Spring 2020

Friends of the Anacortes Public Library
P. O. Box 2009  Anacortes, WA  98221 360-293-1910

SPRING 2020 NEWSLETTER, APRIL 2020

THE PRESIDENT'S CORNER - 4/23/20
    “The only thing that is constant is change.”  -- Heraclitus
From the appearance and format of this newsletter it is clear that the present circumstances of our lives have forced all of us to adapt and to change to meet the needs of the moment.   We have shifted to electronic delivery of this newsletter shortening and simplifying it to reduce production costs, and mailing it to members who do not have e-mail addresses with us. As with many other groups, sudden changes have affected everyone, and we are doing our best to make certain that all of our volunteers and our public stay safe and healthy.
Significantly, on March 13th, our bookstore facility in the library was closed due to mandated COVID-19 protocols.  The following week the library also closed, and we then found ourselves shut off from access to our mail and to our bookstore’s inventory.  We have corrected the mail drop issue (see below for our new post office box).  But that was the simplest of changes we have had to face. .
The loss of access to our bookstore’s inventory is crucial – and we, like many other businesses and nonprofits in our community, are still in limbo as to when we will be able to begin operating again. On the library’s closure, our access to our meeting room there was also closed to us. As a result our last Executive Committee/Board meeting on March 17th   was conducted via telephone conference call, using a platform offered by TurboBridge.  We have also been investigating the possibility of holding virtual meetings in the future with Zoom or other software, but are still assessing other applications and additional technical requirements for home computers.
Although the library is closed it has taken a number of its programs for children and services for others online – and it continues to need our support. The Friends remain committed to finding ways that we can safely continue our fund-raising to support the library’s programs and materials budget.  Our Board will continue to discuss options for adapting to the “new normal” that we all are facing. The electronic publishing of this newsletter is an example. Another will be to investigate alternative means for selling books, perhaps even online, if we can do it cost-effectively. Debate about that and other options continues, and I would welcome your comments and suggestions, by sending them to lfalken@whidbey.com.
We plan to keep all of our members (and others) informed by using e-mail announcements, and posting information on our website, so please stay tuned ,as we all work our way through this.
        ---Linda Falken, President
New mailing address for Friends of the Library
We have a new mailing address now – please use this on any correspondence you send to us.   That is:
Friends of the Anacortes Public Library, P.O. Box 2009, Anacortes, WA   98221.
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TREASURERS REPORT,   April 20
Our total revenue for January 1 – April 1 this year, (which include membership renewals, donations and bookstore revenues) was $7,613.  Our expenses for 2020 are covered because previous FoL Boards were very conservative managers of their funds, only spending money they had previously saved.  Because we are continuing this frugal policy, money we earn this year is being saved to fund library programs and expenses in 2021. However, it appears very likely we will have a financial shortfall: for example, if the library requests the level of budget support in 2021 as it did for this year, we would need to have raised $10,500 by April 1, 2020.
In early March the FoL bookstore closed, and less than a week later, we were no longer getting mailed membership forms or donations, which tend to come in around this time.  Renewals or donation checks sent to our address in the library will not reach us until the library reopens. This is why we have established an alternative mailing address, listed on page 2 of this newsletter.
The good news is that we do have financial reserves, which prior FoL boards had the foresight to put aside for a “rainy day” emergency. We also have additional savings in the form of “restricted funds” that have been donated for specific library uses.  We will be looking to use these funds to cover library program and materials expenses wherever possible because 2021 promises to be a much leaner budget year for us all.
Hal Rooks, Treasurer
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The Library is (Virtually) Open – Check it out
During this period of “social isolation”, you should also check out the Anacortes Public Library’s web page, as the staff is still working behind the scenes to provide resources in a virtual environment.  That includes working to increase its collection of audio and e-books, and converting programs to a virtual environment. (Check out the Tournament of Picture Books – particularly since we all missed not being able to follow the “Final Four” championships this March!)  Like most libraries across this state and others, the library remains committed to providing as many services as possible in a “social distancing” environment.
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Help Us Save Money and Trees
We would love to have your email address.  This saves the Friends money printing and mailing newsletters and membership notices.  Using email saves trees and speeds information to you!  Please contact lfalken@whidbey.com and I will have you added to our e-mail distribution list.  After that you will receive email copies of future newsletters, and other membership mailings.  FOL spent $132 on postage for the late January 2020 newsletter, in addition to expenses for envelopes and photo-copying.  Volunteers spent time attaching labels to envelopes, folding the copies, and then inserting them into envelopes.  These expenses recur with each paper version of the newsletter we send out.  We will never share your contact  information, but it does help us to communicate quickly with you about recent events. Thank you for your help and support.

National Library Week  – National Effort to Support Libraries and Their Friends Groups
From the American Library Association website:
“National Library Week (April 19 - 25, 2020) is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation's libraries and library workers and to promote library use and support. From free access to books and online resources for families to library business centers that help support entrepreneurship and retraining, libraries offer opportunity to all.
“As the impact of the COVID-19 crisis continues to evolve and change the work of libraries and library workers, libraries are proving resourceful and resilient, serving as a rich pipeline for content, delivering access to e-books, movies, music, video games, virtual story times and activities, and so much more.
As noted before, the Anacortes Public Library and its staff are working hard to make programs and materials as available as possible during this health crisis.  We of the Friends group would like to thank all of these workers, who continue to provide access to e-books, online reference materials (and answers to e-mail reference questions) and to virtual programming for our community.  It is at times like these that provide us with a deeper appreciation of the importance of free and open libraries in our communities.  Please join us in recognizing the Anacortes Public Library staff’s dedication to their institution and to the community (and hopefully in the near future we will be able to thank them all in person – even if we have to do so at a distance).
If you have not yet renewed your membership, now is the time to do so!  If you have already sent in your renewal, we thank you for your continued support.

MEMBERSHIP/DONATION FORM
Yes!   I would like to support our library by joining the Friends of the Anacortes Public Library.
Name ___________________________________________________________________

Phone  ______________________________

E-Mail Address (optional) _______________________

Mailing Address _______________________________________________________________
City/State/Zip _______________________________________________________________
Memberships run from January to December.  Dues are $10.00.  Your dues or donations are tax-deductible.
Annual Dues ($10.00)   _______               Additional Donation ____________
THANK YOU!
Send to:     Friends of the Anacortes Public Library     P.O. Box 2009.    Anacortes, WA  98221

Another Way to Follow Us
The Friends now have a facebook  page!
Take a look: https://m.facebook.com/Friends-of-the-Anacortes-Public-Library-105079111161094/
If you are on facebook, enter – Friends of the Anacortes Public Library – in the search box at the top of any fb page (next to the magnifying glass symbol).  Please help us by “liking” the page to raise Friends’ visibility in the community.


Who We Are
The Anacortes Friends of the Library is a 50 year old not-for-profit volunteer organization. It is one of the oldest Friends groups in the state of Washington. Members raise funds through the sale of gently used books donated by the public or surplused by the library. The FoL bookstore in the library lobby has regular hours and is staffed by volunteers.

The Friends also are honored by financial donations to benefit the library.

Additional information and updates are available through the Friends’ website: https://friendsoftheanacorteslibrary.org

What We Do

We are committed to helping the library in every way possible
We promote and support library policies and procedures
We try to finance special materials or events outside the scope of the city budget, e.g. Harry Potter Night
We are a non-profit depository for memorials and donations in the interest of the library
We help to educate and entertain all ages
We socialize and enjoy the companionship of others who choose to serve the community in a gratifying way