January 10, 2006

The meeting was called to order by President, Jan Robinson at 5:40 p.m.

Those in attendance were Jan Robinson, Leslie Lawson, Larry Sullivan, Sam Butler, Sandra Stapleton, Jeanette Hopkins, Cathy Lauer, Bruce Conrad, CR Hanna, Lyleth Winther, Loretta Welsh, Sandi Whiteman, Gerry Lenzen, Rex Bosse, and Connie Lenzen.

Minutes were presented and there were no corrections. It was moved by Loretta and 2nd by Sandi W. that the minutes be approved. Motion carried.

Treasurer’s Report: Jeanette presented the Budget vs. Actual costs for the period ending 12/31/2005. The figures showed that we lost $3100.00 and discussion followed that the next budget needs to better reflect where the money is used. Some estimates were well under budget and others exceeded the budget. We also discussed ways to raise more funds. Gerry reported that Education is a significant source of revenue. The GFO Balance of Accounts was also presented and will be filed with the minutes.

Medallion Signature Guarantee: The Secretary of the GFO is required to present a current Corporate/Partnership Accounts Certificate of Authorization naming those persons authorized (President and Treasurer) to do business. Cathy Lauer will take the form to a Wells Fargo bank for processing. Jeanette told us that we may change the bank that we do business with. Wells Fargo has too many restrictions and she would like to find a bank that is much friendlier to our needs. She reported that our tax return should be ready to file by the 1st of next month. She needs to put money in the bulk mail postage account again. Sandi and Jan will start working on a designated fund form.

Carol Berkley’s class: Michele is looking for volunteers to help and work with the students from Binnsmead Middle School in one of the five established stations.  These stations will consist of looking at marriage records, using microfilm, reviewing maps, checking out the Kentucky and Oregon areas of the library, and having adults listen to the stories that they have written. A sign-up sheet will be posted for anyone interested in helping with the sessions.

Publishers agreement: Jan has drawn up a form for the George Brown manuscript, and has asked for any corrections or additions. Bruce made a motion and Loretta second that we accept the form. Motion passed.

Building keys: Who should have keys for the front door of the building? If was agreed that anyone who has a valid need to have one should. A “key census” needs to be made to determine who has a key, and those who no longer need a key should return theirs to the Facilities Manager, Jim Morrow. Lyleth will put a notice in the next newsletter requesting this.

Computers: Rex reported that he will be purchasing two computers. One computer will be a laptop for use with the projector, and a desktop computer for use with the Internet. Acer Computer in Hillsboro has the best deal…$854, and is comes with many features and a one-year warranty. The Internet computer should be loaded with MS Office so files can be sent from outside the facility to the GFO building. The printer at the internet station is not reliable for use with the current computer and we discussed replacing it with a laser printer which would cost approximately $400. Leslie moved, and Bruce 2nd that we have Rex purchase the two computers. Motion passed. We will wait to see if the printer works well with the new computer before deciding if we need to get a new one.

Budget: Sandi, Jeanette, Jan, and Jim will work to create a new budget for the current year.

Hall of Fame: Jan gave the report for Michele. The Hall of Fame is designed to honor those persons (living or deceased) who contribute many services to the organization over a period of time. This honor is not necessarily given every year. Life membership is given to the recipient. We should consider who will receive the next honor.

Designated funds: Jan presented a written report regarding Designated Donations. We need to honor the wishes of the donor. Jan and Sandi will work on setting a procedure for receiving monetary donations. All departments receiving monies are expected to keep a record of the money amounts and the donor designations. Lyleth made a motion that we accept the policy as proposed; Rex second. The motion passed..

Funds from the Smolenyak Grant were designated for African American projects.  A news article was placed in the The Scanner asking holders of funeral cards if they would bring the cards to the offices of The Scanner for the purpose of copying the genealogical information.  To date, none have been received.  It was suggested that we contact the donor to see if she would like to choose another project.

Nominating Committee: (William Smith, Dottie Miller, and Byron Blankenship) Request was made by the Nominating Committee for anyone on the Board who would be willing to return for another term to please let them know. Also anyone else interested in holding an office should make it known to the committee. The question arose about dispensing with mailing the ballots and having the vote taken by those members only attending the yearly meeting. The Bylaws state that we mail to the entire membership and the Bylaws would need to be changed by a vote of the membership.

