[Bookstoprisoners] meeting time task

[Suzanne Linder]

Hello all--

Below are the minutes from our last meeting.  Unfortunately, I don't see
anything in them about when we have scheduled the next meeting.  If anyone
remembers a date, maybe they can answer this email?

I agree with Jay that I would also like to have a more comprehensive picture
of where we are financially before we make a decision about hiring someone.
Even if the money for the new position is coming from donations, I would
like to know what kind of financial shape we anticipate being in in three
months.  I see the need for a person to do the tasks on the job description
and I'm not opposed to trying it out for three months, but I would feel much
more comfortable knowing what kind of financial commitment we are making
before we go ahead (for instance, will the book sale revenue hold us for
three months?  five months?  Is it implicit in the job description that this
person will be working on income generation as well as all the coordinating
stuff?  If not, where will the salary come from in three months?).

We are fast approaching the holiday season when people's schedules become
crazy.  I can see how one way of viewing that is that we would like to get
the ball moving on this position so this isn't a wasted month.  On the other
hand, I don't think that we are going to collapse as an organization in the
next six weeks and maybe the new year will be a good time to advertise.

There are a couple other items that I would like to discuss if we have a
business meeting this Saturday.  Jay put up the information on the webpage
for the alternative gift program and Sandra has mentioned it on Keeping the
Faith and in her newsletter.  Now is the time to do some focused advertising
of this project.  I would be happy to do some of that and I know that
Barbara would as well.  We should talk about people's ideas for where and
how to spread the word.

Also, we are very close to having a plan to open the satellite jail (book
carts are in, planning meeting is imminent) and what we need are a few more
good volunteers.  I would appreciate some help brainstorming where we might
advertise for those volunteers.  Again, the holiday is going to get in the
way, but if we have a push in place for the new year maybe we will find some
people who have resolved to be more active in their community??

Can people meet Saturday at 2?

Suzanne

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Sandra Ahten <sandra.ahten at gmail.com>
Date: Oct 15, 2006 8:06 PM
Subject: [Bookstoprisoners] Oct. 14 Meeting agenda/notes
To: BTP <bookstoprisoners at lists.chambana.net>

Minutes of BtP meeting October 14. Notes taken by Sandra. Original agenda in
black, with notes from meeting in red. Job description atttached.


1a. Upcoming Books Sale and dividing up responsibility for it.
promo to calendars (Sandra will do)
fliers (jay made fliers, they are now copied and in the BtP room, we
need todivide up list of fliering locations)
radio and tv (Sandra will do)
schedule of workers/ hours (Sandra will give into to Jay to get it on the
website)
getting volunteers (contacting Lincolns Challenge, Volunteer Illini,) (Deb
will contact Lincolns Challenge, Sandra will contact Volunteer Illini)
making signs (someone needs to do this: see about banner for front of
building, garage sale type signs, signs about where to park) (Chris E???)
accounting / Books (Sandra will ask Jamie to be in charge of cash and daily
accounting)
dumpster/cleanup (we anticipate that there will be many fewer books left
over than in the past… we will take remainers on Sandra's pickup truck
tothe recycling bins at Urbana Transfer on north Lincoln)

1b. Romp Stomp Slam Jam event (Multi-cultural performance art and music
event benefiting BtP and the IMC)
Carol Inskeep is planning this event, Sandra will help with promo. November
11 7-11pm.


2. Job Description of potential paid worker proposed. We revised it from
"volunteer coordinator" to "coordinator." Note: Sandra further revised
it to"Operations Coordinator"
The job description (attached) is being read by some members of the board/
steering and will then be posted.

