|
Vladimir Uher, President,
Friends of the Ottawa Public Library Association (FOPLA) provided an overview
of the organization, what they do, and how individuals get involved. He also
offered a look to the future plans of the organization. (Held on file
with the Chief Executive Officer) Mr. Uher thanked the Board for the opportunity
to share details on what efforts FOPLA undertakes to help support the OPL.
In response to a question
from Trustee Luloff regarding vinyl stock at the next Mammoth sale, Mr. Uher
advised that there are approximately five to six cartons of good quality vinyl’s
available at the next sale. Mr. Uher advised that FOPLA received a large
donation of 12,000 vinyl records which will be sold to raise money for the
OPL.
In response to questions
from Trustee Meehan about the large donation, who the donation went to, and
who it was from, Mr. Uher said the donor is providing the vinyls directly to
FOPLA, this individual is preparing to downsize. Mr. Uher said the plan is
to first have a marketing plan, price the vinyls, and hold a sale.
In response to a question
from Vice-Chair Fisher regarding FOPLA donating books to organizations at a
discounted rate, Mr. Uher said FOPLA provides donations to six to nine
organizations, specifically servicing newcomers, under privileged groups,
seniors, etc., however they are quite selective in terms of who FOPLA donates
to. Mr. Uher indicated that books that are not sold are shipped to a large
bookseller (Better World Books) at their cost, and FOPLA receives a
commission if a book is sold. He noted that FOPLA generates $30K annually
from these commissions.
Trustee Brockington asked
what percentage of books are retired from OPL content versus donations. Mr.
Uher indicated that the ratio is approximately 20% versus 80%.
Further to a question
from Trustee Brockington on whether FOPLA has a policy for rare or valuable
contributions, Mr. Uher said FOPLA has two stores where valuable books are displayed.
He indicated that an experienced volunteer evaluates the contribution and
guides FOPLA for pricing. Mr. Uher noted that FOPLA’s future focus will be
with online sales, offering customers materials through e-Commerce.
In response to a question
from Trustee Slack whether FOPLA communicates with Friends of LAC, Mr. Uher
responded in the affirmative, advising that they have met a few times to
discuss collaborative ways to work together for the new facility.
Chair Tierney thanked the
presenter and FOPLA for the fantastic work it does in the community.
Following the presentation,
Mr. Uher presented OPL with a cheque of $375,000 for 2018, the largest single
donation to-date. FOPLA has donated more than $3.6M to OPL over the last 16
years.
The CEO closed by
thanking Mr. Uher for the presentation, for the 2018 donation, and for being
such wonderful “friends” to the OPL. She noted that FOPLA is the top “friends”
group in Canada and brings such value to OPL city-wide.
|