Marketing and publicity: Jan told us that we need to increase our membership by being more visible. The previously appointed committees were not able to present a plan and we need to start trying new ideas. We must look at past successes to see what worked and what didn’t and build from that. The first thing we should do is develop a professional looking brochure. Lyleth, Jeanette, and Bruce will work to produce a quality brochure. Then we need to look for possible locations to display them. Gerry will write up an article suggesting ways to donate. Another suggestion was to begin a fund raiser for our 60 year Anniversary celebration to spruce up our library.

Meeting was adjourned.

Submitted by
Cathy Lauer
Secretary, GFO

Next board meeting: date changed to Tuesday, Feb. 21st because of Valentines Day.

February 21, 2006

The meeting was called to order at 5:35 p.m. by President Jan Robinson.

Those in attendance were: Jan Robinson, Leslie Lawson, Larry Sullivan, Sam Butler, Sandra Stapleton, Jeanette Hopkins, Cathy Lauer, Bruce Conrad, CR Hanna, Lyleth Winther, Loretta Welsh, Sandi Whiteman, Gerry Lenzen, Michele Fricke, Rex Bosse, Dottie Miller, Connie Lenzen, and Joyce Esterbrook.

Minutes from the January meeting were presented and there were no corrections. Motion was made by Loretta and second by Rex that the minutes be accepted. Motion passed.

Sam reported that the Smolenyak Grant is still unsettled. He will try to make contact with Mr. David Hinton, General Manager of Ross Hollywood Chapel and report back to the board in March.

Jan brought up the subject of the missing Minutes and Reports for the period of June 2004 – July 2005. Every effort has been made to obtain the approved copies of the minutes and it was decided that we will accept the reconstructed copies. Sandi suggested that we need to adopt a format for the recording of the minutes so that they are easier to read for anyone researching business from previous meetings.

Jeanette presented the first draft of the brochure that she, Bruce, and Lyleth prepared. The committee plans to meet again and are asking for any input from the board.

New business:

Treasurer’s report – Jeanette submitted a copy of her report to be filed with the minutes. She has compared Budget vs. Actual expense for the period from July 2005 through January 2006 which is about 50% of this year’s accounting. Bruce asked for a third column to be added to the report which would show the year’s remaining percentage available totals. The next budget must be revised to better reflect where our funds will come from. Income from the educational programs was far less than anticipated. Gerry reminded us that the last budget we were using as a guide was from 1996. A withdrawl from Columbia funds is needed to pay the rent for March and April. Investments have been doing well however.

Jeanette & Sandi will try to reconstruct the previous designated funds as there is no documentation in 2003-2004 for these funds.

Letter of thanks - Jan expressed the need to send a letter of thanks to Doug Henne for all the work that he does for our organization. She will write the letter.

Registered Agent - Our new Registered agent, Joyce Esterbrook spoke to us about her duties and told us that she has met with Doug Henne to discuss the contents of the safe deposit box. They will sort through the contents and decide what can be removed and will replace older items with more current items. Doug will scan all that is in the box for a permanent record. Membership lists need to be preserved. All lease originals should be placed in the safe deposit box and a copy of the leases should remain in the GFO office. Motion was made by Bruce and second by Lyleth that we revise the signature access to the safe deposit box to include only Joyce Esterbrook, Doug Henne, Jan Robinson, and Jeanette Hopkins. Motion carried. A copy of the minutes using official GFO letterhead will be placed in the box.

Telephone books - The collection of old telephone books which is presently being stored in a locker in Vancouver WA was discussed and Sandi will go to the location to determine the condition and value of the books. She will report her findings to the board and it will be decided what will be done with them.

Library door - The door into our library has been left open at times and the Fire Marshal visited at one of those times. Previously we have been told that a fine of $150.00 would be issued for non-compliance. No letter has been received yet for the last violation. Dottie and Jan will draft a letter to all Research Assistants that it is the responsibility of each shift to be sure that we comply with the regulations.

Building keys - All board members should have a key to the front door of the building. Also all Research Assistants who open and close the library on weekends or late evenings need to have a key Other persons who have a need for access to the building when the library is closed should make arrangements to have a key also. Jim Lasher, the building manager has asked if we can accommodate the handicapped person who needs access to the dance studio through our library. Special arrangements have been made for the dance studio owner to provide access through our combination locked door and the rear exit door when the library is closed.

