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Friends' Funding At our June 24 meeting, the Friends took a vote on the request first put to us in May that we fund the new furniture for the courtyard which is being relandscaped. After discussion, the meeting voted in favour of providing the requested amount of $3,400 for this project. A number of quotations for the building of the furniture - benches, two tables and some chairs - have been obtained, and the architect and Chief Librarian have concluded that Serita Furniture Limited of Port Alberni, using local red wood cedar, offers the best value. Their work and product is of excellent quality and can be expected to last for at least 15 if not 20 years. Some members may have seen their work on display at the annual VanDusen garden show. There is an architect's / artist's plan of the entire project on display on the easel by the courtyard. The courtyard replanting will soon be completed. The courtyard is a tranquil place which we can all enjoy - even in winter on a sunny day A place to read, or peruse a book before deciding to take it home, or to make notes on that special project. Natalie Logan, the member of our group who has cheerfully taken on the responsibility for the quality and conformity of our recognition plaques, is working with Ann Goodhart for a suitable donor plaque to be incorporated into the courtyard design. Philosophy, the purchase of which was approved at our October 1997 meeting, has now been received. It is a ten volume set, and Natalie is arranging to have our special name plates inserted in each volume. The Encyclopaedia of Human Biology, approved at the same time, also bears our name plates. Students have eagerly started to register for the Summer Reading programmes for both teens and younger children. As at June 24, over 400 children and 60 teenagers had signed up. At our May 27 meeting the Friends agreed to our usual annual donation for incentive items. Our 1997 casino "winnings" are dedicated towards the proposed English Language Learning Centre, and purchasing is going forward for materials and equipment. We will be presented with the invoices at the end of the year, thus allowing the funds to remain invested achieving the maximum interest until December 31. Money raised through a casino licence must be spent on the project submitted with the original application. Details of the Language Learning Centre are described in our March 1998 newsletter. At our April meeting, Ann Goodhart outlined plans for the "Proposed Use of Funds" proposal to be submitted, following the Friends' approval, with our next application for a casino licence. However, the project is part of a large in depth study of Library space usage. Space planning has now begun with the architect recently selected by the Board, and we look forward to hearing more about the project. New Computer Systems The Friends have been kept informed about the Library's plans for new computer systems and equipment. A consulting firm has now been selected to ensure that we obtain the very best, up-to-date products. They will be starting then-work in the first week of August, and information pertaining to our Library's own special requirements is being gathered. However, this is an enormous, fundamental project, and the system cannot be expected to be in place before September 1999. Board and staff Members took the opportunity of visiting the trade show held in conjunction with the Canadian Library Assocation's national conference held in Victoria in late June, and they have returned very enthusiastic about the possibilities available from both staff and patrons' points of view. As we embark on this exciting new era, it is of interest to review our computer history to date: