Report in the Dundas Star News

Friends of Dundas Library determining its final chapter

Group considering its future

By Craig Campbell, News Staff

News

Oct 23, 2009

The annual Cactus Festival book-sale fundraiser has been cancelled as the Friends of the Dundas Library determine whether there’s any reason to continue operating.

After 10 years and raising nearly $28,000 for the Dundas Library branch, the group passed a motion to discontinue the event at its annual general meeting last weekend. A health and safety inspection determined storing donated books for the popular book sale was no longer possible.

Book sale convener Donna Wignall told Sunday afternoon’s meeting of the FODL several alternative storage possibilities were explored, but problems with moving and managing donated books could not be overcome.

“After considerable deliberation, I conclude that it is not feasible to collect and transport items away from the library or to conduct the sale in a different location,” Ms. Wignall stated in her report. “Therefore, the Friends of Dundas Library thank the many people who supported us with donations, work hours, and purchases in the past 10 years. We conclude that this popular, successful, annual event must be discontinued.”

After the meeting, Ms. Wignall told the Dundas Star News finding a storage location wasn’t a problem –as Councillor Russ Powers suggested Dundas Town Hall or Grafton Square.

“It wasn’t that we didn’t have storage space. It was getting books to the storage space,” Ms. Wignall said.

She said the Friends of the Dundas Library performed a variety of roles in addition to the annual book sale when it first started, ten years ago. But those roles have all been negated by new Hamilton Public Library policies that don’t allow volunteers to run certain programs.

“There’s no point being an association if you don’t have a purpose,” Ms. Wignall said. “We need to do some soul searching.”

The group plans to take some time and meet again in January to decide if they will continue in any form. If not, the group will have to look into dissolving its charitable status, and figure our how to disperse funds remaining in its bank account.

“They will be spent on the Dundas Library,” Ms. Wignall said.

According to financial returns filed with Canada’s Charities Directorate, the Friends have brought in average annual revenue of approximately $3,138 over the past eight years –the vast majority of which came from the annual August book sale held during Cactus Festival at the Dundas branch. The group registered as a charity with the Canada Revenue Agency in 2000.

Money raised by the FODL each year went back into the library purchasing furniture, outdoor planters, shelving, books and other accessories the local branch needed.