Welcome to the Friends of the Libraries & Archives of Texas

Friends of Libraries and Archives of Texas Executive Board Meeting
Sept. 11, 2009 - 1:30 p.m.
Texas State Library & Archives Commission
Lorenzo de Zavala Archives and Library Building
1201 Brazos Street, Austin, Texas

Welcome

Attending: Darryl Tocker, Dianna Dorman, Susan Dorsey, Cyndi Hughes, Ramon Noches, and Marvin Rich; joining via conference call: Lori Brix.

TSLAC & Friends staff: Derick Hackett, Tracy Lash and Charlotte McCann.

Call to Order

Darryl Tocker called the meeting to order at 1:45 p.m.

Review and Approval of Minutes from the June 19, 2009, Board Meeting

Minutes were approved with no corrections and will be placed in the Minute Book.

Treasurer’s Report

Darryl Tocker submitted the Treasurer’s Report for the calendar year through August 2009. Income reflects $10,000 toward a $30,000 Tocker Foundation grant pledged for the Capital Campaign.

Darryl noted that Pass-Through Income is $0, as funds received for the August Council of State Archivists reception held at the Zavala building had been spent.

Texas State Library Report

Tracy Lash presented the report for Peggy Rudd. Tracy provided a detailed update on the status of the renovation. Construction is expected to be complete and staff and materials located offsite returned to the building in January 2010. Ribbon cutting is planned for March 2010.

Chris LaPlante, Jean Carefoot, and Carolyn Foster retired from the Archives staff this past summer. A national search is underway to replace Chris LaPlante as state archivist. The Archives will also hire a conservator for the new conservation lab.

Governor Rick Perry visited the Archives in August to record the Travis Letter written at the Alamo. This recording is part of a new project called the Governors Series/Voices of Texas History. The state library hopes to record the voices of all living governors and spouses, reading documents of Texas history. Anita Perry has also agreed to record. Archives staff is looking for an appropriate document. Gov. Mark White will record Stephen F. Austin’s letter formally declaring that Texas is at war.

The next Commission meeting will take place in October in Liberty and the Sam Houston Regional Library.

TSLAC is coordinating the Opportunity Online Broadband Summit, an initiative spearheaded by the Gates Foundation and Connected Nation. Texas is one of seven states selected to participate in a pilot project to improve broadband access for public libraries. The summits will convene librarians and “influencers” from communities across the state to strategize how to improve high-speed Internet connectivity. Libraries will be able to apply for grants to increase access. The initiative will be funded by the Gates Foundation and administered by TSLAC. TSLAC has set up a Summit Advisory Group that includes community, legislative, and library leaders from around the state.

In preparation for the Summits, which will be held in October and November in San Antonio, Derick Hackett toured 8 libraries in West and South Texas with a video crew. The 5-minute video will be shown at the Summits and can also be viewed on the TSLAC Web site.

Darryl Tocker will add the video to the Friends program at the TLA Annual Conference in San Antonio in April 2010.

Capital Campaign & Membership Report

Charlotte McCann provided an update on fundraising since the June 19, 2009, board meeting. The Tocker Foundation approved a $30,000 grant that will cover fundraising activities. With this grant, the Friends has raised $36,000+ toward the $1.3 million needed for the 3-to-1 match for Houston Endowment, Inc.’s challenge grant. Charlotte is working on a grant proposal to ExxonMobil Foundation, and will be working next on a proposal for the Albert & Ethel Herzstein Foundation of Houston. Darryl Tocker will prepare a proposal for the T.L.L. Temple Foundation.

Lori Brix inquired whether in-kind contributions are eligible for the Houston Endowment match. Darryl will work with Lori to quantify Silent Partners’ pro bono services toward that end.

Old Business:

Charlotte McCann demonstrated the redesigned Friends Web site, accomplished with the pro bono services of board member Lori Brix’s firm Silent Partners. The site is being tested on the TSLAC’s internal server, and will go live within a few weeks. One new feature is a downloadable Membership Form. A similar form for Capital Campaign contributions will be designed. Content on the Capital Campaign will be added on an ongoing basis. The board confirmed that board meeting minutes should be available on the Web site. Darryl Tocker requested that it be up by the time of the Broadband summits.

The Friends program and annual membership meeting will take place on April 14 at 2:30 pm at the annual TLA 2010 conference. The program is titled “You’ve Got a Friend.” A panel of experts will explain the nuts and bolts of establishing a friends organization for school and public libraries. The Friends also hope to plan an event around David Gracy’s book on the history of the Texas State Library that will be released just in time for the TLA Annual Conference. Darryl proposed incorporating the video created for the Broadband Summit into the Friends annual meeting.

The Friends hopes to plan a cultivation event in San Antonio. Marvin Rich proposed several sites. Dianna also suggested a friend's house and will check into that. Darryl asked if the Friends could conduct a cultivation/fundraising event in the new lobby. Cyndi inquired about an event during the Texas Book Festival and suggested conducting a tour on the Friday of the book festival.

New Business:

Darryl Tocker announced the dedication on Dec. 1 at 10 am of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission as a Literary Landmark. Laura Bush has agreed to be the keynote speaker. A staff committee is working on a plan and program for the event.

Darryl proposed to move the January 2010 board meeting up to December 1, 2009.

Dianna announced that she is holding a Docents of the Governor’s Mansion meeting in the TSLAC building in November.

There being no additional new business, the meeting adjourned at 2:58 p.m.