FRIENDS OF THE GOLDA MEIR LIBRARY

Board of Directors Meeting

Friday, 8 November 2002, 12 noon

4th floor Conference Center

Present: Albert Adelman, Tom Bliffert, E. J. Brumder, Gilbert Church, Bruce Fetter, Norman Lasca, Barry Silberg, Katherine Smith, Pat Van Alyea, Winston Van Horne, and Peter Watson-Boone.

Guests: Ewa Barczyk, Steve Burnham, and Rebecca Littman.

The meeting was called to order at 12 noon.

1. Minutes of the January 25, 2002 Board meeting were approved as submitted.

2. Director of Libraries Peter Watson-Boone introduced Rebecca Littman, head of the Music Library and President of Early Music Now, who offered an overview of the Music Library. Littman said the Music Library, run by two full-time staff and 8 student workers, contains 3800 CDs (including generous recent Friends gifts of Bach, Mozart, and pianist sets); 75,000 LPs (many donated by WUWM and WFMR); 23,000 music scores; 3700 books; 2000 reference works; and a special collection of Slovenian music resources. New additions are a music listening room and a computer that creates virtual accompanist CDs for vocal music students. The Music Library serves a growing UWM Music department, as well as the Milwaukee music community, and is currently attempting to build up its popular and world/ethnic music resources.

Fetter suggested Littman present a similar overview of the Music Library to commercial radio stations and the Hal Leonard company, to try to interest them in donating popular music resources in outdated formats, a project that he felt the Friends might consider helping to underwrite.

3. Treasurer’s Report: Silberg reported the current balance, as of Oct. 25, 2002, was $47,491.59. The report was accepted by the Board as submitted.

4. President’s Report:

• Lasca reported that the Friends had completed the creation of a UW System Trust Fund account with the approval of the University administration. Watson-Boone explained that the UW Trust Fund account, which began with a bequest that supplied the necessary minimum balance, could be used for most of the Friends activities, except food and entertainment. The Friends will continue to have a Foundation account, but the Trust account provides the Friends another option that some donors prefer.

• Board member Gilbert Church will be giving an illustrated lecture November 15 on Yemen.

• Two Board members have resigned—Norm Balthasar and Scott Sampson—and Leigh Sherman intends to resign.

• The Board needs to fill committees with vacancies. Lasca asked the Development committee to be more involved in developing resources for the Friends. (Other committee business appears under Development Committee, in #5 below.)

5. Director of Libraries’ Report:

• Watson-Boone reported that the UWM Libraries had been facing a severe financial shortfall for 2002/03 at the time of the Friends annual meeting in May, but eventually received new funds: $150,000 added to base funds and a one-time allotment of $150,000 to help with a backlog in book purchasing.

• The Libraries received a bequest of $75,000 from a Milwaukee resident, as well as a $50,000 grant that satisfied a $50,000 matching grant for the preservation and cataloging of the WTMJ News film collection.

• Update on Stage IV building expansion: The proposal, for a $30 million 69,000 assignable square-foot expansion on Hartford Avenue, has been seven years in planning, has been submitted and resubmitted to the administration, and is now UWM’s top building priority. State and UW officials recently visited to evaluate the proposal, but were not optimistic about funding for the project; they were more interested in additional compact storage, for which the Libraries were asked to submit a proposal. The Libraries are not quitting on efforts to build the expansion.

• Two recent publications of note: Chancellor Nancy Zimpher, Professor Stephen Percy, and Mary Jane Brukardt have written a book entitled A Time for Boldness: A Story of Institutional Change, which offers UWM as a model of large-scale academic planning. Also, the Libraries, with funding help from the Wisconsin Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities, have published The Shape and Color of Research, edited by staff member Max Yela, which investigates how Special Collections can serve scholarship and art.

6. Committee Reports

• Nominating Committee: Lasca reported for Schreiber that because of the recent Bylaws change, the President is able to appoint, with the approval of the Executive Committee, new Board members to fill vacant seats. The nominating committee recommends Michael Murphy, Tyrone Dumas, and Robert Meldman be appointed. Lasca asked for and received Board concurrence. If the three appointees accept, there will be six vacancies remaining. The committee is considering people from Miller, NML, and M&I Bank, as well as others, to serve on the Board. Fetter suggested Professor John Koethe, UWM Department of Philosophy. Van Alyea raised the question of whether there should be a financial obligation for Board members; the consensus was that this was an appropriate direction in which to move. The Executive Committee will work on this idea.

• Program Committee: Lasca reported for Blinkhorn that the recent Friends used book sale was one of the more successful such events, raising almost $3,900. It was moved, seconded, and approved unanimously to transfer the book sale funds to the Libraries.

• Communications Committee: Church reported that the committee’s survey last spring concluded that a number of Friends were interested in learning more about the Libraries’ “treasures.” In response, the committee arranged a tour for 13 Friends, led by Watson-Boone and AGSL Curator Chris Baruth, to be held November 9.

• Development Committee: Lasca outlined the proposed settlement with David Tucker. Tucker had been paid $20,000 by the Friends to develop a fundraising campaign. Due to a number of factors, he was not able to fulfill his contractual obligations. After meetings with him, Tucker offered to return $15,000 and provide his contact information within 90 days. Lasca reported that the Executive Committee felt that recouping 80% ($15,000 plus a $1000 donation, which Tucker had already made for a Friends of the Library life membership) was a good outcome. A motion to approve the settlement was made, seconded, and passed unanimously. Lasca said he would convey the acceptance to Tucker. Watson-Boone noted Lasca’s hard work on this issue, and thanked him for the Board and the Libraries.

Lasca said the Development Committee needs to be reconstituted, that it needs new direction and new ideas. Fetter added that the Development Committee should meet with the Executive Committee, and then with the new UWM Foundation Director, to determine if the Friends should work with the Foundation or independently. Watson-Boone suggested a Spring meeting with the Foundation Director, who is new to her job. Van Alyea suggested an open invitation to the entire Board to a Development Committee meeting.

7. Lasca welcomed new Board member E.J. Brumder.

8. The meeting was adjourned at 1:05 p.m.