MAKING CONNECTIONS THAT COUNT Manitoba Libraries Conference, 2016 I - - PDF document

MAKING CONNECTIONS THAT COUNT Manitoba Libraries Conference, 2016 I strongly believe every library should have a Friends group. Throughout Canada and the United States, Friends groups are generally formed out of a desire on the part of library supporters to do something positive and productive to help our libraries. Why Friends Groups Form There have been instances where a Friends group was formed specifically to advocate for increased municipal or township funding. Haliburton, ON Friends were formed out of a desire to improve the local government funding base and they utilized provincial benchmarks to plead their case. They were successful and have since become just as successful at fundraising for their library branches. http://www.accessola.org/web/Documents/FOCAL/Resources/Conference%2 0Archives/Advocacy/Fay-Playing-Politics.pdf Friends groups may be formed, on the recommendation of the library CEO and/or Library Board, to help out with a capital campaign. The North Grenville Friends of the Library in Ontario, were formed, with the encouragement of the Library's CEO, to help raise funds for a new library, which became a reality. https://ngpl.ca/about-north-grenville-public- library/support-the- library/friends-of-ngpl/ The River John Public Library in Nova Scotia became a reality when a Friends group was formed to raise funds to cover the mortgage of a new building. http://www.parl.ns.ca/locations/riverjohn.php The idea of forming a Friends group may be initiated by a librarian, Library Director

• r CEO, a Library Trustee, or a library user. A public meeting is arranged, usually

held in the library, with a key organizer who ensures the meeting runs smoothly and covers what is necessary to begin the process of forming a Friends group. American Friends groups have excellent materials on the United for Libraries website, but many of them are quite specific to American regulations on charitable

• rganizations. In 2007/2008, Jami van Haaften and I wrote a FOCAL manual to

assist libraries, Library Boards and volunteers with critical information on how to get a Friends group off the ground. Manual on "How to Form Your Friends of the Library Group"

• Order from FOCAL

http://www.accessola.org/web/FOCAL/Resources/Friends_manual/FOC AL/Resources/Friends_Manual.aspx?hkey=0587bc24-0adb-4c7a-bbd0- b063277aa134 SlideShare PowerPoint

• http://www.slideshare.net/jvanhaaften/how-to-start-a-friends-of-the-

library-group Checklist on Starting a Friends of the Library Group

• http://www.accessola.org/web/Documents/FOCAL/Resources/Conferen

ce%20Archives/Friends%20Groups/Checklist-2016-final.pdf Friends groups can be an informal and fairly simple group or a more organized one, depending on the volunteers who are doing the initial planning, the time commitment they are willing to give, and/or the kinds of activities they want to do. Friends Volunteers All Friends groups, whether large or small, have a dedicated core group of

• volunteers. Many groups have only 10 to 20 active volunteers. Library consumers,

and in some cases, interested library book club members, often form the basis of a successful Friends organization. In one community (Lindsay, ON), members of the genealogy club make up the majority of the Friends. There are many ways to recruit and retain volunteers. It's important to have Volunteer Application Forms readily available where the Friends sell books or at Friends events, as well as on the Friends or the Library's

• website. If someone can't find the Volunteer Form easily, they may give up and

volunteer elsewhere. Many Friends groups ensure the volunteers know how much funds are raised, either through the Friends Board minutes, a newsletter, the library's or Friends' website or

web page, or by a note left where the Friends sort. This way, the Friends are aware

• f how their efforts help the library in a tangible way and they are more likely to

remain with the Friends longer. Volunteer Recruitment and Retention Today Part I http://www.accessola.org/web/Documents/FOCAL/Resources/Conference%2 0Archives/Volunteer%20Management/recruit-retain-part1.pdf Part II http://www.accessola.org/web/Documents/FOCAL/Resources/Conference%2 0Archives/Volunteer%20Management/recruit-retain-part2.pdf Increasing Volunteer Involvement for Friends Groups and Libraries http://www.accessola.org/web/Documents/FOCAL/Resources/Conference%2 0Archives/Volunteer%20Management/615- increasing%20Volunteer%20Involvement-HPL.pdf http://www.accessola.org/web/Documents/FOCAL/Resources/Conference%2 0Archives/Volunteer%20Management/615- Increasing%20Volunteer%20Involvement.pdf Community Outreach and Public Awareness Once a Friends group is established, though it may be small or just starting out, the core group of people involved can represent the Friends and the Library in your

• community. The Friends form a network which reaches out into the community in a

variety of ways. If the Friends hold an event, such as a book sale, a silent auction, a pie social, or a bake sale, they are garnering media attention and public awareness from those who attend, their friends and family and the broader public. When Friends solicit donations from the public for book sales, they increase awareness of the library and bring people into the library.

