Bidding Owl starts Friday November 1!
Check out our Silent Auction!
To get on the site click on or enter the address:
https://new.biddingowl.com/FriendsofSpringwaterLibrarySilentAuction
or use QR code below
As part of the registration process, the Friends of Springwater Public Library have developed and implemented a Charitable Trust document.
This trust document is available to any of our members. Please contact us by email for a copy.
Our Mission
Supporting the Springwater Public Library through promotion, advocacy, and fundraising
Be a Friend!
Fill in a Membership form attached and email it to:
friendsofspringwaterlibrary@gmail.com
Or pick up a copy at our Library Branches
NEW EVENTS AT OUR LIBRARY
FRIENDS SPONSOR DRAG STORYTIME HELD IN AUGUST AT MIDHURST LIBRARY
Springwater Public Library Press Release – June 1, 2024
I Love the Springwater Public Library? Show your support by purchasing a button
Springwater, Ontario – A newly formed group, the Friends of Springwater Public Library, have started a campaign to not just demonstrate how the community loves it local libraries, but also to raise funds.
The “I love Springwater Public Library” campaign kicked off at the Elmvale Maple Syrup Festival in April by selling buttons that anyone can purchase for $5.
“Our group loves our local library and we wanted to do something that would allow others to show their support and at the same time raise funds which will support the development of the new library in Midhurst as part of the Springwater Township Community Hub as well as supporting programs and material,” says Donna Kenwell, chair of the group. “Now, more than ever, we want to demonstrate the incredible resource the three branches of the library are to this community.”
The buttons are on sale at the three library branches – Elmvale, Midhurst and Minesing – during operating hours as well as events in the community such as the Elmvale Farmers’ Market.
Advocacy Update
An Open Letter to Council regarding March 20, 2024 Council Meeting:
I attended the Mar. 21/24 Council and was dismayed by the reaction some members of Council had to the presentation by the Library Board Chair and Vice-Chair. This presentation was a direct result of the criticism one member of Council expressed about the management of the Library (Board and CEO). Those comments were made at the Feb. 21/24 Council Meeting.
The fact that these unwarranted comments were made in public session is unconscionable. As a past member of the Library Board, I am appalled at this Council’s refusal to acknowledge provincial legislation, to listen to explanations of the process under which the Library operates, to disregard their own procedures (about holding discussions of personnel matters in closed session) and the utter distain for volunteers (Councillor Fisher asked how the Library Board could consider themselves volunteers since they receive an honorarium)
All appointees to Springwater Council committees receive an honorarium, as do our local appointees to other service providers (such as the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority), including our ‘volunteer’ firefighters. Library Board members cannot claim mileage to meetings, nor incur any other expenses without the prior approval of the Board – the Library Board’s $40 per meeting honorarium falls well below minimum wage just for time spent at a monthly meeting, let alone anytime spent on other Board business. The amount of the honorarium has not been changed since 1990, to the best of my knowledge.
The comment Councillor Fisher then made about the CEO’s credit card expenditure at the Royal York Hotel was another cheap shot. When the Library received credit card privileges from the Township, it was so that members were not out-of-pocket for expenses incurred while on Library business. The bill in question was for accommodations and parking for attending the recent Ontario Library Association annual conference. The bill would have been significantly larger had reservations been made at the hotel attached to the conference venue. I notice in the same cheque and credit card register that there were many similar expenses for Township staff attending other conferences, yet no disparaging comments were made about those costs.
The Board’s agendas and minutes are available on the Library website. The reporting in the minutes echoes Council’s standard. As such, there is no verbatim recording of individual conversation, nor withholding of pertinent information. In the case of requested revisions by the board, there would be a recording of amendments to motions. There are no ‘shadow meetings’ as Councillor Fisher suggested.
The only direct question asked after the presentation was for Township staff to review the Public Libraries Act with regard to contracting out of library services.
My questions for Council are:
Will there be an apology to the Library Board and CEO for the slanderous comments made by Councillor Fisher on Mar. 20/24?
Will there be any discipline for the comments he also made at the Feb. 21/24 meeting?
Will Council review their protocol for moving into Closed Session? It is my understanding that Council meets in Closed Session to review real estate issues, to be updated on contract negotiations, or where comments are made about identifiable personnel. Who at Council – the Mayor, the CAO or the Clerk, has the authority to ‘kill the microphone’ when such comments are made in public session?
Will Council review their protocol for interacting with their Service Agencies? With a new Police Services Board coming into effect, it seems an opportune time to re-examine what authority Council may or may not have with those Service Agencies in budget deliberations and personnel matters.
Donna Kenwell B.A., M.L.S.
1407 Flos Rd. 8W
Elmvale ON L0L 1P0
705-322-5344 (home)
705-734-5674 (cell)