New office!

The library now has office space! The JTEL office is at studio #8, the Annex, 2922 Parks Highway. We expect to be here for at least six months, after which the JTEL board will re-evaluate the utility of an office space and our current location.

We are still seeking furnishings and office sponsors, and will announce office hours shortly. Office furnishings and equipment still needed are:

• table
• rug
• desk and floor lamps
• multifunction printer
• chairs
• desk
• office tools, supplies and equipment (power strips, three-hole punch, file folders, scissors, pens, letter-sized paper, etc.)
• telephone

Several items and records have been moved to the office so far, although organizing the place will take a little time. This has created some extra room at the John Trigg Ester Library; a Soup & Stow work party will soon be held there to clean up and reorganize the library to make it more welcoming now that it is roomier. (Check back for more information on the Soup & Stow.)

T-shirts will be available for sale at the office, and board and committee meetings will be held there.

The first meeting in our new office will be the next Capital Campaign Committee meeting, November 17, Wednesday, at 6 pm.

Amended annual report

 The annual report that was prepared for the 2010 JTEL membership meeting has been revised slightly to correct a few small errors and include a little more information. It's available on the web and is in color! (download the 904 kb file) Contents include:

• meeting agenda
• officers' reports (including the financial report for the year)
• library overview and history updated for 2010
• information on the Capital Campaign Committee and the Construction Committee
• membership statistics
• marketing & publicity report, covering the history of the library from 1999 to present
• goals & tasks projected for construction, library operation, and programs from 2010-2015
• overview of the capital campaign
• 2010 fundraisers report
• overview of current library policies
• biographies of the board members
• volunteering report & acknowledgements

Some sections are also available as html pages (links to those pages are above; these get updated from time to time).

An office for the library

The latest project for the Ester library is obtaining an office where we can keep our records together, have meetings, and work. Right now the records for the library are scattered across at least three computers and seven households, plus a few offices. One board member may have certain office records, but those records aren't accessible to the rest of the board unless special arrangements are made. It's just not a good way to try to work or coordinate events, meetings, and construction. Volunteers who would like to help catalog titles or work on events have no central place they can go to find the information or resources they might need. An office will make the work of the board and volunteers easier and more efficient.

So, the JTEL board has put out a call for office sponsorships! The board is weighing two potential locations in the Ester area, both of which rent in the range of $250 to $300 a month, and have high-speed internet access. With telephone charges, etc., we expect the cost of an office will be around $300 to $350 per month. We've already gotten so many sponsors that the amount still needed is only $135 per month! The response has been wonderful. The library's regular funding events and even the state appropriation could pay for the remainder, but that means that money won't be available for construction or design work.

The office will only be needed for a limited time, until the library building is complete. Before we move the books, we will move the office, so we expect that the duration of office sponsorship will be from two to three years. We are asking sponsors to commit to one year, if they can, and to pay in advance six months to a year if possible. However, sponsorships need not be large: we have sponsors who can only afford $5 per month up to those who have committed to $50 per month. Every bit helps, and is greatly appreciated.

Annual meeting update and upcoming committee meetings

The JTEL annual meeting was a success, with 23 library members in attendance. New bylaws were reviewed, amended, and passed, and a new board elected. The board of directors now includes:

• Ken Bluhm, new member and alternate, to 2012
• Greta Burkart, re-elected to another term, to 2012 
• Nancy Burnham, continuing member, to 2011
• Amy Cameron, new member and alternate, to 2012
• Roy Earnest, new member, to 2012
• Eric Glos, continuing member, to 2011
• Melinda Harris, re-elected to another term, to 2012
• Deirdre Helfferich, continuing member, to 2011
• Monique Musick, continuing member, to 2011

Two new committees have been created to focus on the design and construction of the library building and to raise funds for the library. Several people volunteered for these committees at the meeting, but both committees could use more help.

• Capital Campaign Committee: this group will focus on grantwriting, organizing the fundraisers, publicizing the library for the purpose of fundraising, setting up an endowment or other long-term support, the bookshelf dedications, shirt sales, solicitations to individuals and companies or organizations, and coming up with other means to provide funding for construction, library operation, and library programs. The committee's first meeting is Wednesday, Nov. 3, 6 pm, at the Republic Press office, studio #2 at the Annex, 2922 Parks Highway (entrance on the right-hand side of the building).
• Construction Committee: this committee will oversee the construction of the new library building, establishing a budget and timeline, securing materials and labor, working on the details of contracts, and so on. The first meeting is also on Wednesday, Nov. 3, but at 7 pm at the Golden Eagle Saloon on Main Street in Ester. MEETING CHANGE: the meeting will be held Sunday, October 31, 4 pm at the Eagle, so all members can attend.

Annual meeting this Sunday!

The library's second annual membership meeting is coming up this weekend, October 24th, at 4 pm. A potluck will kick things off, starting between 3 and 3:30. There will be door prizes and plenty of good food, as well as information on:

• grants and appropriations
• construction plans and committee
• architectural design
• marketing and publicity
• library history & update
• capital campaign and endowment
• bylaws & the federal nonprofit application
• board elections (see candidate bios)

Some information is on line in advance of the meeting. You can find the meeting packet and the agenda at the JTEL website.

See you there!

Photos from Readers on the Run

So far we only have a few. Here's some taken by volunteer Hans Mölders, who was a spotter on the intersection of Old Nenana Highway and Ester Creek Road.

Harry Simpson, #249. 

Lisa Baraff, poodle, out walking her husky.

Maia Luick, left, and Rachel Geiss.

Deirdre Helfferich, the Queen in Green.

Sally Anderson and son.

Readers on the Run this weekend!

Readers on the Run is tomorrow, check-in at 10 am at the Ida Lane Gazebo! Entry fee for race day registration is $15 ($25 to reserve a t-shirt too). Get yourself a silly costume, come on down, and run for the library!