Printer/photocopier - A committee which consists of Jim Morrow, Loretta, Rex, Jeanette, and Gerry has been formed to seek out proposals for leasing a printer and photocopier. Our current contract expires in September.

GRIO - Gerry is stepping down as Chairman of the GRIO. The project has been put on hold and the question arose whether or not we should continue with it. It was decided that Jan should draft a letter to Larry Piatt telling him that we don’t have the manpower to continue.

New laptop - Rex reported that we have the new laptop for digital projection presentations which was purchased from funds donated by Marty Krauter. It is in the office and ready to use by anyone trained and qualified to use it. For training, one needs to contact Rex.

Website/Research fees - The marriage database recently placed on the GFO website needs to be revised. Loretta brought up the subject that we are offering too much information and that outside parties may not feel the need to order a full copy of the marriage record because the date, volume number, and page citations are listed. The Board agreed that only the Volume number and the Groom’s and Bride’s names should be listed on the website. A fee of $5.00, which includes postage & copy costs, will be charged. Connie suggested that the copy/copies should be sent upon request for the information and that we attach a bill for the costs. This procedure has worked well for many other libraries and most people send a payment very soon after receiving their copies. For the small number of people that do not pay, we are only out the cost of postage and a copy. It was also agreed upon that we change the research fee to $10.00 per half hour, with a minimum charge of $10.00. A motion was made by Rex and 2nd by Michelle that we adopt these new rules. Motion passed.

George Brown Manuscript - Loretta reported that George Brown’s manuscript is ready to print. Gerry will write a short introductory item for the newsletter to advertise that the information will be available for purchase.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:50 p.m.

Submitted by
Cathy Lauer
Secretary, GFO

March 11th - Membership Meeting
March 14th -Board Meeting

March 14, 2006

Present: Jan Robinson, Leslie Lawson, Sam Butler, Larry Sullivan, Bruce Conrad, Sandi Whiteman, Loretta Welch, Jeanette Hopkins, Gerry Lenzen, Michele Fricke, Sandra Stapleton, Connie Lenzen, Lyleth Winther, C.R. Hanna.

Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President Jan Robinson. She announced that Joyce Esterbrook’s sister passed away. We’ll be sending a sympathy card.

OLD BUSINESS
Last Month’s Minutes: Minutes of the last meeting were discussed, Lyleth moved to accept the minutes as they stand, Leslie 2nd the motion, and motion was passed.

Smolenyak Grant: Sam Butler is waiting for some feed back from Ross Hollywood/The Little Chapel of the Chimes - Killingsworth about access to their records. He also has an appointment with Cox & Cox about accessing their African American obituaries in older newspapers. Since we are having trouble acquiring copies of funeral cards for the African American community of Portland, for which the grant was intended, it was suggested in discussion that we contact Megan Smolenyak and explain our dilemma, to see if she wants the money to go toward some other project. Jan will write Megan a letter on behalf of the GFO Board. We appreciate Sam’s hours in his pursuit of those records.

Treasurer’s Report: Jeanette presented three reports: Balance of Accounts, GFO Budgets vs. Actual figures report, and the Monthly Income and Expenses.

Discussion by the group involved the decrease of funds to support the library and society’s monthly expenses. When questions arose about the endowment fund, it was explained that a policy was in effect where only the interest from the account could be accessed to help with operating expenses. As this problem needs more discussion it was decided to dedicate the 2nd half of our next Board meeting to discussing the budget woes, looking for answers. Most Departments of our organization have cut expenses back as much as they possibly can, and still provide services to the membership.

Lyleth moved we accept the Treasurer’s Report as it stands, Leslie 2nd the motion, motion passed.

Brochure Draft Report: Jeanette explained the focus of the re-created brochure--focusing on more educational opportunities to benefit current and future membership, as well as drawing attention to our library’s hookup to the Internet--both DSL & wireless.

Jeanette says the committee (Bruce, Lyleth & Jeanette) need a list of best places to distribute a stash of brochures, in hopes we will attract potential members. She also stated that we had no response online from our members via an ORForum request for some who might print an initial batch of 3000 brochures as a write off/tax deduction (we are a non-profit). She says she has a friend who she hopes will do it for free.

