Staying friends with your friends

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Staying friends with your friends
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Friendship

• Friendship is a term used to denote co-operative
  and supportive behavior between

http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friendship
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• the tendency to desire what is best for the
  other,
• honesty, perhaps in situations where it may be
  difficult for others to speak the truth,
  especially in terms of pointing out the perceived
  faults of one's counterpart
• mutual understanding.

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What are Friends of the Library?

• Supporters of the library
• Contributors to the library
• Volunteers at the library

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Why have Friends of the Library?

• Fund-raising
• Volunteers
• Political action
• Public relations

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Fund-raising

• Capital vs operating
• How much?
• What for?
• By when?

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Volunteers

• What for?
• Who will supervise?
• Selection and Training
• Day to day operations vs projects

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Advocacy

• speaking on behalf of the library
• Letter writing
• Public meetings
• Speaking out
• Meeting with community groups

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The goals of the library

• Set by the Board
• Co-ordinated with goals of the Friends of the
  Library
• Communicated to Friends of the Library

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Role clarity, orwho does what?

• Library Board
• Library Manager
• Friends of the Library Executive
• Friends of the Library members
• and they may all overlap!

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Library Board

• Legal and financial responsibility for the
  library
• Sets goals and policies
• Employer of the library manager
• Separate entity from the Friends of the Library

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The Library Manager

• Carries out the decisions of the Library Board
• May be assigned to work with the Friends of the
  Library
• Contributes to successful relationship by
  communicating and supporting the Friends

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Friends of the Library Executive

• Sets goals and plans for the Friends of the
  Library
• Responsible for funds raised by the group until
  they are donated to the library

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Friends of the Library

• Membership is voluntary
• Elect an executive
• Work under the direction of the Friends of the
  Library executive

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Good process

• ? Decision to increase the SF collection
• ? Decides to raise money for purchase of
  equipment
• ? Decides who should do this
• ? Holds a car wash
• ? Reports to the library board
• ? Purchases books

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Resources for the Friends of the Library

• Library
• Fund raising
• Donations
• Sponsorship
• Membership fees

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Tools to make this relationship a success

• Board policy regarding donations, use of library
  logo, liaison with Friends of the Library
• Articulation of role of librarian, individual
  board members
• Agreement about funding, financial support
• Communication, communication, communication

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Board Policy

• Donationswhat will the Board accept and under
  what conditions?
• If you wouldnt buy it, should you take it as a
  gift?

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Board Policy

• Use of the library name and logo
• Should the Friends of the Library have their own
  variation?
• Can they use library letterhead?

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Board Policy

• Liaison with the Friends of the Library
• Who speaks for the board
• Who speaks for the friends
• Formal and information means of liaison

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Roles and responsibilities

• Who speaks for the Library Board in
  communications with the Friends of the Library?
• Who speaks for the Friends of the Library in
  communications with the Library?
• Who speaks to the community?

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Agreements

• Funding postage, photocopying, meeting rooms,
  supplies
• Time contributions of library staff
• Space where can the Friends of the Library
  operate
• Coffee and food

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Communication

• When
• Where
• Who
• Why
• How much

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Celebrate