[Bookstoprisoners] Oct. 14 Meeting agenda/notes

[Jay Schubert]

Regarding donating books to Danville.  I don't agree that this is was our
concensus and I don't want this to be the final word on the subject.  I
think we all agree that having a limited focus has been a major success
factor for us and that we should continue to try to primarily focus on one
thing and do it well, however I didn't get the sense that we had concensus
on that meaning that we don't do anything else.

One of the things that I suggested in the meeting was that we should
continue to look for opportunities that benefit us as well as other
community projects that share our values.  The example I gave regarding the
Danville prison library was that as long as we continue to have more books
than we can deal with (as in my mind is evident by the increasing frequency
and magnitude of our book sales) and there is a need that can be filled by
donating some of our books without noticeable impact to our operations, then
we should explore that.  I also mentioned that I didn't have all the
information I need from Sara to know what Danville's needs / capacity are,
but that I did know that she is looking into other sources for books and
that I hoped we could do more than simply offering her the left overs from
our book sale.  To which there was not much further discussion.

I would like to keep the topic of providing books to Danville on the table,
talk more with Sara about what they need and with our group about what we
think we can reasonably provide.  Feel free to discuss this here or with me
directly if anyone has any concerns about this, or doesn't agree that this
is how this topic was left at the meeting.

Thanks,
Jay



On 10/15/06, Sandra Ahten <sandra.ahten at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> 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
> to divide 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 to
> the 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
> to experienced 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 to
> continue 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 to how 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 to
> take 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
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>
>
>
>


-- 
Jay
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