Friends groups have the opportunity to build wonderful community relationships and develop a reputation of commitment, reliability, trust and respect with the library staff, Library Trustees, and the broader community. Because Friends of the Library groups are very much grassroots organizations, they not only have the actual Friends volunteers, but also have friends and family connected to those Friends. This broader outreach into the community comes in handy when the Friends need additional help with a specific fundraiser (e.g. young people to help move boxes of books - our own children and their friends), help connecting with media, a venue for an event, or help spreading the word about advocacy efforts. It never fails to surprise me the number of people with whom I speak at Friends events who have never been to the public library. These kinds of opportunities give Friends volunteers a great opening to speak to these people about what the library has to offer. In the case of Sault Ste. Marie, the Friends also operate a used bookstore in the main branch of the library (which the Friends promote at every event), and sometimes, this is the way we can get new people into the library. Even the smaller Friends group I am with has a shelf unit of books and other materials for sale in the library and we let people know they can also purchase books there through the Township's monthly newsletter. Because the Friends who receive book donations and sort the books for sale are in the library on a regular basis, they can chat with customers. I've done this for many years. It is an informal way of sharing our love of books, sometimes sharing information about a library program, helping someone find a book they've been looking for and making people aware of what the Friends do. Some of them also become volunteers because the work of the Friends is highly visible and they become aware of how this helps out their library. They also see that we have fun and socialize as we work. You never know when the media will be interested in what the Friends are doing. In Sault Ste. Marie, we had a reporter for the local paper who was a regular bookstore shopper. He made sure there was a picture in the paper every year about the book sales we did in the mall. With the Prince Township Friends, we are fortunate to have a district reporter on our Friends Board and she submits an article about some interesting item relating to the Friends she thinks the paper might be interested in. For example, they did a feature article about the Prince Township Friends selling books online to raise additional funds for the Friends and the library. Brochures http://www.accessola.org/web/Documents/FOCAL/Resources/Conference%2 0Archives/Friends%20Groups/lindsay-brochure.pdf

Bookmarks Library's website and/or Friends web page(s) Friends of the Winnipeg Public Library

• Love Your Library You've Got Friends
• http://friendswpl.ca/

Use of social media to promote events Friends of the Fort St. John Public Library (FSJPL), AB https://www.facebook.com/FriendsofFSJLibrary2015 Collaboration with Other Community Organizations Many Friends groups partner with their own library or other organizations to hold fundraisers and share the proceeds, or to hold a special event which will raise the profile of all the organizations in the community. Often these events come about because one of the Friends are involved with another organization, or they know someone who is. These partnerships not only benefit the Friends, but the library can also take advantage of the contacts when they plan specific events in the library. The Friends of the London Public Library partner with the Library and co-sponsor a very popular program "Jazz for the People". This free jazz concert series at the Wolf Performance Hall features local musicians and visiting guest musicians playing a wide range of jazz genres. An event called, "Artists in the Garden" was held in Oshawa. People opened their gardens and artists displayed and sold their wares. The Chair of the Friends of the Oshawa Public Library served on the planning committee, and arranged for local high school students to serve as guides. Friends hosted planning meetings and helped at the Penny Raffle. Proceeds were split between the Friends and a local cancer haven. Friends of the East Gwillimbury Public Library in Ontario formed a partnership with the Gwillimbury Quilt Guild to launch the Library Quilt Project. http://www.egpl.ca/friends-of-the-library/63-library-quilt-project

