Library Committee

The Library Committee’s responsibilities include:

• • • • Taking care that returned items have their card before returning them to the shelves.

      • Purchasing books, DVDs, CDs and other media related to the spiritual life of the Meeting. Preparing for each new item a card, a paper sleeve to hold the card, and a sticker on the spine identifying the type of book (Quaker Classic, Quaker Biography, Fiction, etc.). Doing the same thing for older items if we find they lack a card. Receipts for purchases are kept and given to the Meeting’s Treasurer for reimbursement from the Library budget. 

      • Giving “Book Reports” during the Quaker Announcements at the end of Meeting for Worship to inform the community about a book or other item in the library. This kind of announcement is more often about new items, but it can also be made to remind the community about older items that are of special or timely interest.

      • Bringing items to the attention of Meeting in other ways: for example by a small display card stuck to the bookshelf containing a sentence or two about why an item is worthy of note.

      • Ensuring that copies of Faith and Practice are available for members, attenders and newcomers to purchase.

      • Maintaining the library as an archive of Quaker books, pamphlets, recordings, and more.

      • Giving away Quaker-related items when we have more than enough copies. For example, we occasionally put out duplicate copies Pendle Hill pamphlets, with a little sign inviting interested people to take them.

      • Repairing damaged books. We have a box of book repair materials that we use with damaged books from the last hundred years or so. Damaged books from the 1800s or earlier are now being stored in the glass case, as our relatively crude book repair materials would damage the delicate older books and pamphlets.

      • Periodically going through the card catalog to find out which books are overdue. Phoning or emailing individuals who have not returned an item on time, reminding them to return it.

      • Pruning the display on the magazine rack to keep it neat and orderly, discarding old items or items unrelated to the Meeting.

      • Keeping the books and other materials neat, tidy and accessible.

      • Submitting a budget request each year in the fall.