REPORT  OF  THE  PRESIDENT

FRIENDS  OF  THE BIRMINGHAM  PUBLIC  LIBRARY
 

Dora U. Sims, President

 

Friends Overview 2007
 

Historical Facts of the Friends

The Friends of the Birmingham Public Library was resurrected in the late 90's under the former Library Director Jack Bulow. It is a nonprofit entity whose function is to serve as an advocate and supporter of the Library. The BPL Library Foundation was started under the Friends as a mechanism to sustain the Library in the face of economic cutbacks in funding. The primary purpose of the Foundation is to secure funding through corporate enterprises. The Friends focus on sponsoring book authors and storytellers and selling discarded books in the bookstore at the Central Library.

 

Sponsorships/Activities

1) The Friends sponsored semi-annual appreciation luncheons (March & October) for the bookstore volunteers, which gave them an opportunity to interact with Library administrators and Friends officers. ($500)

2) The Friends sponsored a reception (March) after the awarding of the Langum Prize in legal history/biography and historical fiction. The Langum Foundation pays for all travel, entertainment, lodging expenses, and prizes for the recipients. The Library provides the venue. ($250)

3) The Friends provided an honorarium to the speaker at the annual Library Staff Day breakfast/luncheon. All BPL staff members gathered for comaraderie, food, entertainment, etc. ($1,500)

4) The Friends sponsored the two-day Local Authors' Expo at the Central Library (November 30 & December 1). This event was held for the second time this year, and approximately 50 authors participated each day. The authors talked about the process of writing their books, and they sold and autographed their books. ($1,500)

5) The Friends sponsored the annual "Beyond the Budget" award, which is a friendly competition among the branches and various departments at the Central Library. BPL employees are encouraged to submit proposals for needed projects that are beyond the Library's opertaing budget. This award was initiated by former Friends President David Langum. ($1,500)

6) The Friends shared the cost with the Library to purchase plastic bags with the Friends logo on one side. These bags encourage Friends membership and allow patrons to easily carry books. ($2,075)

7) In 2006, the Friends established a $10,000 endowment fund (Certificate of Deposit) to help sustain and support the continued growth of the Friends.

8) The Friends set up a table at Alabama Bound to provide the public with information about the Friends and encourage membership.

9) The Friends Bookstore revenue totaled $25,420. Of this amount, the Friends contributed $19,065 to the Library.

 

Future Goals

 

The Friends will focus on increasing membership and encouraging the development of Friends groups at each branch library. In fact, the Friends have launched a drive for 2008 to encourage the establishment of a Friends group at each branch. The winning BPL staff memeber will be treated to lunch. We hope that these groups will help to strengthen and support the staff at the branches, particularly during after-school hours when many libraries serve a number of students for various reasons.

Flower pots containing Friends' membership applications will be placed at all libraries.  

Friends members/volunteers are needed. There are many areas within BPL where we may be able to use Friends at the discretion of the Library Director and staff. If you are interested in serving at the Library, please contact Ms. Sirmans' office.

 

Conclusion

As the President of the Friends, I also serve as a Trustee on the Library Board. This opportunity has allowed me to learn how the Library operates from both perspectives. This year, I had the opportunity to attend the local library conference (Mobile) and the national library conference (Washington, D.C.) to gain information on how friends of libraries operate locally and nationally. One idea that we are currently looking into is the purchase of pens with the Friends' logo that we can place in the Bookstore for sale and give to prospective new members as an incentive for joining the Friends.

Thanks to Ms. Sirmans and all BPL staff for their support. They are a wonderful group of people that love what they do. The Friends Executive Board meets four times a year, and for the past two years, we have been meeting at different branches to meet staff and tour the facilities.