Electronically Sent Newsletters: Discussion involved the concerns from an impromptu committee (Lyleth, Sam, Rex, Michele, Kathy Cardoza, ) who have been brainstorming the steps to get the newsletter sent electronically to willing members. The newsletter could be posted to the website with a secure password for members only to access, and later released for non-members eyes. Or we could post it without a password for all to see, exposing more eyes to what we offer--events coming up, projects in process, helpful genealogy columns for “how-to’s”.

Or the newsletter could be emailed to individuals in a mass emailing, requiring one person to load all the eligible email addresses, and maintaining same list. All others who request it or don’t have computer access will continue to receive their copies via the US Post Office system.

Discussion included comments that some people, even with online access, would rather receive a printed copy in their home mail box or not at all. They won’t want to mess with a “password”.

It was agreed that the goal of the newsletter is to inform members of coming events on the schedule, news of the organization, genealogical helpful hints, as well as advertising the need for more volunteers for this or that project. Sandra Stapleton stated that both publications (Bulletin and Insider) need to be error free, to give us a professional look.

Further discussion was sent back to the committee to explore the options between now and the next Board meeting.

Carpet Cleaning Fund (Needs to be done before our 60th Anniversary Celebration): Lyleth wanted to know if we should repeat the request in the newsletter for funds to clean the carpet as there had been no response so far. Jeanette suggested the Board start if off--raising the funds--and ask the members to do a share. $142 was collected in a matter of minutes, but it will take more than a couple of hundred to have the carpets cleaned professionally…long overdue. Funds for the project could be a tax deduction as we are a non-profit organization.

NEW BUSINESS
Copier Repair: Evidently the possible replacement copier for the reading room needs a new drum according to Jeanette’s husband who looked at it, and they are expensive. He said he would get a loaner drum from a friend of his, put it into the machine temporarily while he took the other drum home and worked on it, perhaps saving the expense of a brand new drum..

Organizational Chart: Jan & Michele presented a preliminary draft of an organizational chart listing the elected officers and appointees and their lists of responsibilities. They hope such a chart will be helpful to the volunteers working the desk when incoming calls are received.

File Maker Pro Update: Jan wanted to contact the software provider and see if we can “beg” for a newer updated program, for at least 10 computers. It was suggested she contact the provider via letter.

Location of Key Box - Lyleth and Jeanette raised doubts about the location of the box for the different keys to the reading room and locked drawers, thought it was too much in plain sight for anyone who wanted to grab our money or a rare book in the rare book room. Others thought the risk wasn’t as great as the concern.

Goal Setting Workshop: Former president Dave Morrison has offered to lead a goal setting workshop if we so desire. A date was agreed on for the workshop to beheld in April--Sat. April 29th, after 3pm library closure for the day.

Advertisement in Moreland-Sellwood Bee newspaper: Cathy Lauer has offered to pay for an ad in the local newspaper with a short article and a tear-off coupon for a free visit to the GFO library. Discussion by the board asked that she have the Board review the article, and add an expiration date on the coupon. Lyleth Moved we approve Cathy’s offer of paying and submitting an ad to the Moreland-Sellwood Bee on behalf of the group. Loretta 2nd the motion, and the motion was passed by the Board members.

Membership Report: Michele Fricke

Michele says we should thank Rex Bosse for his many efforts on correcting the current database that was having problems. He spent many hours at the job.

Current membership: 994 active members. Hall of Fame Nominees’ deadline is April 3rd, and Michele has already received some nominations. Binnsmead School project had to be placed on hold for now, as the lead teacher is working and spending her weekends taking care of a terminally ill parent out of state.

New Printer/Copier Prospects: Loretta and others on the committee need to hear some more proposals, but need a figure of how many copies we’d expect a machine to make a month. The newsletters and Bulletins run about 1050 sets each month, and then there are seminar and mini-class flyers, plus any printed books that are needed.

First Families Project: Lyleth asked what had happened to the First Families project which was supposed to be a fundraiser for the society, as well as a service to those whose families were among the first Families of Multnomah County. Jan said Sam Butler will speak to Jim Rogers who has taken on that project.

Next Month: Pricing of materials -- CD’s, books, etc. Also, budget

Meeting was adjourned at 7:23pm
Next Meeting is April 11,2006

Submitted by
Lyleth Winther
Filling in as Secretary, GFO