FOL Executive Board Meeting for April 23, 2022

The meeting was called to order by President Sarah Reed at 1:05 PM. Those in attendance were Susan Stanton, Bill Guion, Pat Bull, Tom Hill, Sarah Reed, Tammy Lynn, Dianna Gunter, Gerry Slaughter, Judi Smith, Joey Dye, and Joan Hill.

Approval of Minutes
Secretary Joan Hill asked that the minutes from the October meeting be approved. They were approved. She also requested that the disbursements from January 16, 2022, and January 25, 2022, which were approved by electronic vote, be included in the minutes. The request was approved.

Treasurer’s Report (Tom Hill)

• General Fund Balance: $12,834.55
• FOL Balance: $6,951.32
• Branch Balances:
  • Ball Ground: $343.27
  • Hickory Flat: $2,053.43
  • RT Jones: $1,126.57
  • Rose Creek: $682.06
  • Woodstock: $1,677.90

After grant funds were removed, FOL had $4,973.67 available for use. A portion of these funds will be used to purchase bookbags for the libraries. Tom proposed a disbursement of $2,500 to the libraries, which was approved.

Director’s Report (Joey Dye on behalf of Angela Cortellini)

• Hickory Flat Renovation: Expected to begin in late summer/early fall. The building will be closed to the public and staff for this 365-day project.
• State Funding for FY22: Includes an additional $2 million in technology grant funds and $3 million in MRR.
• Library Marketing Grant: SRLS received a $2,000 grant from the Georgia Public Library Service for local marketing, marking the second consecutive year receiving this grant.
• Sequoyah-Con: On March 19, over 1,100 people attended the annual mini-convention featuring panels, activities, and programs.
• New Service – Ask Us! Sessions: Patrons can now book one-on-one 30-minute help sessions with staff at any library location.
• Go Wild for Reading Challenge: A partnership with the Cherokee County School District ran from March 1 to March 31. A total of 1,472 students participated, logging 68,526 minutes and completing 2,827 literacy activities.
• Summer Learning Program: Begins June 1 with the theme “Oceans of Possibilities.” The program is open to all ages and runs through July 31. The library system will be fine-free for the summer.
• 1000 Books Before Kindergarten Celebration: On May 16, SRLS will celebrate graduates and milestone achievers at RT Jones Memorial Library.

Membership Report (Bill Guion)
In January, there were 132 members. As of April, there were 155 members. Renewal notices will be sent out soon, and approximately four members are expected not to renew. The recent updates to the website have successfully allowed members to pay their dues online.

Grant Report (Dianna Gunter)

• Recent Funding:
  • $1,500 received from Amicalola EMC
  • $600 received from Cobb EMC
• Pending Applications:
  • Did not receive a grant from the Joe E. Johnson Foundation, but Cobb EMC recommended reapplying.
  • Currently working on the Dollar General Youth Literacy Grant.

Bookstore Report (Tom Hill)
The bookstore has generated $3,892.22 in revenue so far this year. If sales continue at this rate, proceeds will match the income from past large book sales.

Advertising Discussion
Ideas for increasing awareness included:

• Bookmarks
• Signs in each branch
• Word of mouth
• Exterior signage outside branches
• Adding information to county magazines
• Speaking with John Rodgers

Sarah Reed distributed bookmarks to each branch for bookstore promotion.

New Business

• Hickory Flat Liaison: Gerry Slaughter was approved as the new liaison for Hickory Flat Library.
• Jasper Branch Opening: Scheduled to open to the public in August.
• Annual Meeting Planning: Discussion included selecting a date, postcard announcements, website notices, and email blasts. No final decisions were made.
• Woodstock FOL Bookstore Staffing: More volunteers are needed on sale days to assist with money handling. Possible solutions included training sessions and sending email blasts to encourage participation. No final decision was made.
• Coupon/Voucher System: The board approved Joey Dye’s design for bookstore vouchers, which are used as prizes for programming activities. There is potential to expand this to all branches.
• Book Rotation Schedule: A plan was discussed to rotate books on shelves to keep inventory fresh, but no action was taken.
• Square Terminal Purchase: Grant funds must be used to buy a second Square terminal for Hickory Flat.
• Liaison Role Description: Susan Stanton volunteered to update the role description for branch liaisons.

Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 3:12 PM.