Friends of the Golda Meir Library
Minutes
Meeting of 22 February 2000

Present: N. Balthasar, T. Bliffert, L. Blinkhorn, G. Church, B. Fetter, E. Hinshaw, N. Lasca, President, S. Miller, L. Sherman, B. Silberg, S. Tolan, D. Tucker, P. Van Alyea, P. Watson-Boone
Excused: F. Chaney, L. Schneiders, B. Seay
Absent: K. Basquin, C. Benson, M. Lord
Guests: C. Maass, N. Zimpher

Lasca called the meeting to order at 12:10 p.m.

1. The minutes of the Board meeting of 19 October 1999 were approved as revised before the meeting.
   Revisions to the Bylaws were passed by the Board for vote of the membership at its annual meeting on 23 May.
   
   
2. Announcements (NPL)
   
   Reminder that the Annual Meeting will be held on 23 May 2000. The business meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m.; the program is scheduled to start at 5:45 p.m.
   
   The Spring Book Sale will be 3-5 April. Monday from 5-8 p.m. and Tuesday from 10 a.m. to Noon will be for UWM students only.
   
   A link has been added from the Friends’ web site to an online exhibit, which features the speakers from the Friends 1999 Annual Program.
   
   
3. Pres. Lasca welcomed Chancellor Zimpher. Explained that the Friends Board is a newly constituted group of community leaders. The Golda Meir Library is a major community resource serving about 40% of Wisconsin’s population. The Board is interested in the Milwaukee Idea and in establishing an endowment for GML as part of the capital campaign.
   
   Chancellor: Expressed her appreciation for the leadership of the Friends and Peter Watson-Boone. Uses as many opportunities as possible to discuss the library. The UW System and the Regents have a proposal to make the UW System competitive with comparable institutions in the country. The Milwaukee Idea has become UWM’s framework for future thinking; it represents a commitment to the community and a compact with the community. It is framed around strategies that build on existing research. A formula has been devised for this: E³= QL. E³ stands for Educational development, Economic development, and Environmental and public health concerns; QL stands for Quality of Life.
   
   NZ continued that given UWM’s capacity and intellectual aspirations she believes we can significantly contribute to the quality of life in all of Southeastern Wisconsin. There can be a ‘brain train’ and UWM can be the engine. 75% of UWM grads stay in Wisconsin. UWM cares about the quality of life -- both its immediate locality, and in the rest of the State. We need to convince UWSA, the Regents, the Governor, and the Legislature that UWM is a very worthy investment, which will eventually generate great returns. Every member of the UWM family is asked to put forward ideas; it will take all of us to convince Wisconsin that there is capacity here beyond what has been realized before. In March a presentation will be made to the Regents about plans to increase enrollments. In June the Regents meet in Milwaukee. NZ will again impress on them the importance of UWM to the future of Wisconsin. The Friends will be invited to a dinner with the Regents. In August, the Regents will decide where the Milwaukee Idea fits in the UW budget. Components of plan include matching promises; pledge to increase enrollments and grants and contracts. UWM will allocate some of its existing dollars to new purposes.
   
   Watson-Boone asked about the new Assistant Chancellor for Partnerships and Innovation position. NZ discussed plans for the leadership structure of UWM. Transitioning of some assistant chancellor positions is being done. This new position has been established and will be filled by a community person.
   
   NZ noted with pleasure that Friends Board member, Lolita Schneiders, is a Regent.
   
   Fetter: commented that historically the Library and the Friends have played a partnership role with the community. Need to think about ways we can remove constraints on benefits we can offer our community partners; there is a need for a better and clearer connection between the library and the neighborhoods. The Milwaukee Idea is a vehicle for saying a lot about the institution.
   
   NPL thanked the Chancellor for her remarks, and expressed the Friends’ support for her initiatives.
   
   

President’s Report. The UWM Foundation Board has appointed a member to the Friends Board: Katherine Smith, a graduate of the School of Education in 1983. She plans to attend the next meeting. One of the Friends recently donated securities in the amount of $3,500.00.

Lasca and Silberg met with Assistant Chancellor Gene Haberman of the UWM Foundation. They discussed fund raising and expanding the Friends Board. Haberman’s suggestions for increased cooperation included a mailing to the entire Alumni Association (about 25,000 individuals) telling them about the Friends organization and its mission; appointing a member of the Alumni Association Board to the Friends’ Board; appointing a member of the UWM Foundation Board to the Friends Board; dealing directly with the officers of the Alumni Assn. board. Also discussed was an arrangement to receive funds from the Alumni Assn. to offset costs associated with processing borrowing privileges to Alumni Assn. members and a joint membership between the Friends and the Alumni Assn.

Director’s Report. Watson-Boone reported that the campus request for planning funds for Phase 4 of the library building has been sent to UWSA. He believes that the UWM 2001-03 budget will contain requests for funds for the library to support major campus initiatives; to provide more information literacy training; to train students to use modern electronic resources. The University Library Committee has asked that the library request funding to create positions for specialized collection experts. Watson-Boone went on the Chancellor's cultural mission to England. He also traveled to Slovenia where he met with musicologists and archivists. An exchange agreement was negotiated.

Treasurer’s Report. Silberg announced that the account statement has been provided in the folder each member received. He noted the increased revenues.

Development Committee (Silberg): The Development Committee (Silberg, Balthasar, Tucker) met on Jan. 20. Tucker advised against a mailing to the Alumni Assn. membership. He suggested a mailing to the Friends about the compelling needs. The Committee discussed inviting an author to come and speak for a fee; methods to get members of the Jewish community more involved in the Friends; and pursuing gifts from smaller foundations. David Maraniss, author of recent books on President Clinton and Vince Lombardi, was suggested as a possible speaker.

Communications Committee (Church): Members of the Communications Committee, (Bliffert, Blinkhorn, Sherman, and Church) have met 3 times. Topics included the membership categories and linking those categories to benefits. The consensus is that there is a need for a category for those interested in the Friends per se: but most members have joined only to use the library. There may be a need to look at the FOL as a small group and to engage in the things that small groups do well. The Committee feels it is important to concentrate on responses to the survey that was conducted last year; and will continue its discussions. Church has discussed these concerns with the Development Committee and the Program Committee.

Program Committee (Blinkhorn): The Program Committee met on February 14. The Annual Meeting will be on May 23. UWM Professor of English, Jim Hazard, has been asked to speak on the process of writing. Prof. Hazard is currently working on a memoir of his childhood in India and Gary, Indiana. The Book Sale has been scheduled. Other program ideas that have been discussed include: having a well-known speaker such as David Maraniss or Jane Hamilton; and providing tours for community members.

New Business. Watson-Boone offered to work with the Program Committee on the tours. Van Alyea discussed the use of the library by high school students. She suggested using some preexisting library programs as venues for Friends programs.

The next meeting is the Annual Meeting and Program on May 23.

Lasca adjourned the meeting at 1:05 p.m.