Dundas Public Library Friend Donna Wignall spearheaded the restoration of the public benches located in front of the Dundas Public Library. In a collaborative arrangement with the Dundas Valley Architectural Furniture Company, the benches were removed and disassembled to restore the wood slats to their original pristine condition. http://dundaslibraryfriends.blogspot.ca/ Friends Events/Fundraisers According to a FOCAL survey, undertaken by Counting Opinions in 2015, most Friends groups raise funds through book sales, raffles, bingos, lotteries, sale of merchandise or special events. http://www.accessola.org/WEB/Documents/FOCAL/Resources/Conference%20Archi ves/Friends%20Groups/Follow-the-trends-vanhaaften.pdf It really does help if one has a good understanding of what might do well in your

• wn community. In some ways, this is easier to accomplish in a smaller community

(e.g. the success of the Pie Social in Rapid City, MB)/ http://www.rclibrary.ca/Friends.htm The Winnipeg Friends host a very successful event called "Books and Brunch". The event shares a love of reading books with the community, as well as provides a means of raising funds and public awareness. http://friendswpl.ca/events/spring-books-brunch/ I've organized book sales, yard sales, silent auctions, special events (e.g. Mardi Gras chocolate evening), selling gift baskets (Haliburton Friends of the Library) and bake sales for two different Friends groups in northern Ontario. One community is a medium-sized community (population of 75,000) and one is fairly small and rural (population 1000). I've found that many events can be undertaken by a Friends group of any size. A gala event that requires a large volunteer base will likely not work well for a small Friends group. Some of the events I've organized have been the result of ideas from other Friends groups across Canada, found in FOCAL POINT newsletters. http://www.accessola.org/web/FOCAL/Resources/FOCAL_Point/FOCAL/Resou rces/FOCAL_Point.aspx?hkey=07933496-3421-44dd-8572-9f7bc6a7950c

Don't pay attention to anyone who says that bake sales, yard sales or book sales are not worth the effort, or that they don't make "enough money" compared to a gala event. Everyone loves a yard sale! I believe small fundraisers add up and that the funds raised are still significant. This is especially true of Friends in smaller, more rural communities. Some volunteers in both of my Friends groups only wanted to bake for a bake sale

• r to donate some items for a yard sale. I have a friend who enjoyed sorting items

for the yard sale and helped price. She did not want to be selling on the day of the

• sale. We respected her choice and didn't pressure her to do something she wasn't

comfortable doing. An Ontario Library Association Super conference session in 2002, titled, "Innovative Ideas" contains many great fundraising and other ideas. Best Practices/Innovative Ideas http://www.accessola.org/web/Documents/FOCAL/Resources/Conference%2 0Archives/Friends%20Groups/Best%20Practices-booklet.pdf Book Sales You may have heard some people say that hardly anyone is still reading print books and therefore, book sales will fade away. From my experience, book sales still do well in most communities. Let's face it, Friends groups everywhere have a ready supply of cancelled library books; why shouldn't Friends sell them to raise funds to benefit their library? Though book sales in venues other than the library involve lots of work, particularly to set up and take down, selling large quantities of books for 50 cents or $1 each results in significant funds. The Prince Township Friends hold only one major book sale a year at a large mall in the City of Sault Ste. Marie. With volunteers helping sort and organize books year round for this sale and a carefully organized layout for the books, we do extremely well. We also learned

• ver the past few years that we make more money if we price newer books that are

in really good shape for $2, $3 and $4 (we use 10% of the cover price as a guide). The Prince Township Friends also have a Collector Book section, which does quite

• well. We just held our most successful book sale yet, raising over $4000.

We also sell books online on Amazon.ca and Alibris.com. This is a great revenue stream (quantity of books sold ebbs and flows), as you have a much larger market for your highly collectable books. I developed a booklet for Canadian Friends groups on "Selling Books Online" for FOCAL, based on a United for Libraries document (with their permission).

