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Friends of Libraries & Archives of Texas Board Meeting
Texas Library Association Annual Assembly
July 16, 2001
5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Hyatt Regency Hotel, Hill Country D, Austin

President Patrick Heath called the meeting to order at 5:05 p.m. Members and guests introduced themselves.

5. Public Comment.
President Heath addressed agenda item number ten "Public Comment" to hear a proposal by Don Davis and Charles Harrell from the University of Texas. They proposed that the Friends group sponsor publication of one of two works concerning the history of libraries. Publication of 200 volumes of either title would cost $2,800. If the Friends group or the State Library was willing to sponsor the entire cost of publication, the group would have ownership of the 200 volumes, which could then be sold or used as special gifts for donors. The board thanked Mr. Davis and Mr. Harrell for their presentation.

6. Recap of Membership meeting at Texas Library Association's Annual Conference in March.
Members of the board who were present at the first membership meeting commented on the actions taken during the meeting. The board commended Peggy Rudd for her facilitation of the brainstorming session of the meeting that yielded several good ideas from the membership.

After some discussion concerning whether the board should approve the membership meeting minutes, Jan Moltzan moved to receive the minutes and file them for the consideration of the full membership in Apr. 2002; Mary McAfee seconded. Motion passed.

7. Financial report. Erica McKewen presented a financial report. The report was presented as an estimate until a full accounting of funds can be obtained from the Texas Library Association. Based on the financial report, the Friends group has approximately $11, 367 available. The Friends group has expended $810.58 since Jan. 2001, and the State Library has expended $2476.73 on behalf of the group. The report also stated that Treasurer Mickey Schott recommended the Friends' bank account be with Compass Bank. The board agreed that Mr. Schott should come to Austin to open the account as soon as possible.

8. Discuss board vacancies and possible appointees The board currently has two vacancies. A list had previously been prepared of possible appointees as suggested by board members and State Library staff. After a general discussion concerning the balance of the board (ethnically, area of interest, geographically), President Heath suggested the board postpone the appointment of new board members. Perhaps a Board Development Committee (to be discussed under "Standing Committees" on the agenda) could draft a board development policy and recommend appointees to the full board. The board agreed.

Vice President Jan Moltzan moved that Mary McAfee be appointed secretary; Pat Smith seconded. Mary McAfee agreed to serve as secretary for the group. Motion passed.

9. By-laws revision committee/voting status of commission liaison
Dr. Gracy noted that the necessary By-laws revisions to be made did not warrant a standing committee. Dr. Gracy moved that the board appoint a temporary task force to consider revisions to the By-laws; Vice President Moltzan seconded.

After further discussion, Dr. Gracy suggested that the Board Development Committee previously discussed work on the By-laws revisions. The board agreed. President Heath substituted the motion: the board will appoint the Board Development Committee to focus on the By-laws and recommend revisions for the next board meeting as a temporary assignment. Of particular note is the voting status of the commission liaison. Vice President Moltzan concurred. Motion passed.

10. Standing committees
President Heath suggested the following standing committees: Board Development/Nominations; Membership; Communications (to include the newsletter, Web site, and written materials); and Programs & Events. The board felt that these committees were very important and that others could be added when necessary. After some discussion concerning whether members will be invited to serve on committees as members or chairs or whether the board should primarily make up the committees for the time being, President Heath suggested that the board members act as leaders of each committee. Each board member designated as a head of a committee would be responsible for recruiting volunteers to help. Erica McKewen would also be able to assist the committees. President Heath then asked for volunteers to serve as committee chairs. After some discussion, the following commitments were made:

It was noted that the Programs and Events committee should circulate some ideas around the board fairly soon for this fall, particularly the Texas Book Festival. Vice President Moltzan suggested donating a signed copy of Roxie Munro's book "Inside Outside Texas" along with the poster she created to publicize the book to the Texas Book Festival gala silent auction. Peggy Rudd then discussed the possibility of a "package" tour the Friends could donate to the auction which might include a personal tour of the Bob Bullock Museum and cocktails for a small group of people. The board felt these were good ideas to explore.

In order to facilitate/circulate ideas and discussion among the committees and board, the board suggested the State Library host a listserv for the board members. Erica McKewen will check into this possibility. If the State Library cannot host the listserv, Pat Smith suggested TLA would be willing to host the listserv.

11. Newsletter
a) Content
President Heath asked the Communications Committee to work with Erica McKewen to develop policies and protocol for the quarterly newsletter.
b) Distribution policy
The Membership Committee will work with the Communications Committee to develop a distribution policy that will fit with the membership development strategy.

12. Discuss membership development/generate ideas
a) Membership benefits
b) Volunteers
The Membership Committee should develop some ideas for membership development, membership benefits, and ways to utilize volunteers. The board should forward any ideas they may have to JoAnne Moore.

13. Membership and board meetings
a) Set next board meeting date
The next board meeting will be in conjunction with the Texas Book Festival in Austin, Nov. 16-18, 2001. President Heath asked Erica McKewen to poll the board via email concerning the possible meeting date of Monday, Nov. 19, 2001, at 10:00 a.m. at the State Library.
b) Policy / need for regional membership meetings
The board agreed that for the time being, one annual membership meeting at TLA Annual Conference would be sufficient. President Heath and Vice President Moltzan will work together to finalize the date of the membership meeting and work with TLA to fill out the appropriate forms. The content of the meeting should be finalized by October for the purposes of the TLA program.

Vice President Moltzan informed the board of an opportunity to co-sponsor a program at TLA Annual Conference concerning the role of Women's Clubs in the establishment of local libraries. The Friends group will not be required to pay anything. The other co-sponsors of the program will be the Public Library Division and Library Friends, Trustees, and Advocates. The Board approved co-sponsorship for the TLA annual conference program.

14. Miscellaneous
a) Board travel policy
The board did not discuss this issue.
b) "Big Book"
President Heath, Vice President Moltzan, Peggy Rudd, and Erica McKewen will work together to determine the purpose of the Big Book and what criteria will be followed in purchasing the book. A professional calligrapher should be sought to write the charter members and other information into the book.
c) Letterhead and brochure design
The Communications Committee will make recommendations on these items at the next board meeting.
d) Other miscellaneous items
The board discussed the presentation by the two professors from the University of Texas. Dr. Gracy suggested that the books could be offered to members at a discount as a membership benefit or given to special donors of the Friends group. The State Library might also consider hosting the chronology on the Web site. After much discussion about the quality and scope of the two works, it was determined that the chronology was the only one that might be worthy of the Friends' sponsorship.

Vice President Moltzan moved that Peggy Rudd and Dr. Gracy examine the chronology and make a recommendation about whether the Friends group should sponsor its publication. Dependent upon their recommendation, the Friends group would underwrite the $2,800 to publish 200 copies of the chronology of Texas libraries; Dr. Gracy seconded. President Heath asked to amend the motion to request that Peggy Rudd and Dr. Gracy email the full board after reviewing the work so that a decision could be made. Motion passed.

Dr. Gracy will notify Don Davis and Charles Harrell concerning the status of their proposal.

The meeting adjourned at 7:15 p.m.

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