Key points from Friends of Molesey Library AGM

Guest speaker Lizzie Parker and daughter Fiona Fraser

The Friends 7th Annual General Meeting was held at Molesey Library on 23rd January 2018 with nearly 50 members of the local community present.

Vice- Chair Steve Bax opened the meeting, apologised for the absence of the Chair Pauline Morozgalska, who was recovering from an operation. Steve listed some of the highlights of 2017. These included the Friday Coffee Morning, which is now embedded in the weekly timetable. We are grateful to the new volunteers who have joined this year and to those who continue to bake and donate cakes and we could not continue without them. More volunteers are welcome.

John Coope has organised five author events during 2017. We were delighted to welcome Rear
Admiral Kit Layman, Journalist, Barbara Fisher, Mary Lawson, Jenny Wood, Chair of Molesey Local History Society and Terri Fleming. Sadly, SSC have stopped us giving a glass of wine to Friends at the end of the talk without purchasing a license for each event. This is an unsustainable demand. Proceeds from our fund raising events have been used as usual to purchase items that the Library Service is no longer able to fund. (see Treasurer’s Report).

Unfortunately, the Knit & Natter Sessions have ended as Mary Gill; the key volunteer moved away from Molesey. A new volunteer would be very welcome to take this over. The Library Book Club, supported by the library staff and led by Clare Newman, is no longer able to meet at the library because of the early closure on a Tuesday.

Concern raised following report that Somerset CC are closing 15 of their 36 libraries. More than
ever the community needs to demonstrate that our Library is a valued resource by using the
facilities as much as possible or closure could be proposed again by the Council.

Election of Officers: Committee member Nigel Cooper presided over the election of the committee for 2018 as follows: Chair: Pauline Morozgalska (proposed Michael Watson Seconded Pam Pinkett; Vice Chair: Steve Bax ( proposed Feliks Morozgalski. Seconded Michael Watson); Treasurer: Elizabeth Cooper (Proposed Clare Newman. Seconded: Feliks Morozgalski); Secretary: Post rotated at meetings between committee members. The Committee will also include John Coope, Nigel Cooper, Cllr. Victor Eldridge, Feliks Morozgalski, Carol Parker (Proposed: John Meech Seconded: Clare Newman)

Presentation of the Accounts: Treasurer Elizabeth Cooper distributed a prepared account funds
raised during the year from Author Events and Coffee Mornings - £1757.45. Expenditure this year Coffee Machine, carpet cleaning and re-varnishing of outside benches and tables total £1066.39. Balance at 31st December 2017 £ 4,577.69. We have agreed to a request from the staff to fund some cushions for the children to use at Rhyme-time and 3 new sofas.

Revised FOML Constitution: Steve Bax asked Friends if they had any comments or queries to the
Constitution, revised by the Committee in November 2017 ready for the discussion and approval by the Friends. Copies were distributed to Friends on arrival at the AGM. The Constitution was accepted.

Any Other Business (AOB): Steve invited the Library Area Manager Andrea Hurren to address
the Friends. She was unable to deny or confirm if there would be any reduction to library services in 2018 although Surrey does value it’s libraries and want to keep the status quo as long as possible. She re-iterated that the main issues are footfall i.e. number of people visiting the library and issues i.e. the number of books borrowed each month. At the moment we are second in the sub-cluster so work to be done! Andrea and Helen answered various questions from the floor.

Guest Talk by Lizzie Parker: Introduced by Author Event Convener – John Coope. A fascinating
and entertaining question and answer session about her book “A Life Lived”. Books sold well at the end of the evening.

Finally, John Coope thanked Lizzie Parker interesting interview and everyone for attending the AGM
and their continued interest in supporting the Library. He invited everyone to stay for a drink and the
opportunity to speak to our guest speaker and the committee members.

AGM ended at 8.55 and 40 – 50 people attended.