President’s Corner
February 1, 2019
Friends of the Library Board Votes to Return to Fiscal Year Membership Dues
In 2016, the Board of Directors voted to change the long-standing practice of having the membership year run from January 1 to June 30 of each year to one in which membership ran for 12 months from the date of joining or renewing. The thinking behind this change was two-fold: (1) a rolling 12-month membership would create an income stream throughout the year and (2) this change would spread the Membership Secretary’s work out over 12 months, rather than the usual six weeks between June and mid-July. However, as a colleague with a sweet Georgia accent once said to me, “Just remember, my dear, not all ideas are good ideas.”
The Board has concluded that, indeed, the idea of changing the membership year was not a good one. Many members were accustomed to remembering that they should be renewing their Friends of the Library memberships in June. Also, the change in policy came at the same time that we began the process of upgrading our technology and relying more and more on email, as opposed to the Friends of the Library newsletter, which we discontinued because of printing costs and the fact that some content was often out of date by the time it was received.
While the vast majority of our members have given us their email addresses, our outreach regarding membership renewals seems not to have been noticed, or it was noticed but not followed through with at the same rate as in the past. As a result, Friends of the Newburyport Public Library membership has declined significantly.
At its January 23, 2019, the board voted to return to the prior practice of a membership year that runs from July 1 to June 30, regardless of when one last paid their dues. As in the past, new members who join after December 31st of a given year will be credited with up to a year and a half’s membership, rather than a six-month or less membership.
In an effort to rebuild the membership, we will be holding a “June is Membership Month” campaign. We hope all members and former members will support this effort. Memberships received between now and June 30, 2019, will expire on June 30, 2020. Membership forms are available at the library’s Circulation Desk and will soon be available online.
When considering your decision to support the Friends of the Newburyport Public Library, please keep in mind that the money the Friends raises pays for many of the library’s programs, books, CDs, DVDs, and other materials. The Museum Passes program is funded entirely by the Friends. Last year the Friends helped purchase new furniture for the library’s reading areas and this fiscal year the Friends upgraded all of the AV equipment that is used by staff and community members in the Program Room.