale: March 23: 3:00 – 6:00 PM
• Public Sale:
  • March 24: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
  • March 25: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
• Pack Up:
  • March 25: 4:00 – 6:00 PM
  • March 27: 10:00 AM

Annual Meeting Location Change
The location for the annual meeting for next year was discussed. Dianna Gunter made a motion to move the meeting to Woodstock Public Library next year. Tom Hill seconded the motion. It passed unanimously. Next year’s annual meeting will be held on January 13, 2024, at WPL.

Adjournment
Gerry Slaughter made a motion to adjourn. Susan Stanton seconded. The meeting adjourned at 3:00 PM.