Along with a memorandum of understanding between the library and its Friends group, the Warsaw Community Public Library Board of Trustees Monday approved policies on meeting rooms, material loan periods and photography and filming on library property. The memorandum between WCPL and Friends of the Library states the Friends’ mission is to raise money and public awareness to support the services and programs of the library. Although the Friends group is not yet a non-profit because it needs the $400 fee to become a 501(c)(3) and to file the state and federal paperwork, the memorandum indicates that the group will be a legally distinct entity and not a part of the library once it does officially become a non-profit. The memorandum also indicates what the WCPL and the Friends of the Library agree to do for each other. Friends President Lorie Krygier told the library board the group started meeting in October, but she didn’t hear about it or join until November. About 15 to 20 people attended the Friends meeting in November, which decreased to about five in December and January, but there were about 14 people at the March meeting. In February, there were about six people who had been going to the meetings every month so five of them ended up elected as officers. The group’s bylaws also were passed. The March meeting was the first one where the officers “ran the show” instead of Administrative Assistant Robin Fosnaugh and Library Director Ann Zydek. Fosnaugh told the board she was very impressed with how the Friends group came in and took the meeting over. Krygier said they are now working on a membership brochure so they can get more members in the Friends group. She said she hopes there are at least 14 members at each monthly meeting. “The major problem is getting our 501(c)(3) non-profit status. I had no idea it was as complicated as it evidently is,” Krygier said. “The gal who has taken on the job as our treasurer has some accounting background, so she’s the one looking into that. Just how far she’s gotten, I don’t know.” Krygier said the application is 24 to 25 pages of instructions and there was a fee of $400. “We have nothing in our till at this point so it’ll take some discussion on our end on how we’ll get this going and achieve our 501(c)(3),” she reported. On the public meeting rooms policy, Assistant Director Joni Brookins told the board there were just a few changes to the policy and most were just language changes that had to be updated. Changes include: a person doesn’t have to have a library card to use a meeting room; the library no longer has a dedicated video conferencing unit; and the circulation department now handles the scheduling of rooms. Library patrons will be able to renew some materials more times now with the changes the board approved. Brookins said, “We decided that it would be nice to offer more renewal periods for the general amount of types of materials that we have, as long as no one else has a hold on it and wants to borrow it while you have it out. It could help someone not incur an overdue charge if they have one more renewal period.” She said where possible, the number of renewals were increased. Under the new policy, non-fiction, fiction and genre books for adults, youth and young adults can be renewed four times instead of two. Each loan period is for 21 days. “Most of our material falls under this non-fiction, fiction and genre category,” Brookins indicated. Magazines can be renewed twice instead of once, with each loan period being 21 days; music CDs, adult and youth, three times for loan periods of 21 days instead of twice; audio books, adult, young adult and youth, four times for 21-day loan periods; and computer software, adult and youth, two times for 21-day loan periods, up from one time. “You can see a lot of the changes are in categories where they already go out for 21 days. We’re not really impacting anything that is only on loan for seven days because that’s usually a very high-use category or high-expense category such as video games,” Brookins said. The last policy approved by the board was on photography and filming on library property. It states the library reserves the right to prohibit any filming and/or photography for any reason. Casual noncommercial photography intended to record a visit to the public areas of the library is permitted provided that it doesn’t interfere in any way with library operations, doesn’t capture individuals without their permission, doesn’t feature minors except with parent permission, doesn’t use any supplemental lighting and images are not used for any commercial purpose. Photography and filming at the library that requires an application must be submitted at least 10 business days in advance, must be authorized by the library director and includes non-profit, commercial or wedding/portrait photography use. The library may request a certificate of insurance naming the library as additionally insured for the days of filming, load-in and strike 48 hours prior to filming and/or load-in. The use of the facility during the project will be supervised by assigned library employee. Any damage to the library or its property is the responsibility of the person signing the application.
