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Newsletter Issue 106 March 1997 Appointment of new Chief Librarian. Our new Chief Librarian, whom we look forward to welcoming in May, will be Ann Goodhart. Ann is at present Deputy Director of Fort Vancouver Regional Library in Washington. Fort Vancouver Library consists of 10 branches in 4 counties and has a budget of $12,000,000. Ann will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience with her. Some of her accomplishments in her 13 years with Fort Vancouver Library include: ♦ tripled the number of programmes offered to children; ♦ developed and implemented the first CD work station; ♦ planned and implemented periodical system providing on-line indexing and text of magazines; ♦ established a strong reciprocal community relationship through presentations and participation on community boards and committees; ♦ developed an adult programme component consisting of lectures, exhibits and programmes. Ann has been commuting between Vancouver and Washington State for the past four years as her husband is Executive Director of the Vancouver Maritime Museum. She is a landed immigrant and has lived abroad in Okinawa, Japan, and in Augsburg Germany. Ann enjoys music, history, travelling gardening and, of course, reading. Membership Renewal slips are being returned steadily. Prompt return of renewal notification forms is much appreciated in order to maintain an accurate and up to date membership list. We welcome Sophia Weremchuk, joining us in March. One of the many benefits of Membership of The Friends is the entitlement to order ten reserves per year at no charge, the fee of $0.50 being waived. Members are required to present their membership card when ordering reserves. Chief Librarian's Report Jack Mounce's report to our meeting on February 26 included the following: ♦ The Memorial Library, along with other Municipal services, is facing severe cutbacks as Council attempts to cope with a $3 million reduction in the Provincial grant. The March issue of "West Vancouver Report" outlines the issues with which Council is faced, and contains a questionnaire requesting feedback on options available for the 1997 budget and beyond. Jack Mounce encouraged members to respond to the questionnaire and to "speak-up" in support of our Library. ♦ January was a record month for the Memorial Library with the total circulation exceeding 90,000 for the first time. ♦ The Story House in the Youth Services Department, to which The Friends have contributed in excess of $2,750, is nearing completion. Jack encouraged Friends who