3. Jail Library – we did not discuss this prior to my ending and leaving the
meeting at 2:30. However I would like to report that we have more than $300
in "urban fiction" ordered, delivered and paid for and waiting to go into
the satellite jail.
bookmark
stamping books
budget for buying books
how to staff satellite

4. Report from those who went to visit Dwight Prison. Jane did a brief
report on this. She says the biggest problem with their library is staffing.
(conflict with location of law library and regular library.) Sandra reported
that she made contact at Lincoln (the other women's prison) and we may see
more action from there soon also.
how to do outreach to Dwight & other women's prisons

5. Accounting
- Report on Amazon Sales (Deb gave report. We have earned $1700 since we
started 3 months ago)
- Report of expenditures and balance (Sandra could not give an exact report
due to inability to access records of IMC accounting. We do now have our own
account. Niloofar agreed to be a co-signer on this account and learn to set
up and manage the account on Quick Books on one of our computers in the
workroom). We are using a debit card now for all shipping, so there is less
reimbursement. We have approximately $1700. We have spent $400 on
dictionaries, $400 on tables, $300 on Urbana fiction for the satellite jail,
We spend about $400 a month in shipping.

6. Work-day procedure
how to manage large crews? (ideally have 3 to one ratio of new
volunteers toexperienced volunteers), if not – do not have new
volunteers do anything
past pulling books, let someone else do the input (so that they can be
checked at that time). Also know, though that this creates a bottle neck and
we need to be aware this is fine for first time volunteers… but past that
people need to be trained in a task such as input or packaging. Currently
this is falling on too few shoulders.



-How to get a procedure manual/training together, that is easily changed and
followed.

Hopefully with new coordinator
-How to accommodate different needs while working (music vs quiet)
(experienced workers matched with untrained workers)? Saturday can be a more
energized day… but we need to respect a quieter working environment on
Thursday and Tuesdays.
should we continue to file? (how will be ever weed files?) We are
going tocontinue
to file… it was the only thing that saved us when we had to fix the fiasco
caused by the 15 inexperienced worker experience. Discussion ensued as tohow
to search the database by order number. Jay says we can already do that. He
is going to show some one how.


Packaging Labels: Jennifer has volunteered to make labels for packages, (so
packagers just have to fill in prisoner name and number) who can get her
list of prisons that we ship to and keep that list updated for her (which
are individual/ which are bulk
She has also volunteered to regularly call the mail rooms of each
prison...can we agree on a list of what she should be asking?
 -- do they take hardback; will they accept "bulk"; will they accept boxes?;
will they accept padded envelopes? ?) Jay is going to run a report of which
prisons we ship to and in what quantity. Barbara will be the liason with
Jennifer.


7. Misc:
Book donations are slowing down: do we want to ask Honors sorority to do
another book drive? Find a prominent place in Champaign for drop off? Who
will pick up monitor it?
Who will make general flier? All of this after booksale
How can we keep track of volunteers/ recognize them? Answered above
What should be next priority with computer system. (be able to search by
order #?, books sent?).Answered above


regarding… donating books to Danville

After a general go-around of directions/ concerns including discussion of
how to liason with Center for Democracy in a Multiracial Society, how
totake part in the Prison Arts Festival, How
to lobby to get prison libraries changed, how to decide where to donate
books too… I think the consensus that we are successful because we operate
really well staying narrowly focused. Not that we shouldn't liason with
other endeavors… but that we need to stick with our primary purpose which is
shipping books, by request into individual inmates in IDOC. We discussed
that our mission, is in part, thus, and not supplying libraries or affecting
libraries… because ownerships of books is empowering to individuals and
prison staff can not use "going to the library" as a an enticement toward
compliance to other prison rules or a punishment.










-- 
Sandra Ahten
The Reasonable Diet
Group Facilitator / Program Author/
Professional Diet Motivation Expert
http://www.reasonablediet.com
217-367-6345
_______________________________________________
BooksToPrisoners mailing list
BooksToPrisoners at lists.chambana.net
http://lists.chambana.net/cgi-bin/listinfo/bookstoprisoners
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.chambana.net/mailman/archive/bookstoprisoners/attachments/20061115/12df07b8/attachment.html