FOCAL booklet - Selling Books Online http://www.accessola.org/web/FOCAL/Resources/Selling_Books_Online.aspx Not every event the Friends try will be a success. An example of an event which didn't work well in Sault Ste. Marie was the special Valentine's Day card event. The Chair of the Friends Fundraising Committee decided she would like to plan this event which she found in a fundraising idea book developed by United for Libraries and which worked well in a community in the

• States. It involved approaching local artists to design a unique, one of a kind

Valentine's card. We had about 15 beautiful cards. They were displayed in the library a few weeks before Valentine's day. A silent auction was held. Only a couple of cards were bid on and the rest didn't even have a bid. We realized afterwards that any kind of art event wouldn't really work here, as the Art Gallery is right next door to the library and they hold many art related and quite ritzy events which we couldn't compete with. We felt badly, especially for the artists who had spent time designing the cards. However, we learned from this experience. Other Friends find that special events work well in their communities, from fancy balls to wine tasting events. The Spring Dinner with its Silent Auction is organized by the Friends of the Bonnechere Union Public Library (ON) is a very popular event. Since 2007, this Friends group has purchased computers, equipment, and furniture for BUPL with the $44,208 raised. Signature Special Events http://www.accessola.org/web/Documents/FOCAL/Resources/Conference%2 0Archives/Fundraising/SignatureEventsOLASuperConference.pdf Friends of the Haliburton County Public Library The Haliburton Friends put together book baskets using donated Nearly New books and other items, wrap them up and charge a set price. Featured in a FOCAL POINT newsletter: http://www.accessola.org/web/Documents/FOCAL/FOCAL%20Point/2012- Spring-letter.pdf Friends can Apply for Grants if They Have Charitable Status When the Friends have charitable status, they can apply for funding the library may not be able to. In Canmore, B.C., the Friends apply for the Community Spirit

• Grant. Funds obtained are used to purchase audio books and DVDs for the

collection, to obtain a second film screening license for the Movie Night Program, to purchase 4 Kobo e-readers for public use, and to purchase e-book titles. In Smithers, B.C., the Friends apply for funding for several library programs:

• Books for Babies – applied for and received an PECSF grant to fund Books for

Babies

• New Teen Programming – applied for and received United Way of Northern

BC grant

• Centennial History Project – applied for and received BV Foundation grant to

update and expand the local history collection In partnership with the Mount Albert Garden & Horticultural Society, the East Gwillimbury Library Board, and the Town of East Gwillimbury, the Friends of the East Gwillimbury Library in Ontario applied for and in the spring of 2009 received a $75,000 Ontario Trillium grant for the Literacy Garden at the Holland Landing Branch. Friends of the Prince George Public Library received $2500 from the Prince George Community Foundation to purchase large print books and books on CD for five local Seniors' facilities. The Friends have matched these funds to secure a significant collection of these materials. Advocacy Advocacy should always be undertaken in collaboration with the library staff and Trustees. Established Friends groups can be mobilized quickly by the library to garner much needed community support around an issue, such as the threat of library closures

• r reduced hours. Even well-established Friends groups have proven to be

extremely effective advocates, available at short notice to circulate petitions, attend City Council meetings, etc. In Ottawa, the Friends of the Ottawa Public Library Association launched a public campaign at short notice to try to save 10 library branches, including online petitions and attendance at City Council meetings. In 2007, the Save Our Services mail-in campaign helped prevent the closure of 10 library branches. Since then, the FOPLA has conducted other advocacy efforts. http://www.ottawapubliclibraryfriends.ca/en/page/OurSuccesses SOS Handout

http://www.accessola.org/web/Documents/FOCAL/Resources/Conference%2 0Archives/Advocacy/en_SOS_Dec3Pres-LoriNash.pdf Sometimes advocacy is informal and involves explaining to the appropriate people how much the library means to you and your family. Or, it can be more formal and may involve circulating a template for letters to the editor, or a carefully worded petition to other Friends. Some resources which provide information on library related advocacy are listed below. Library Advocacy Now http://cla.ca/wp-content/uploads/LibraryAdvocacyNow.pdf United for Libraries (American Library Association) A Power Guide for Successful Advocacy http://www.ala.org/united/sites/ala.org.united/files/content/powerguide/unit ed-power-guide.pdf No matter what kind of event or activity a Friends group undertakes, they are the library's presence in the community and provide additional visibility for the library. Take advantage of your supporters and their love for the library and encourage them to become involved. For additional resources from Friends of Canadian Libraries: www.friendsoflibraries.ca

• r

www.accessola.org/web/focal Include on CD: Ten Tips for Recruiting Volunteers Mardi Gras Event Planning (Sault Ste. Marie, ON Friends) Prince Township Fact Sheet FOCAL Teleconference Workshop on Reinventing Your Friends Group Stay at Home and Read a Book Ball