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Book Sale The 1997 Book Sale, organized and conducted by the Friends, was a great success -both in terms of quality and fund raising. So much so, that, by the end of the first day, more money had been taken than for last year's entire sale, which was, in itself, a record. The total of funds raised is $8,015.47. Wow! Many, many thanks to Wanda Osborne for the overall organization - and responsibility -for the event. No detail was too small or too demanding for Wanda to address personally. For example, she herself, on the day after the sale, removed the banner from the bridge over Marine Drive - a particularly wet and windy day and an experience Wanda described as akin to hang gliding. Hearty thanks go to all those who worked so hard on the sale -sorting books, delivering posters to local business and stores, taking cash, directing patrons, tidying shelves, bagging books, and the myriad other tasks involved in this annual vital, high profile event. Whereas it is always difficult to single out any one person's contribution, special thanks are due to Pat Scrivener who spent countless hours on the telephone scheduling us for book sorting and working on the actual event and to Brendan Rowell who arranged for signage and blue bus posters, and who acted as Wanda's deputy. There were a couple of days when Pat actually lost her voice as a result of her extensive telephone work! The record shows that 240 "people hours" were spent in book sorting, and 130 hours on the sale itself. However, the actual total hours are much higher as, at times, people were too busy or too exhausted to sign the book and others quietly and efficiently stepped into "gaps" such as elevator operating and directing patrons. Nor do these totals include organisational time, Pat Scrivener's hours, poster delivery, and so forth. Publicity for the event was good, and the media campaign worked well and resulted in worthwhile coverage in both the press and on radio. Several comments from patrons at the event complimenting the excellent organization were heard. If we attempted to list all those who worked on the sale, this newsletter would run to pages and pages! So please just accept congratulations and heartfelt gratitude. The unsold books are being collected by the Kiwanis; lion's Gate Hospital; and the Youth Custody Centre in Burnaby. Four boxes are being stored for the annual October "flea market" sale held at the Seniors' Centre. A recommendation for next year is that a means of advising local charities that unsold books may be available should be explored. A comment mentioned in the Board Liaison Report was that people were a little unclear as to whether or not book donations were welcome. It was explained that donations should be encouraged and that the donation procedure is very simple - just bring books along for sorting. Board Liaison Report Jaunita Tupper reported on the current month's board meeting. In order to increase donor funding, the Board has decided to take a look at the possibility of commercial sponsorship and to explore the question of the level at which an annual donor could be deemed to be a sponsor. Such a scheme would be extremely low key and restricted to the West Vancouver community. An initial study is to be conducted by the Library Foundation - headed by James Turpin who is a member of both the Board and the Foundation. Juanita assured us that any commercial sponsorship would be very subtly recognized and invited anyone with concerns on this subject to contact the Board to make their views known.